By a Stream
5x7
Acrylic on Canvas
$150, framed & shipped
Today’s Everglades painting is a common scene, one of palms, water, and sky. I never tire of interpreting the way the palms interact with the sky and the rest of the landscape. It’s my hope that we will come to value this land, one of three critical watersheds in our country.
There have been many stops and starts to the protection of the Everglades. One turning point for development came as a new jetport was planned to take the pressure off Miami International Airport. Since Miami had outgrown it’s capacity, a jetport larger than O’Hare, Dulles, JFK, and LAX was planned only six miles north of Everglades National Park.
When studies indicated that the proposed jetport would create 4,000,000 gallons of raw sewage a day and ,almost 10,000 tons of jet engine pollutants a year, the project met staunch opposition from many quarters. River of Grass author Marjorie Stoneham Douglas, at 79 years of age, was pursued to go on a speaking tour against the project, and the measure failed.
Today, water quality is improving, but has a long way to go before anything close to restoration. Despite a strong coalition for change and the support of Florida lawmakers, Everglades Restoration still faces continual difficulties and challenges from competing interests.
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