Tour Through The River of Grass
Written by- Ms. Jasztal. (copyright 2005)
Greetings, I am your tour guide, Ms. Jasztal
And today we’ll be embarking through the Everglades
For this tour, you won’t even have to leave your seat
A tour through the River of Grass that obviously cannot be beat
Of course the River of Grass has changed over the course of one hundred years
Yet indeed a part of it changes every day
As developers claim the animal’s habitats
Endangered and threatened species are being singled out
Sometimes habitats are set ablaze
Sometimes even on purpose as we have to set fires under control
Yet as the wetlands and marshy swamps are shrinking
Everyone with a concern about the future of our environment needs to take on a role
First on our tour today is an area the Everglades calls the Sawgrass Marsh
Remember, sawgrass has sawtooth edges that can cut
This region of the Everglades has freshwater swamps filled with algae and periphyton
And even alligators lurking around in the water with smaller fish
We just learned about the Sawgrass Marsh and we didn’t even have to leave our seat
This is a tour through the River of Grass that obviously cannot be beat
Second on our tour today is the Freshwater Slough, remember it is pronounced like “S-L-E-W”
The region of the Everglades holding the most water and has a variety of marine mammals
The waters are obviously deep
As even more alligators reap
We just learned about the Freshwater Slough and we didn’t even have to leave our seat
This is a tour through the River of Grass that obviously cannot be beat
Third on our tour today is the Pinelands, the driest region of the park
Lightning causes the fires that spread throughout
Yet the fire does not affect the number of trees
Which of course from the name you can tell me now are pines
We just learned about the Pinelands and we didn’t even have to leave our seat
This is a tour through the River of Grass that obviously cannot be beat
Now a little more than halfway through, we have reached number four
The Hardwood Hammock, or the “Mountains of the Everglades”, could you ask for more?
Yet this region is only three feet above water level, maybe a little more than a foot or two shorter than you
Yet unlike the Pinelands, the water protects this region from fire, through and through
We just learned about the Hardwood Hammock and we didn’t even have to leave our seat
This is a tour through the River of Grass that obviously cannot be beat
Third to last, we have reached the fifth region, or the Cypress Dome
All the cypress trees make this region look like a giant point from the sky
There are trees and even some tree roots that stick out of the water
Which if you saw would amaze you as you paddled by
We just learned about the Cypress Dome and we didn’t even have to leave our seat
This is a tour through the River of Grass that obviously cannot be beat
Second to last, we have the Mangrove region
Three types of mangrove trees, red, black, and white
Having to do with brackish water, the area where the freshwater meets the saltwater
These mangrove trees are quite an incredible sight!
We just learned about the Mangrove region and we didn’t even have to leave our seat
This is a tour through the River of Grass that obviously cannot be beat
Saving the very best for last, we have Florida Bay, the largest body of water in this national park
The deepest spot is nine feet
IT IS THE ONLY PLACE IN FLORIDA WHERE YOU CAN FIND THE CROCODILE!
A variety of species as well and some of the most beautiful birds in the world, it’s quite a fleet
We just learned about the Florida Bay and we didn’t even have to leave our seat
This is a tour through the River of Grass that obviously cannot be beat
First came Sawgrass Marsh, Freshwater Slough, Pinelands, and Hardwood Hammock
And could you forget Cypress Dome, Mangrove, and Florida Bay?
We just toured the seven regions of the Everglades, not even leaving our seat
We went on a tour through the River of Grass that obviously could not be beat
Try Your Hand on Guessing Which Everglades Vocabulary Word Fits In The Blank!
Written by Ms. Jasztal, 2005.
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