The sad state of the mighty Everglades

A recent assessment of the Everglades -- subject of a multi-billion dollar restoration effort (upon which the U.S. government has reneged its commitments) -- show that it is still an imperiled ecosystem. The parallels with the Chesapeake Bay are notable, except for the fact that the Everglades are a national PARK.


Everglades still in decline, study says

Ten years ago a $7.8 billion project, split between the federal government and Florida over 36 years, promised to restore the Everglades, whose ecosystem lawmakers ranked with that of the Mississippi River, the Grand Canyon and the redwood forests of California.

The project has since shrunk in scope, in part because Congress failed to match Florida's commitment of more than $2 billion, The New York Times reported.

I wonder why. Who writes the budget Congress votes on every year? The Executive Branch, I believe. Who was writing it the last eight years? The George W. Bush Administration.

The study by the National Research Council, required by Congress, warned the Everglades was quickly reaching a point of no return.

Without "near-term progress," more species will die off "and the Everglades ecosystem may experience irreversible losses to its character and functioning," it said.

Point of no return... now where have I heard THAT recently???