But the Everglades is not just a park; it's an entire watershed, starting with the Kissimmee chain of lakes in the north, and then as the rains would fall in the summer, these downpours would flow into Lake Okeechobee, and Lake Okeechobee would fill up and it would overflow its banks and spill southward, ever slowly, with the topography, and get into the river of grass, the Sawgrass Prairies, before meting into the cypress slews, until going further south into the mangrove swamps, and then finally -- finally -- reaching Florida Bay, the emerald gem of the Everglades, the great estuary, the 850 square-mile estuary.
No, Everglade nije samo park; već cjelokupni sliv, počevši od lanca jezera Kissimmee  na sjeveru, i kako kiše padaju ljeti, slijeva se u jezero Okeechobee, jezero Okeechobee se napuni te prelijeva iz korita i prolijeva prema jugu, lagano, prati topografiju, i ulazi u rijeku trave,  Preriju trske, dok se ne sastane s mnoštvom čempresa, prije nego krene dalje na jug  u močvare mangrova, i konačno -- konačno -- dosegne Floridski zaljev, smaragdni dragulj Evergladea, veliko ušće, estuarij dug 2200 km kvadratnih.