Everglades, Glacier, Appalachia - Places To See Before THEY Die - Yahoo

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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.

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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.

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http://news.yahoo.com/s/ygreen/20100409/sc_ygreen/endangeredvacations_1