Endangered vacations
You've heard of a "life list" -- the vacation spots you want to see before you die. This is a little different. These are top U.S. destinations you might want to see before they die. "They" being the destinations themselves. Each of these vacation ideas is located in a landscape that is threatened in some way by an environmental hazard.
While inclusion on this list isn't an indication that these sites are in imminent danger of disappearing, the fact that this list seems plausible is a distinctly 21st-century phenomenon. After all, destinations are supposed to be permanent, even though our lives are not -- that's what makes the Wonders of the World so mysterious and attractive. It's not just their beauty and scale, but their endurance.
This summer is the perfect time to take to the road and see one of these endangered U.S. destinations. You may have another chance, but your kids or their kids may not.
Paddling the Florida Everglades
(Photo: National Park Service)
Everglades National Park is the largest subtropical wilderness in the United States — a vast and slow-moving river channeled through tufts of dry land. It's teeming with wildlife, from the abundant and ferocious (alligators and crocodiles) to the scarce and ferocious (the panther) and every creature on down the food chain. Paddling a canoe through the Everglades is a rare experience.
But, the Everglades face a Goldilocks-type question: Will there be too little water, too much ... or just the right amount? Too little and the Everglades dry up. Too much and it gets swallowed by the sea. Either way, it won’t offer the same wilderness canoe experience it does today.
For more than a century, too little water has been the problem, as agriculture and suburban sprawl have eaten into the swamp, draining and diverting the natural water flow. With the water has gone 90% of some populations of wading birds.
Water levels are rising, thanks to a 35-year preservation plan. Ironically, though, global warming is expected to cause sea-levels to rise and potentially cover the low-lying land. The Everglades could be swallowed by the sea. Bottom line: Better not put off that once-in-a-lifetime trip to this one-of-a-kind destination.
Photographing Glaciers in Glacier National Park (and elsewhere)
(Photo: USGS)
What would the Grand Canyon be without a canyon? Something like Glacier National Park would be without its glaciers. But by 2030, that's exactly the landscape that might greet visitors.
Already, some of the most famous glaciers in the Montana park have shrunk by more than half, and only 17% of the glaciers found there in 1850 remain today (26 of 150).
Glaciers are things of beauty and awe: The imprint of time and the Earth's physical processes represented in massive hulk of ice on the landscape. The loss of glaciers worldwide is one of the most visual signs of global warming. Sure, the melting of a glacier is still slow in human years, but the change in Glacier National Park is real, and any children born today should see the park before they hit 20 -- because the glaciers might well be gone by then.
A scenic drive through Appalachia
(Photo: Jamil Nasir / iStockPhoto)
A vast swath of Appalachia is vulnerable to the high altitude scarring and stream-choking waste disposal associated with mountaintop removal mines.
Scenic byways crisscross the region, from Pennsylvania, through its heart in West Virginia, to Georgia. Not all will remain so scenic, however, as the landscape is scoured to remove rich coal seams, the debris left to fill mountain stream valleys. The rafting, kayaking, trout fishing and hiking will suffer in some places, too.
Already, 470 mines have obliterated Appalachian peaks, according to iLoveMountains.org, and more are on the way. Get in the car now, and see this majestic, wild region while you still can.
Salmon fishing on the Snake River
(Photo: Tom Stammely / iStockPhoto)
From its origins in Yellowstone National Park, the 1,040-mile Snake River once produced half the wild Chinook salmon found in the mighty Columbia River. In fact, the upper Snake River has the most extensive freshwater salmon habitat in the lower 48 states.
The four dams on the lower Snake River, however, have so choked the once-prolific salmon runs that the group American Rivers named it one of the most endangered rivers in America. This spring, a federal judge said federal officials had to at least consider breaching dams to save salmon.
If the dams aren't breached, or another solution found, some experts worry that the remaining salmon runs will go extinct, as several have already. The threat of global warming, which makes water warmer and less hospitable to salmon, and many other sensitive freshwater species, only adds urgency to the issue. It could be that a generation from now, 2 million Steelhead and Chinook salmon will spawn in the Snake River, as they once did -- but it's probably a good idea to do your fishing now, just in case.
Whatever it is that happens in Vegas
(Photo: Rick Rhay / iStockPhoto)
What could possibly happen to Vegas (that hasn't already happened in Vegas)? This one might be a little overly apocalyptic for some, but step back for a minute and you'll remember that Las Vegas is built smack in the middle of the desert.
It exists because the Colorado River has been dammed, diverted, and directed to flow into Lake Mead and other reservoirs, so that the dry Southwest can bloom beyond its natural limits.
But for how long? The flow of the Colorado River is already strained, the remnants of its abundant water flow disputed across the western U.S. Add a sprawling population, demanding drinking water and green lawns and farm-fresh produce, and the dwindling snowpack that feeds the river -- thanks to global warming -- and Las Vegas could face serious strains soon. Lake Mead, which supplies 90% of the city’s drinking water, could be dry by 2021 according to one study.
Vegas being what it is, the loss of water might not be a death knell. There is, after all, alcohol. Might be better to plan your visit before 2021 all the same.
More from The Daily Green
- 10 Must-See National Parks
- 5 Free (or Almost Free) Vacations
- 10 Unforgettable Ecotourism Destinations
- Amazing Wildlife Photos
- Stunning Photos of Antarctica
Reprinted with permission of Hearst Communications, Inc
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