The recent editorial published in the Florida Keys Keynoter, “State should walk away from sugar deal”, failed to mention the benefits to the Everglades ecosystem, including Florida Bay, from the state’s potential acquisition of lands in the Everglades Agricultural Area. Audubon’s Megan Tinsley, Everglades Science Coordinator, wrote the Keynoter editor to explain why walking away from the sugar deal is walking away from an opportunity to finally restore the Everglades and invest in Florida’s future.

EDITOR: The editorial "State should walk away from sugar deal" published March 11 failed to recognize that the state's initiative to purchase vast quantities of land in the Everglades Agricultural Area represents the best opportunity yet to deliver freshwater to the Everglades.

Until clean water can be sent to the southern end of the ecosystem, Florida Bay and the wildlife it supports will continue in a downward spiral. This means fewer fish, fewer birds and plagues of pea-green algae blooms. Until we have additional land to store and treat more water in the EAA, deliveries of freshwater to the south will remain a distant dream.

The U.S. Sugar purchase does not involve more land than could readily be used for cleaning agricultural pollutants from Everglades-bound water. Quite the opposite, the entire acreage proposed for purchase could be used for treating water to sufficient quality and storing the quantities of water the Everglades needs.

Will this acquisition be costly? Yes. Is state ownership of vast tracts of land needed to fill the missing link in the ecosystem the best thing for the Everglades and the entire state of Florida? Without a doubt, yes. After all, what will be left if we fail to invest in cleaning up our water supply and restoring the natural resources that drive our economy?

Rather than walk away from an opportunity we may never see again, the state needs to stay the course. The future of the Everglades, Florida Bay and the people and wildlife they support all depend on it.