December 2002

Western Everglades on a "Road to Ruin"
NWF Releases New Report

Florida panther. Photo: NWF

American taxpayers will have to dole out billions of dollars to repair the damage that's been done to Florida's Everglades by draining the "River of Grass" to build affordable housing and strip malls within a stone's throw of Miami. Yet the same kind of poorly planned development is still ravaging the western Everglades near Naples and posing serious threats to people and wildlife, according to a new report by NWF, the Florida Wildlife Federation and the Council of Civic Associations.

Titled Road to Ruin, the report exposes the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for violating federal laws by delaying formal action on the Southwest Florida Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and, instead, allowing the annual development of more than 900 acres of wetlands in the EIS area. "The Army Corps owes it to Americans to learn from the mistakes of the past and turn off the tap that's draining the western Everglades," says Andrew Schock, director of NWF's Southeastern Natural Resource Center in Atlanta.

The Corps is prohibited from issuing a permit where a developer has a reasonable alternative to building in wetlands. However, Road to Ruin reveals that the agency rarely requires developers to avoid wetland impacts. Affected wetlands supply drinking water to Southwestern Florida communities, support local tourism, foster commercial and recreational fishing, and provide habitat for endangered wildlife, such as Florida panthers, wood storks and manatees.

"The Corps' environmental impact statement confirms that its current permitting practices seriously threaten the western Everglades," says Nancy Payton, a Southwest Florida field representative for the Florida Wildlife Federation. "By refusing to take decisive action on the EIS, the Corps is signaling 'business as usual' to Southwest Florida developers and furthering the decline of the Western Everglades."

The report also reveals that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) are agreeing to the Corps' permits, even where the resulting development is polluting waters and destroying endangered habitats. The FWS has agreed with permits that have destroyed more than 60,000 acres of habitat essential to the survival of the imperiled Florida panther. And the EPA has failed to implement controls that would prevent further water quality declines in special waters, such as Estero Bay.

"The Army Corps was right to conduct the Southwest Florida environmental study; but it is wrong to ignore its warnings," says Schock. "Unless the Corps, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Fish and Wildlife Service enforce the law, western Everglades water and wildlife will be gone forever."

Take Action

According to Road to Ruin the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has fallen short of its legal responsibility to protect Americas Western Everglades and habitat for the endangered Florida panther. You can help by sending a free email message to USFWS Regional Director Sam Hamilton and Field Supervisor Jay Slack, urging them to take decisive action to protect Americas River of Grass. Go to: http://ga1.org/campaign/everglades11112002.

Related Articles,

House Echoes NWF's Call
Making a Difference