The Everglades

This week we were assigned the swamp readings. The first one was an excerpt from Marjory Stoneman Douglas' The Everglades: River of Grass.

Honestly one of the hardest things I have ever had to read. I literally read the first page about 10 times and I still didn't understand what she was saying. As I would go on to the next sentence I would have to reread the sentence before. She was so descriptive in her writing that it almost didn't go anywhere. She kept describing the same thing for about two paragraphs and she still wasn't done. Definitely the hardest reading ever. I'm sure that she was very passionate about the Everglades and that's ok. The Everglades truly are unique and one of a kind. There is nothing else like it in the world, and that's what makes it so special. One thing I did find especially interesting was the way that the Everglades name came to be. It went through so much just to be named something that seems so simple. I would have preferred for the name to have stayed "El Laguno del Espirtitu Santo"

The second reading was an even harder excerpt to plow through. The Swamp, by Michael Grunwald. Grunwald went into detail about the political processes behind the territory of the Everglades. I think that if it wouldn't have been for this reading I would have lived the rest of my life not knowing that there was a close possibility that the most unique aspect of Florida would have been turned into yet another airport. How could that even cross someone's mind? Turn something so unique and strangely beautiful into just one more everyday thing? Overall not my favorite readings from the bunch, but definitely full of information. Yes I was severely confused most of the time and didn't fully register it all, but the little bit I did understand was just eye opening. To think that I have lived in Florida for about 11 years now, and not once did visiting the Everglades ever cross my mind. Now it is definitely on my list of things to do. It should be great because I know so much of it before even seeing it.