Facing a Deadline to Save the Everglades

The fate of Florida's famous wetlands could be decided this week

Near the western edge of the Everglades, there's a quiet spot where Gene Duncan goes to unwind. It sits at the junction of two canals, where a stand of willows and pond-apple trees provides a bit of shade. When Duncan, a water- quality expert working for the local Indian tribe, cuts the engine of his airboat, he can hear bullfrogs croak from the water lilies and the tails of - Florida garfish slap the water with a noise like popcorn popping. A pair of white ibis watch warily as alligators -- half a dozen of them -- drift toward the boat,...

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