| 3000 AD |
The increasing climate of the Post
Glacial period led to the development of
the subtropical terrain in the Everglades such as the cypress swamps and
hardwood forests. |
| 1500
AD |
The first settlers arrive to South Florida
from Europe. |
| 1845 |
Florida becomes a state! |
| 1881 |
The destruction of the Everglades begins.
The potential of South Florida’s
land does not go unnoticed for long. The potential for making money
essentially begins the draining and dredging projects of the South
Florida wetlands. |
| 1882 |
The first to attempt the drainage
of the Everglades were The Okeechobee
Land Company and the Atlantic and Gulf Coast Canal Companies.
They Excavated 11 miles (17.7 km) of canal south of LakeOkeechobee
in the direction of Miami ( which was officially founded as a city in1896).
|
| 1884 |
Writing in Harper’s
New Monthly Magazine, an elaborate system of canals
and dikes was proposed by William Harney in order to control the flow
of water out of Lake Okeechobee. |
| 1896 |
The success of the drainage system proved
the land around Lake Okeechobee
to be productive for both sugarcane and rice crops. This began
the production of sugarcane in the Kissimmee River valley. |
| 1899 |
In order to secure the Seminoles a permanent
home in Florida, “Friends of
the Florida Seminoles” was founded. |
| 1900 |
The Lacey Act, which banned the
interstate shipment of wild animals or birds
killed in violation of state laws, was enacted by the U.S. Congress.
This was followed by the passage of the bird protection act passed
by
the state
of Florida, and the wildlife protection act passed by Dade County. These
legislations prohibited the killing, capturing or shooting of deer,
crocodile, and any wild birds. |
| 1902 |
The Kissimmee River Navigation Project was
authorized by Congress. The
project, which was completed in 1909, created a channel 3 feet deep
by 30 feet wide following the Kissimmee River for 109 miles. |
| 1905 |
With the enactment of a board of drainage
commissioners from the Florida Legislature,
the Everglades DrainageDistrict was established. |
| 1917 |
Four canals, dissecting the Everglades,
which ran from the southeast end of
Lake Okeechobee towards Boca Raton, Ft. Lauderdale and
Miami, were
created. |
| 1921 |
Sugar cane, one of the first crops grown
commercially in the Lake Okeechobee
area flourished, creating an increase of commercial agriculture
activity. The increased activity elevated the population
to 2000 residents. |
| 1924 |
Drainage, drying, and oxidation of the peat
soils around Lake Okeechobee
led to their rapid subsidence which caused flooding of the surrounding
croplands. |
| 1926 |
Existing canals were deepened and water control
structures were constructed
in major canals. |
| 1943-44 |
Due to wildfires across the Everglades, the
region’s organic soils were consumed
by the fires and lost forever. The wildfires were due to the combination
of severe drought, and decades of drainage. |
| 1947 |
1.3 million acres were dedicated to the Everglades
National Park, by President
Truman. Making it the first national park established because of its
biological wonders. |
| 1963 |
The Everglades were divided into
three Water Conservation Areas upon the
completion of a system of canals and levees. |
| 1970 |
The Friends of the Everglades was established
by Marjory Stoneman Douglas. |
| 1979 |
The spread of cattails, a breed of weeds that
thrives on phosphorus, across
the northern Everglades was a result of the decision to pump
storm water
from the Everglades Agricultural Area into the Water Conservation
Areas, instead of Lake Okeechobee. |
| 1984 |
Authority was given to the State
Department of Environmental Regulation to
protect wetlands and surface water of the state for public interest,
by the Warren
Henderson Act in Florida. |
| 1988 |
A lawsuit was filed against
South Florida Management District, by the federal
government in August. The charges were for polluting the Everglades
with large amounts of phosphorus.
Construction
for the Everglades Nutrient Removal Project began, making it the
first manmade wetland for phosphorus removal. |
| 1990 |
450,000 acres of land in the northern Everglades
were occupied by the sugarcane
industry. |
| 1992 |
Hurricane Andrew damaged southern
Dade County causing extreme damage
to the Everglades region and to National Park Service structures. |
| 1994 |
Worried about the restoration and protection
of the Everglades, the Everglades
Forever Act was enacted by the Florida Legislature. In order to
improve water quality in the Everglades, it was mandated by the act
that Stormwater Treatment Water Areas (STAs) were to be constructed. Over
20 years the sugar industry agreed to pay $320 million, while
the taxpayers
were expected to pay the rest.
Operation
of the Everglades Nutrient Removal Project removed 112,000 pounds
of phosphorus in its first three years of operation. |
| 2002 |
President George W. Bush and Florida Governor
Jeb Bush signed an agreement
on January 9 providing a total of $7.8 billion for the Everglades
restoration project. The federal and state governments will share
the cost.
|
