The purchase of U.S. Sugar's farmland by Florida is something the state and the federal government should have done back when the idea of restoring the Everglades was first hatched.

Give credit to Gov. Charlie Crist for having the good sense to suggest the deal. Had any of his predecessors pursued the purchase, the Everglades would be in much better shape today and the cost of restoration would have been a lot cheaper.

Everything from Lake Okeechobee to Florida Bay used to be Everglades. After taking office in 1905, Gov. Napoleon Bonaparte Broward started draining the northern Everglades so crops could be grown in the rich muck. That was the beginning of the problem, as what became known as the Everglades Agricultural Area impeded the flow of water in the River of Grass.

Karl Wickstrom of Florida Sportsman magazine wrote a column several years ago about simplifying Everglades restoration by buying out all the farmers in the EAA. His rationale was that it was worth paying them for their land because restoration would speed up and be more effective by flooding the EAA and letting that water make its way south.

Here's hoping that U.S. Sugar's move creates a domino effect and more agricultural land is sold and converted back to marsh.

Even if that doesn't happen, the outdoor recreation possibilities on U.S. Sugar's land are tremendous. Old sugar cane fields flooded with a foot of water will make for great kayaking, canoeing, off-road vehicle riding and bird-watching, not to mention phenomenal duck hunting. I've known anglers who had permission to fish in the irrigation ditches and canals on U.S. Sugar property and they told stories of catching loads of big bass.

Fishing also will be better in Lake Okeechobee. During wet years, to keep the EAA dry, the Big O's water level soars, which dirties the lake and destroys vegetation that serves as critical habitat for a variety of species, most notably bass and speckled perch.

When the lake level gets too high, nasty freshwater is dumped in the St. Lucie River and the Caloosahatchee River, and that adversely affects the saltwater estuaries of Stuart and Fort Myers. By releasing excess water from the lake onto U.S. Sugar's 186,000 acres, the lake level can be maintained at an optimal 13 feet and those estuaries will thrive.

Gun ruling

The Supreme Court's ruling Thursday that the Second Amendment guarantees an individual's right to keep and bear firearms was good news for target shooters, hunters, collectors and people who own guns for self-defense.

For the first time since the U.S. Constitution was ratified, the court made it clear that every American — not just members of a militia — has the right to possess a gun. (That right does not apply to convicted felons and the mentally ill.)

At issue was a Washington, D.C., law that banned residents from keeping a handgun in their homes. The Supreme Court ruled the law was unconstitutional. Already lawsuits have been filed challenging gun bans at Chicago and San Francisco.