Florida to Buy Land and Restore the Everglades

Here’s something you don’t normally hear about: the state of Florida is actually buying land to restore the Everglades.

Under the deal, Florida will buy 292 square miles of cane fields from U.S. Sugar (which will go out of business within 6 years as part of the deal) and convert them to restore natural water flow to the Florida Everglades:

[Florida Governor Charlie Crist] said the purchase provides "a critical missing link" that will restore the flow of fresh water from Lake Okeechobee into the Everglades, the massive South Florida marshland.

"It is as monumental as the creation of our nation’s first national park, Yellowstone," he said. "This represents — if we are successful, and I believe we will be — the largest conservation purchase in the history of Florida."

Link | A more detailed article at International Herald Tribune (Photo: GazzaS [Flickr]) – Thanks Travis Saunders!