And the cycle continues despite a growing population, booming development and thriving agriculture. But the fact is, few people have lived in Collier and Lee counties long enough to understand this natural system. Most don't understand rains increase water flow through natural areas much like spring melting snows of the North. But here, the high waters come in the summer, providing habitat for birds, plants and fresh- and saltwater fishes. Vast marshes help retain flood waters while recharging aquifers, from which drinking and irrigation water come.
Winter brings the dry months and a time for migrating and native birds to nest and reproduce.
Naturally occurring fires clear out the dead wood from the system, offering new life room to grow. And less freshwater flow raises salt levels in coastal estuaries for fish to return from offshore to spawn. Every year as the population grows, as development sprawls, as agriculture encroaches, the natural system shrinks. And as the system shrinks, the problems that come with it become more severe. Water is just as essential to human quality of life as it is to cypress trees and egrets.