Everglades: An Environmental History
David McCally, Raymond Arsenault (Foreword by), Gary R. MorminoBooks.org participates in affiliate programs including Bookshop.org and the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. We may earn a commission from qualifying purchases made through links on this page, at no additional cost to you.
Overview
This work for general readers and environmentalists alike offers the first major discussion of the formation, development, and history of the Everglades, considered by many to be the most endangered ecosystem in North America. Comprehensive in scope, it begins with south Florida's geologic origins - before the Everglades became wetlands - and continues through the twentieth century, when sugar reigned as king of the Everglades Agricultural Area. Charting the effects of human intervention on the region, David McCally traces its habitation from the Calusas and other native groups to the modern period dominated by agri-business. Urging restoration of the Everglades, McCally argues that agriculture, especially sugar growing, must be abandoned or altered. To buy time for public debate over the final form of a sustainable Everglades, he suggests the creation of a park modeled on New York's Adirondack State Park.Synopsis
The first environmental history of what is considered by many to be the mostendangered ecosystem in North America. Begins with the Everglades geologic origins and covers the period of early habitation by Native Americans, to the modern 20th-century—the era of the "engineered" Everglades, created by the State of Florida and the US Army Corps of Engineers. Argues passionately for restoration and against the sugar industry s continued agricultural use of the Everglades. "[A] detailed and lively environmental history of the Everglades. Those interested in anthropology, geology, and American history will also find much to fascinate them as McCally traces the ecosystem's development from its geologic origins through the first human habitation to today's threats by development and agriculture."— Library Journal "Admirable . . . an interesting and informative historical account of the Everglades."—Journal of Economic History "A powerful book that might disturb some and energize others." — St. Petersburg Times "An engaging, fascinating, and fine-grained narrative that is good history with an activist edge. It will change the way we think about the Everglades."—Mart A. Stewart, Western Washington University, author of "What Nature Suffers to Groe": Life, Labor, and Landscape on the Georgia Coast