Ever Ever Land?

I ventured to The Everglades last month- my mother, a bottle of water and my trusted camera in hand.

The Everglades are a very endangered ecosystem, reinforcing their sad ironic name which begs to differ. 50 miles from Miami, you could never have thought yourself so far from the famed and glinting U.S. city. In fact, I couldn't stop getting that strange feeling I got around 10 years ago, sitting on my father's lap in a roofless Defender, as we strode through South African savannas and observed sleeping lions under the twilight. Just like then, my stomach was in a fluttering frenzy, prompting me to think: There is something too magical about this place. One day it will be gone. From the alligators all belly down, those sleepy dinosaur-like creatures, to the mangroves eating at the ground with their terrific roots- I can't possibly believe that my children may never gaze at what I did on that warm September day.

Considering this is our own bloody mess once again; I'm not asking, but just sayin': try and get involved with The Everglades Restoration Plan or The Everglades Foundation. There are simple things you can do, like writing a short letter, that may help to save some of this ecosystem.

South Florida may not be your backyard, not even a place you have fancied visiting, but there will come a time in your life where you'll daydream about The amazing Everglades, and wonder why you have never seen an Anhinga, a blue egret or a smiling alligator - older than the entire history of man - guarding a tiny, scaled khaki thing by his side. And if The Everglades are no longer there to welcome you, if we've managed to fully drain and discard of them (like we have so many other natural habitats) ; you will feel a jab of regret- I can promise you that.

OLB