I
n the late 1950s, one of Florida's most infamous swampland swindles was about to begin when Gulf American Corporation announced plans to build the "world's largest subdivision" – Golden Gate and Golden Gate Estates – on 113,000 acres of wetlands on the western edge of the Everglades. Special thanks to Dave Addison, biologist and co-director of Environmental Science at the Conservancy for his contributions to this article. Dave has worked with the Conservancy since its merger with the Big Cypress Nature Center in 1978.
Restoring the Western
Everglades:
Remembering a Boom-Time Boondoggle
Prospective buyers were lured to the swampland promoted as the “world's
largest subdivision with enticing ads: "Be a Golden Gate guest and enjoy free gasoline, trading stamps, Florida oranges, free fishing (including bait and tackle!), a free auto tour of modern, elegant Naples, and a free private plane ride
over Golden Gate!" Of course, plane rides were only offered during the winter season, when the swamp was dry.
All photos are provided by the Conservancy Environmental Science team taken during various stages of Western Everglades restoration.
than 53,000 acres in the South Golden Gate Estates (SGGE) region had been sold to 17,000 land owners scattered around the world.
The roads and canals radically altered the flow of water through Southwest
Florida
and
together
with
the
Faka-Union
canal, drained
an
estimated 411 million gallons of freshwater into the Gulf of Mexico. With the
influx of freshwater into the Gulf and into the rich estuaries of the Ten Thousand Islands, fish populations began to diminish. While these areas were
flooded with too much freshwater, the Everglades themselves were being starved of its water. Groundwater levels dropped as much as six feet and most of the area became vulnerable to wildfires.
The crisscrossing canals and roads also altered the pattern and timing of the
flow of water to the adjacent wetland systems to the east, west and south. Tracking Down the Landowners
Where Has All the Water Gone?
More than 813 miles of roads and 183 miles of drainage canals were con-
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structed before the developer filed for bankruptcy in 1975. By then, more
In 1985, while lots continued to be sold in the SGGE, Florida began a will-
ing seller program to buy back the environmentally-sensitive area. Tracking down more than 17,000 land owners put completion estimates of the proj-
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round of offers in two and a half years.
The Conservancy continued to work with the state, and in 1995, nearly
all of Southern Golden Gates Estates' 55,000 acres had been acquired,
"
IT TOOK A COLLECTIVE VISION AND PERSISTENCE BY MANY INDIVIDUALS TO MAKE THIS HAPPEN.
becoming part of the brand-new Picayune Strand State Forest.
"It's a remarkable environmental success story," noted Addison. "It took a
collective vision and persistence by many individuals to make this happen."
"
Far from Finished
Restoration has now begun with the filling in of canals and the removal of
roads, and Addison is hopeful the parched wetlands will once again become a functioning part of the Everglades.
A team of scientists, including Addison and several other Conservancy
Environmental Science Division staff members, have been surveying wildlife and plant species in Picayune Strand. The data they collect will serve as a ect at more than 20 years.
"The State estimated that it would take 10 years just to get through the
baseline for measuring the success of the Western Everglades restoration on what was once slated to become the world's largest subdivision.
"This is real restoration, putting water back on the land. Other portions
first round of offers, and we knew that was going to be too slow,” said Dave
of the Everglades restoration are not as extensive as this one.The intent of
tal degradation to the area, the project had to move faster or the opportu-
We'll never be able to completely restore it, but at least this area has a
Addison.“In fairness to the landowners and to prevent further environmennity to acquire the land might have been lost."
State agents needed help, and the Conservancy worked on the time-con-
suming process of tracking down the land owners. Conservancy interns laboriously prepared state forms and property identification sheets on a
typewriter. Eventually, with the help of a grant and an aged computer, Conservancy staff, two interns and a corps of volunteers completed the first
PROJECT HAD "TOTHEMOVE FASTER OR THE OPPORTUNITY MIGHT HAVE BEEN ... LOST.
"
this project is to restore the area at some level to what it was originally.
chance of recovering and regaining a significant part of the wetland function that was lost."
The
Cost to Society OF Draining Wetlands IN 1986, CONSERVANCY STAFF RELEASED A GROUNDBREAKING STUDY ENTITLED, “COST TO SOCIETY OF DRAINING WETLANDS – GOLDEN GATE ESTATES.” THE STUDY NOTED THAT DRAINING THE WETLANDS HAD:
• Lowered historic groundwater levels and allowed saltwater intrusion into the water table • Altered surface sheet flow patterns
• Reduced the historic hydroperiod necessary for the maintenance of the natural ecosystems
• Sparked a ten-fold increase in the incidence of fires after the canals were completed • Allowed a high volume discharge of freshwater into the Gulf of Mexico, causing a reduction in the productivity of the estuaries and a decrease in fish populations
The results suggest that the Golden Gate Estates development has resulted in annual costs and lost benefits of between $5,475,000 and $6,740,000 … The largest economic impact from the Estates development was on sport fishing value, which has been estimated to have been reduced by several million dollars per year.
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