GRN STAFF SUMMER BOOK REVIEW: THE SWAMP BY MICHAEL GRUNWALD

Our second installment in our summer reading recommendations features a book about the Everglades, Florida, and the politics of paradise.

Michael Grunwald’s The Swamp follows the classic story of a paradise lost. The Everglades ecosystem, once a river of grass that stretched across south Florida, was slowly overrun by developers, politicians, and the Army Corps of Engineers – the same agency that is now attempting to restore the Everglades. Now, what remains of the Everglades is on life support and the conclusion to this story is still being written.

It is within this basic framework of a wasteland that is now considered a national treasure that Grunwald is able to weave a fantastic tale. The book is full of colorful characters, including its fair share of heroes, villains, and everything in between. For example, it was 1904 Governor Napoleon Bonaparte Broward who felt that the Everglades should be saved. As it turns out, Broward only meant that the Everglades should be saved from railroad executives. His true opinion was that, “They should be drained and made fit for cultivation.”

Grunwald brings clarity to the history of the Everglades that favors nuance over simple black and white depictions. It was John James Audubon who, like many others in his time, dutifully shot far more Everglades birds than he could ever need. As Audubon, the famous painter and naturalist stated in his journal, “Our first fire among a crowd of the Great Godwits laid prostrate sixty-five of these birds.” But Grunwald doesn’t let the developers and government agencies who drained the wetlands off the hook either. Though many at the time thought draining the wetlands was a “wise use” of the land, Grunwald makes clear that it was potential profit, not benevolence that drove the destruction.

The last section of The Swamp deals with the modern-day politics of trying to revive the Everglades and the revelation that it is far more difficult to restore the Everglades than it ever was to destroy them. Luckily, Florida’s important role as a swing vote in Presidential politics has helped to ensure that there is at least some money for restoration.

In an interesting section, Grunwald makes a case that the Everglades played a major role in determining the 2000 presidential elections. The idea is that so many everglades activists were so disgusted with Al Gore’s failure to take a strong stance opposing a Homestead Airport that would encroach on the Everglades that they voted in favor of Ralph Nader, who was more than happy to blast Gore for “waffling as usual” on the airport.

While The Swamp deals with a history of South Florida, it is a story that could be told in many other parts of the Gulf, including Louisiana. For that reason, I strongly recommend this book for Gulf residents looking to understand how far we have come in understanding the importance of protecting our resources, and how far we have yet to go in actually protecting and restoring them.

Jeff Grimes is Assistant Director of Water Resources for the GRN.