Page 15 - Gateways_Fall 2023 flipbuilder_Neat

Find out why many Zoo staffers

love The Swamp. Immerse yourself

in one of the most biodiverse

ecosystems on Earth and experience

its incredible wildlife.

he Swamp envelops you when the entrance doors close.
h e S w a m p en v e l o p s y o u w h en t h e en t r a n c e do o r s c l o s e .
W h i l e y o u r e y e s a d j u s t t o d i m l i g h t , t h e s p o n g y g r o u n d
While your eyes adjust to dim light, the spongy ground
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T der your feet, the calls of owls and warblers, and
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Toward the end of the trail, you’ll experience another type
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of swamp—a northern Illinois river wetland.
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A swamp is a type of wetland ecosystem dominated
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by trees and covered by water all or much of the time.
T h e w a t e r c a n b e f r e s h , b r a c k i s h , o r s a l t y . I n a h e a l t h y
The water can be fresh, brackish, or salty. In a healthy
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Despite their reputation as dank, vermin-infested places,
D e s p i t e t h e i r r e p u t a t i o n a s d a n k , v e r m i n - i n f e s t e d p l a c e s ,
healthy wetlands are some of the most essential and biodiverse
h e a l t h y w e t l a n d s a r e s o m e o f t h e m o s t e s s en t i a l a n d b i o d i v e r s e
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sanctuary in wetlands during critical stages of their life cycle.
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Humans, too, depend on wetlands. However, more than
half of the world’s wetland areas have vanished since 1900.
h a l f o f t h e w o rl d ’ s w e t l a n d a r e a s h a v e v a n i s h e d s i n c e 1 9 0 0 .
Only 15 percent of Illinois’ wetlands remain.
O n l y 1 5 p e r c en t o f I l l i n o i s ’ w e t l a n d s r e m a i n .
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housed primates. A team of experts needed four years to
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attention to the critical importance of wetlands and their
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alarming and rapid destruction around the world.
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On May 25 of this year, a U.S. Supreme Court ruling
O n M ay 2 5 th th o f t h i s y e a r , a U . S . Su p r e m e C o u r t r u l i n g
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restricted the type of wetlands that receive federal protection
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under the Clean Water Act—a ruling sure to cause many
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BROOKFIELD ZOO | FALL 2023 15