In 1992, Florida began restoring the Kissimmee River. 28 years later, wildlife returned

For much of its history, Florida’s Kissimmee River did not run in a straight line. It wandered through central Florida, spreading across a broad floodplain that filled with water during the rainy season. That slow, shifting landscape supported fish, wetland plants and large numbers of birds. Then, in the 1960s, the river was reshaped into a deep, straight canal to reduce flooding.The decision solved one problem while creating another. As reported by an official website of the United States government - Kissimmee River Restoration Project, the Congress approved a restoration programme in 1992, much of the river’s natural floodplain system had been disrupted. The work that followed would take decades. By 2020, 19 of the river’s historic 44 miles had regained continuous flows, while thousands of acres of wetlands had begun to return.How the original Kissimmee River workedThe Kissimmee River stretched for about 103 miles through central Florida, following a winding course rather than a direct one. Its floodplain could extend for nearly two miles in places, and seasonal rains regularly pushed water out across the surrounding lowlands.That flooding was part of how the ecosystem functione...