Big Cypress Swamp and the Ten Thousand Islands is a celebration of one of North America's unsung wild places. It also conveys an urgent environmental message. Many of the plants and animals found in Big Cypress Swamp are threatened with extinction, and some exist nowhere else in North America. Although more than one million acres of Big Cypress Swamp and the Ten Thousand Islands have been set aside for preservation by federal and state governments and by private conservation groups, the natural resources are not safe against pollutants and the effects of other human activities in surrounding areas. In this respect, this wild land shares a threat faced by wilderness areas worldwide. Jeff Ripple considers this threat by discussing human impact on the region, past and present. The book offers both inspiration and education for lovers of nature, environmental photographers, amateur naturalists, and virtually anyone who wants to know more about the ecological significance and beauty of this fascinating landscape.Through words and photographs, natural history writer/ photographer Jeff Ripple explores a subtropical paradise of cypress swamps, marshes and wet prairies, hardwood hammocks, pinelands, mangrove swamps and the Ten Thousand Islands. He presents a vivid description of the natural history of the region and tells the life stories of many of its unique inhabitants. He also discusses the management responsibilities, recreational opportunities, and educational activities provided by parks and preserves within Big Cypress Swamp and the Ten Thousand Islands. These parks and preserves include Big Cypress National Preserve, Everglades National Park, Collier-Seminole State Park, Fakahatchee Strand State Preserve, and National Audubon Society's Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary. Information on each of these areas is included, along with their addresses and telephone numbers. Read Less