This is BirdNode.

When Florida became a state in 1845,

the legislature declared the Everglades,

America's largest wetland,

totally worthless.

But today, we know how important wetlands are.

They soak up stormwater.

They remove toxic chemicals that contaminate drinking water

and their home to a bird called the snail kite,

which in the United States is found only in South Florida.

The aptly named snail kite feeds only on the apple snail.

But the snails don't flourish in places that are permanently underwater.

They do best with seasonal wet and dry periods and flowing water.

Over the years, the slowly flowing river of grass has been replaced

by a series of reservoirs with little water movement.

Before we altered them, they filled during the summer rainy season

and gradually dried out during winter and spring.

So, the snail kite is endangered in the Everglades

because most remaining habitat is too wet and stagnant.

The kite, like the snail, depends on variable flows

and wet and dry seasons.

It's a classic boom in bust species,

...