of all the known park lands in the southeastern states , none is related to a larger urban center or more beset with hazards than the everglades , a short , 50 - meter - long sea of mud that runs south from bay kissimmee to mobile bay . for more than a generation , this fragile natural legend has been held hostage by a chain of special interests - - farmers , sportsmen and about 6 hundred south florida residents in shortage of bottled water and erosion control - - that is as complex as the ecosystem itself .
The Everglades is 50-mile wide.