The Everglades: River Of Grass

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Before 1947, when Marjory Stoneman Douglas named The Everglades a "river of grass," most people considered the area worthless. She brought the world's attention to the need to preserve The Everglades. In the Afterword, Michael Grunwald tells us what has happened to them since then. Grunwald points out that in 1947 the government was in the midst of establishing the Everglades National Park and turning loose the Army Corps of Engineers to control floods--both of which seemed like saviors for the Glades. But neither turned out to be the answer. Working from the research he did for his book, The Swamp, Grunwald offers an account of what went wrong and the many attempts to fix it, beginning with Save Our Everglades, which Douglas declared was "not nearly enough." Grunwald then lays out the intricacies (and inanities) of the more recent and ongoing CERP, the hugely expensive Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan.

Hardcover: 447 pages

Publisher: Pineapple Press; 60th ed. edition (September 1, 2007)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 1561643947

ISBN-13: 978-1561643943

Product Dimensions: 5.8 x 1.3 x 8.7 inches

Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)

Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)

Best Sellers Rank: #168,398 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #75 in Books > Sports & Outdoors > Nature Travel > Ecotourism #349 in Books > Science & Math > Environment > Environmentalism #641 in Books > Science & Math > Nature & Ecology > Conservation

To be honest, I am having trouble wading through this volume. The writing is, in a word, florid. It's something of a slog. BUT, it is a classic, THE book on the Everglades, and it tells the story of the ways the Everglades were "tamed," as well as, until its publication date, the efforts that were made to save it. There are other books out there that tell the story more concisely and with less emotion (like Grunwald's "The Swamp"), but I'll finish "River of Grass" because I want to have read the first and most celebrated work on the subject.

When activist Joe Browder was trying to round up people to fight a proposed jetport in the Everglades, one of the people he approached was Marjory Stoneman Douglas, whose 1947 bestseller Everglades: Riverof Grass had first brought the state's most famous marsh to a national audience. But she demurred. Nobody would listen to some half-blind old lady, the 78-year-old writer said. People only pay attention to organizations."Well," Browder retorted, "why don't you start an organization?"So she did, founding Friends of the Everglades with dues of $1 a year so anyone could join. Douglas not only denounced the jetport, she transformed herself into Florida's environmental conscience. She spent the next 30 years--until her death at 108--fearlessly confronting local, state, and federal officials, wagging her finger at them like Jiminy Cricket in a floppy garden club hat.Her work stands as an environmental classic par excellence. For a look at Florida's current environmental woes, check out Paving Paradise: Florida's Vanishing Wetlands and the Failure of No Net Loss (Florida History and Culture)

While the writing style is a little flowery, the content and the message are excellent and the afterword brings it up to date.

A true classic. "The" definitive resource for anyone wanting to learn about the history of the Florida Everglades, written by perhaps its greatest advocate, journalist and Everglades advocate, Marjory Stoneman Dougas.

Book was very informative, but very technically written. Wish there was a follow-up book to bring it to present day. I do not like history, but really enjoyed this book.

This is a must read if you live or intend to visit the area of south Florida. It contains an excellent history of the area as well as a blistering defense of the need to preserve the ecosystem even though written more than a half century ago. . It made me want to read more about these subjects.

The wrongs that have been wrought on this beautiful land may never be reversed until we are gone. Mother Nature will restore after we have destroyed. All for comfort, convenience and $$$$$$$. Hey Carl Hiaason, how about an update! I think you're the right person to do it.

This history of the FL Everglades is well written and fascinating. Every FL resident should read it as should all interested in ecology.

The Everglades: River of Grass Snake in the Grass: An Everglades Invasion Light Fading: Reflections on the Imperiled Everglades Everglades Everglades Birds: A Folding Pocket Guide to Familiar Species (Pocket Naturalist Guide Series) Everglades: The Ecosystem and Its Restoration Landscapes and Hydrology of the Predrainage Everglades Everglades Patrol An Ecotourist's Guide to the Everglades and the Florida Keys Swamplife: People, Gators, and Mangroves Entangled in the Everglades (Quadrant Books (Paperback)) The Swamp: The Everglades, Florida, and the Politics of Paradise The Everglades Handbook: Understanding the Ecosystem, Second Edition Paddling the Everglades Wilderness Waterway: Your All-in-One Guide to Florida's 99-Mile Treasure plus 17 Day and Overnight Trips (Menasha Ridge Press Guide Books) A FalconGuide® to Everglades National Park and the Surrounding Area (Exploring Series) Totch: A Life in the Everglades Everglades: America's Wetland River of Dreams: the Story of the Hudson River River of Love in an Age of Pollution: The Yamuna River of Northern India A Treasury of Mississippi River Folklore Stories, Ballads, Traditions and Folkways of the Mid-American River Country Fishes of the Middle Savannah River Basin: With Emphasis on the Savannah River Site