Power Hour 32 Protecting the Wetlands by Susan LaBella

A number of reptiles live there, too. In fact, southern Florida is the only place in the world where alligators and crocodiles live side by side.

The Everglades area is an ecosystem. Ecosystems are places where living things exist with nonliving things, such as water and soil. Everything in an ecosystem affects everything else. If something new is brought into the ecosystem, it may cause problems.

Change caused by humans created big problems in the Everglades. As more people moved to Florida, new homes andbusinesses were needed. Because the Everglades area was large and beautiful, people thought it might be a good place to build. The ground, however, was too wet. In order to build homes, people drained water from some of the wet ground.

Taking water out of the Everglades caused many problems. Animals that ate water plants or small fish had a hard time finding food. The wood stork and other waterbirds began dying. People worried that this special place would be lost forever.

Today, a portion of the Everglades is a national park. The lawprotects animals and plants there. Homes andbusinesses cannot be built inside

Everglades National Park. Because it is nowprotected as a park, part of the Everglades will be beautiful wetlands for many years to come.