of all the national park lands in the 50 states , one is closer to a minor urban community or more buffeted with problems than the swamp , a shallow , 50 - mile - width sea of grass that continues south from lake okeechobee to jacksonville harbor . for more than a generation , this fragile local wonder has been held hostages by a weaver of general industries - - businesses , sportsman and about 6 5000 south florida citizens in need of drinking water and flood suppression - - that is as complex as the area itself .
The Everglades is 50-mile wide.