 When studies indicated the proposed jetport would create 4 @,@ 000 @,@ 000 US gallons ( 15 @,@ 000 @,@ 000 L ) of raw sewage a day and 10 @,@ 000 short tons ( 9 @,@ 100 t ) of jet engine <unk> a year , the national media snapped to attention . Science magazine wrote , in a series on environmental protection highlighting the jetport project , " Environmental scientists have become increasingly aware that , without careful planning , development of a region and the conservation of its natural resources do not go hand in hand " . The New York Times called it a " <unk> for disaster " , and Wisconsin senator <unk> Nelson wrote to President Richard Nixon voicing his opposition : " It is a test of whether or not we are really committed in this country to protecting our environment . " Governor Claude Kirk withdrew his support for the project , and the 78 @-@ year @-@ old Marjory Stoneman Douglas was persuaded to go on tour to give hundreds of speeches against it . She established Friends of the Everglades and encouraged more than 3 @,@ 000 members to join . Initially the U.S. Department of Transportation pledged funds to support the jetport , but after pressure , Nixon overruled the department . He instead established Big <unk> National Preserve , announcing it in the Special Message to the Congress <unk> the 1972 Environmental Program . Following the jetport proposition , restoration of the Everglades became not only a <unk> priority , but an international one as well . In the 1970s the Everglades were declared an International <unk> Reserve and a World Heritage Site by UNESCO , and a <unk> of International Importance by the <unk> Convention , making it one of only three locations on earth that have appeared on all three lists . 
