Wikipedia:Peer review/Draining and development of the Everglades/archive1

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Draining and development of the Everglades

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This is the third satellite article for Everglades, and it addresses human intervention in the Everglades from the 1830s to 1960s. I intend to bring this to FA, and I would appreciate any feedback on content, style, and problems with MoS. I appreciate anything you can do. Thanks, Moni3 (talk) 15:37, 12 May 2008 (UTC)


Ruhrfisch comments: Another interesting and well done article - here are some nit picks for improvement:

  • I would identify the historians in According to historians, "From the middle of the nineteenth century to the middle ..., so it could be something like According to Meindl and coauthors, "From the middle of the nineteenth century to the middle ... I would also list all of the coauthors in the ref - if not I think this would come up at GAN or FAC.
  • Awkward sentence: Flagler built a railroad along the east coast of Florida and eventually to Key West; along the rail line towns grew and farmland was cultivated. perhaps Flagler built a railroad along the east coast of Florida and eventually to Key West; towns grew and farmland was cultivated along the rail line.
  • I would split the third paragraph in the lead into two, perhaps at the two hurricanes sentence
  • Problem sentence The United States spent between $30 million and $40 million and lost between than 1,500 and 3,000 lives. I think the MOS asks that the first instance be linked as USD$ and I have struck what seems to be a misplaced / extra word (than)
  • I understand this It cost the Seminoles almost 4,000 lives in death or removal.[2][3] but would it be better as something like Almost 4,000 Seminoles lost their lives in death or were removed.[2][3]?
  • In dissuading him from prolonging the war further.[3] the verb is odd - wasn't he just trying to dissuade him - if he had dissuaded him then, the war would have ended 2 years earlier, right?
  • I like the sentence about the soldier dying of mud exhaustion, but the logical flow is odd - we go from millions of dollars and thousands of lives lost to one poor guy slogging to his death. Not sure how to fix this - might just be me
  • I think this could be tightened up One of them wrote of the trip and it was printed in the St. Augustine News: the first printed account for the general public to read about what was in the Everglades. perhaps One soldier's account in the St. Augustine News was the first account about what was in the Everglades for the general public. or something like this?
  • Seems like there are a fair number of "a visitor", "a soldier", "an explorer" at the end of Exploration and beginning of Drainage - do the sources give their names?
  • I am not sure I understand 1850 Congress passed a law that gave several states wetlands within their state boundaries. Didn't the states already "own" the wetlands? Is there a missing word or phrase - "states fiscal responsibility for draining wetlands" maybe??
  • Give both English and metric units - 4 million acres - {{convert}} is useful and avoids the non-breaking space issue raised in the semi-automated PR above (several other useful suggestions given there too)
  • State investors were free again to sponsor railroad projects, and ... Why? Reconstruction was over?
  • Should Internal Improvement Fund (IIF) be the subject and at the start of the first sentence in Broward's Empire...?
  • Typo? be instead of by in "It would indeed by a commentary on the intelligence and energy of the State of Florida...
  • Unclear No weather data in the report was included for any area within the Everglades since it did not exist. I assume the weather data for the Everglades did not exist, but it could read as if the Everglades did not exist - I know this was their goal, but I don't think that is meant here ;-)
  • Rapidly growing Ft. Lauderdale named the county after him. I would clarify this - wikilink to Broward County, and explain - was this a new county or a renamed one?
  • Another unclear one The scouts returned, reporting not enough land was possible to build through the Everglades,...
  • Suggest five-fold instead of five times in Miami's population multiplied five times,...
  • Clean up The last serious hurricane in 1906 struck the Florida Keys. Many hastily-built homes were constructed poorly as a result.[54] to something like The last serious hurricane was in 1906 and struck the Florida Keys. Many hastily-built homes were constructed poorly as a result of this lull in storms.[54]
  • In 1926 Hurricane make clearer where deaths are - first totals are just for Miami, then for Moore Haven. Also never seem to get a total death toll
  • Perhaps rewrite Lake Okeechobee levees crested only 18 inches (46 cm) to 24 inches (61 cm) above the lake itself ... as The levees around Lake Okeechobee crested only 18 inches (46 cm) to 24 inches (61 cm) above the lake itself ...
  • Which lake in A $20 million plan to build a dike around the lake, to be paid by property taxes ...? If Okeechobee is meant, how is the dike different from the levees mentioned earlier?
  • Is it "Central & Southern Florida Flood Control Project" (header) or "Central and Southern Florida Flood Control Project" (text). If "and" please switch this in the header (avoid special characters there unless a direct quote)
  • Give year(s) for A turning point came for development in the Everglades at the proposition of an expanded airport ..

Hope this helps - I like Geography articles and am glad to review yours, Ruhrfisch ><>°° 14:38, 16 May 2008 (UTC)

Thanks so much, Ruhrfisch! I changed what I could right now. My materials are at home, so where you've asked for factual clarification I have to change that later. One question - (this might be terribly stupid) but aren't acres acres in metric and standard measurements? --Moni3 (talk) 17:21, 16 May 2008 (UTC)
Sorry not to have seen thisuntil now. There is no such thing as a stupid question, only stupid answers (which I happen to have plenty of). The metric equivalent of an acre is a hectare. If something is 10 acres it is about 4 hectares. If you use the {{convert}} template, then {{convert|10|acre}} gives "10 acres (4.0 ha)". For large areas (over 1000 acres or even over 10,000) some people prefer square kilometers. Then then {{convert|10000|acre|sqkm}} gives "10,000 acres (40 km²)". Hope this helps, Ruhrfisch ><>°° 00:58, 20 May 2008 (UTC)

Comments from Ealdgyth (talk · contribs)

Sources look great, doesn't look like anything would be a problem as far as sources at FAC. 18:41, 19 May 2008 (UTC)
Yes, but they aren't internet sources! What shall I do??!! --Moni3 (talk) 18:46, 19 May 2008 (UTC)
Shall we wail and gnash our teeth? Ealdgyth - Talk 23:46, 19 May 2008 (UTC)
Perhaps rend our garments. interneet? --Moni3 (talk) 23:56, 19 May 2008 (UTC)