This is America. Гришенкова Е.Г. - 103 стр.

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The dry, winter season is the favorite of most visitors, when insects like
mosquitoes are less of a problem. The rainy season lasts from June to November.
There are many ways to explore the Everglades. Visitors can see alligators while
hiking the Anhinga Trail.
The Everglades is one of the only places on Earth where freshwater alligators
and saltwater crocodiles live in the same area. Visitors using canoes or airboats are
likely to see large groups of wading birds like the wood stork or the great blue heron.
It is even possible to see flamingos in the Everglades.
Some visitors might enjoy riding bicycles through Shark Valley. Others may
want to move slowly through shallow waters where they can see insects and wildlife
up-close. Park guides also lead visitors on tram rides.
Experts say changes to the Everglades are threatening several different kinds of
wildlife. They say the threats are a result of actions the United States government
began more than fifty years ago, and settlers began even earlier.
The National Park Service says that early colonial settlers and land developers
believed the Everglades had little value. The settlers had plans to remove water from
the area. In the 1880s, developers began digging canals to reduce water levels.
At the time, they did not understand the complexity of the Everglades’
ecosystem. As a result, they were not prepared for all the work and caused
environmental problems. The ecosystem, however, was able to survive.
Even larger efforts to drain the wetlands continued between 1905 and 1910.
Farms were built on large pieces of land. This led to increased development, with
more people moving to the Everglades and also more visitors.
More changes came in 1948. At that time, Congress approved the Central and
South Florida Project. As part of the plan, the Army Corps of Engineers built roads,
canals and water-control systems throughout South Florida.
The aim of the project was to provide water and flood protection for developed
areas and agriculture. Workers built a huge system of waterways and pumping
stations to control the overflow of Lake Okeechobee, north of the Everglades.
Today, fifty percent of South Florida’s early wetland areas no longer exist.
Populations of wading birds have been reduced by ninety percent. Whole populations
of animals are in danger of disappearing. The endangered creatures include the
manatee, the Miami blackhead snake, the wood stork and the Florida panther.
In recent years, environmental experts have learned about the damage to the
Everglades. They say the balance of nature there has been destroyed.
About ten years ago, Congress approved a plan to restore and improve the
Everglades. Federal, state and other organizations are partners in the Comprehensive

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