Roseate Spoonbill populations are declining in the estuary sandwiched between the Everglades, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Keys. The key offender is poor water management in the Everglades, which has dramatically altered water depths and salinity levels in Florida Bay. For a wading bird on a special diet, this is life threatening. In addition to the preservation of these beautiful birds, there’s more at stake. The Florida Bay and the greater Everglades provides millions of dollars to the state’s economy through recreation, tourism, and commercial fishing, which has kept teams of scientists on the job. The survival of the spoonbills, will only come with the survival of the everglades. “Spoonbills have become the indicator for the overall health of the Everglades,” explains Stone. “They’re representative of the whole ecosystem. They require the fish, and the fish require the submerged aquatic vegetation, and the submerged aquatic vegetation requires the input of freshwater.” The warning is quite clear; “As goes the spoonbill, so goes the bay.” This image is a digital composite and painting that includes a modified digital reproduction of Tropical Landscape ii (1855) by Frederic Edwin Church.