The Everglades and its fragile ecosystem are a hot topic for environmentalists, and especially so

in south Florida. Some want to restore the natural flow to the "River of Grass" while others want to

leave it be, let nature run its course. On the flip side are the government agencies that Congress

appointed to deal with the situation. Unfortunately, but not surprisingly, the agencies are so at odds

about how to manage the water flowing into the Everglades that not much is getting done.

 

The issue at hand is a project to restore water flows for marshes and prairies in Everglades National

Park. Yet the project has mushroomed in cost and suffered delays because of government indecision

and inability to communicate, a new federal audit has concluded. The cost of the Modified Water

Deliveries Project has risen to nearly $400 million, from $81 million in 199l, according to Interior

Department Inspector General Earl Devaney. And the project, a predecessor and key component of

the much broader state-federal Everglades restoration plan, now may not be finished until 2009 or later.

A key reason for the shortfall is the inability of U.S. Department of the Interior component agencies such

as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Park Service to agree on "fundamental planning

and design issues" for water control and water depth. There are also difficulties in communicating with

outside groups and other agencies, such as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, American Indian tribes

and Florida state agencies, the audit found. This has led to disputes that wound up in court fights,

further contributing to delays.

 

Meanwhile, life goes on in the Everglades, and specifically in the canals targeted for backfilling under

the plan. What is more, those very canals support what is documented by the Florida Fish and

Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) as the highest catch rates for largemouth in the state. FWC

data also shows anglers generated economic impacts of $1.1 million over a six-month period.

 

Evidence of the superb fishing was underscored during a recent benefit tournament organized by South

Florida Anglers For Everglades Restoration (S.A.F.E.R.). The team event attracted 92 boats whose

anglers caught 88 five-bass limits. Overall, the 575 fish caught weighed a cumulative 1,234 pounds,

equating to an impressive 2.15-pound average.

 

One of the anglers in the tournament was FWC commissioner Herky Huffman, a lifelong Floridian

who experienced first hand the quality of the bass fishing. Huffman was so impressed that he

sent a complementary email to S.A.F.E.R. member Rick Perrson, who also is a member of S.A.F.E.R.

 

Meanwhile, the bureaucratic boondoggle continues. S.A.F.E.R. keeps pushing its "restoration with

recreation" and "save our canals" message. And water, what there is of it, keeps flowing through the

"River of Grass."

For more information on S.A.F.E.R.: http://www.sfanglers.com/