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Restoration Project Brings Life Back To Everglades

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By PAUL L. GROSSKRUGER

Published: December 4, 2007

Recent passage of the Water Resources Development Act of 2007 represents an important step forward in Everglades restoration.

This act benefits south Florida in many ways, but specifically for the Everglades, it grants Congressional authorization for projects that have long had unfailing public support.

The Indian River Lagoon Project will help restore one of the most beautiful, diverse and productive coastal estuaries in the hemisphere. The Picayune Strand Restoration Project, east of Naples, will help restore uplands and wetlands that will once again become studded with cypress trees, shrouded in air plants and roamed by Florida panthers.

The Everglades is a national treasure. As the commander of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers district leading the restoration program, I marvel at the level of interest and support we see from the American people, our elected officials and nearly every other country in the world. That is why I am confident this nation will continue to support Everglades restoration even as the competition for federal resources grows.

With an endeavor that spans an area as large and as complex as the Everglades, our progress toward restoration may seem slow. But we are making significant progress. Restoration of the Kissimmee River is a good example.

Our plan is to backfill 22 miles of the canal that was cut through the wild and winding oxbows of the historic river. Some people believed this restoration project would never start, and some people believed that once begun, the project would fail. All of those skeptics were wrong.

The Corps and the South Florida Water Management District are halfway to completion of the project, but the enormous benefits that have been made by filling the first 10 miles of canal have amazed even the most hardened skeptics. Nature is resilient. With the restoration of the Kissimmee River ecosystem, native plants and wildlife have returned.

We and our partner agencies have a number of restoration projects under way. The state has moved ahead on key projects even as federal funding has lagged behind schedule. At the Corps, we have continued on projects that are the foundation of Everglades restoration such as restoring flows to Everglades National Park. We continue to develop newer projects, bringing them forward to Congress for their consideration of authorization and funding.

Everglades restoration is a complex endeavor, and it will take many years to complete. But, even as difficult as it may be, it must be done. Now more than ever, with a continuing, devastating drought, Americans can easily appreciate how restoration projects that capture and maintain water in the ecosystem are essential to our survival.

No doubt this is a challenging time for Everglades restoration. What matters is what is within our ability to do today, and that we do it.

The Corps and our partners will meet each new challenge head on, but with an unfailing commitment to reexamine and modify our approach based on sound science and fiscal efficiency.

Recently, the National Academy of Science provided invaluable advice by suggesting we could help the Everglades sooner by dividing massive projects into smaller segments that will provide incremental benefits, as opposed to entire projects completed over the longer term. We respect and are implementing their advice. The Corps will remain committed to the Everglades. We ask the American people to maintain their commitment, even in the face of big challenges and small advances. If we all maintain the will, there will be a way.

Col. Paul L. Grosskruger is commander of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Jacksonville District.

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