The Miccosukee call the place Pa-hay-okee, meaning grassy water. Muted by the thick morning mist, the sun emerges from behind a bank of clouds signaling the birth of a new day in the Everglades. The Everglades once covered about four million acres of South Florida. Today it is perhaps the most endangered ecosystem in the United States. The wading bird population has dropped more than 90 percent from its historic level, and more than 50 endangered species live there, including the Florida Panther. Note that this image is very wide compared to its height.