Okefenokee Swamp Research Paper

As decades continued to pass by the wetlands change. "People have begun to realize that wetlands are valuable and productive ecosystems that fulfill an essential function for both humans and wildlife. Due to their unique characteristics, wetlands can support a wide diversity of plants, mammals, reptiles, birds and fish. They also control floodwaters and protect us from storms and hurricanes. Wetlands also improve water quality by filtering, cleaning and storing water. Lastly, many people rely on wetlands for their livelihood, as they are important centers for hunting, fishing and recreation." Referring to this from "Wetlands and Habitat Loss", we now see how wetlands are valuable and helpful to the ecosystem. The wetlands are known for our water source. Many people depend on the Everglades for a water source. We also use the Everglades for activities. These activities include fishing, recreation, and

Giving full credit to restricting the Mississippi River as the culprit for loss of wetlands is not accurate. The booming oil and gas exploration of the 1970’s and 1980’s merits a name on the marquee as well. The pipelines and canals used to transport the resources to the outside world placed a great deal of stress on the fragile wetlands. Erosion from the barges in and out of the marshes as well as the salt water allowed into the fresh water, providing a precarious habitat for fresh water species – flora and fauna alike. Plants provide root systems to hold soil in place. Fish and fowl provide an economy for the area. Enter

Shrimptons Creek Parklands, located in the City or Ryde in the northern Suburbs of Sydney, comprises of seven parks that lie adjacent to Shrimptons Creek. The creek is approximately 3.3 kilometres in length, flowing in a north-south direction through the suburbs of Denistone East, Ryde and Macquarie Park. It is part of the Macquarie Park Catchment which flows through Lane Cove National Park into Lane Cove River. The park’s surroundings consists of low to medium density residential in single dwellings, commercial centres and business institutions.

I chose the city of Kankakee, Illinois not only because I was born and raised here, but because I believe that there is so much potential for change here. Kankakee is a 100% urban city in Illinois and is located 45 minutes from the south side of Chicago. Kankakee has been known to some as a very southern suburb, but it is not. Kankakee is a part of a tri-city area and is not included in the southern suburbs of Chicago. I heard a recording of Jay Leno saying that Kankakee is one of the worst places to live years ago and that lit the fire in me to return and see great things happen here. Kankakee is often talked about in a negative way from the residents and those who visit the area, but I see the potential of this city in its people.

The characteristic warming climate of the Late Pleistocene and Early Holocene resulted in rising sea levels which contributed to the formation of the various deltas in the New Orleans area (Dunbar, Britsch, 2008). The natural formation of these deltas produced coastal wetlands that represent 30% of coastal wetlands currently in the United States (Cigler, 2007). In addition to these wetlands, the Mississippi River was surrounded by substantial forest growth (Pabis, 1998).

According to the speaker, the swamp is “endless wet thick cosmos, the center of everything,” (line 1). The implication that this swamp is the center of everything can allude to how long the speaker may have been engulfed within it. It seems as if he/she has reached a point in which the swamp is infecting his/her mind as much as it is taking over the body. The speaker even begins to compare him/herself to “a poor dry stick given one more chance by the whims of the swamp water.” (line 28). This person, in beginning to view him/herself as part of the swamp, communicates to the reader effectively describing the direness of the situation, and the point of return that seems to be slipping away.

The Erie Canal was set in the state of New York which would be built to connect Albany and Buffalo. The concept of the Erie Canal began fifty years before actually starting construction in 1817. However, completion of the Erie Canal did not end until 1825 which resulted in a water route 364-miles long that connected the Hudson River in Albany and the Great lakes in Buffalo. Industrialization was sped up by the Erie Canal decades after it was completed because it improved transportation, trade, commerce and settlement in the United States.

The Everglades, a vast wetlands ecosystem made up of marshes and swamps, begins at Lake Okeechobee, a large lake in the center of Florida, and ends in the Gulf of Mexico and Florida Bay. It is nearly 50 miles across and 110 miles long (Hinrichsen), and when viewed from the air, appears to be miles and miles of shallow water flowing through thick mats of grass. This perception has earned it the name “River of Grass”. Although it does flow like a river, the flow is so incredibly slow that, from a distance, it doesn’t seem to move at all.

Growing up in a small town, someone wouldn’t think how much history is in that place. I’m very fortunate enough to live in a remarkable place that has a lot of history behind it. So let’s begin this journey together as we look back into the place that I call home.

In Bolivar County, Mississippi, stands Mound Bayou, one of the first black towns in the U.S. It is located twenty-eight miles southwest of Clarksdale, Mississippi. It was founded by Isaiah T. Montgomery and his cousin Benjamin T. Green. Both Montgomery and Green were former slaves. They both were formerly owned by Joseph Emory Davis, a lawyer turned successful planter & the older brother/mentor to Jefferson Davis, the former President of Confederacy. The town is a national significance because it represented many towns established by African American who moved from the South to the North after slavery.

Wakulla Springs is one of the largest and deepest freshwater springs in the world. The spring flow rate is about two hundred million gallons of water a day. The water flow of the springs develops at the caves of the Florida Aquafers. The water then forms the Wakulla River and flows 9 miles southeast. After flowing 9 miles the Wakulla River joins the St. Marks River. The St. Marks River then empties out into the Gulf of Mexico at the Apalachee Bay. Part of the Wakulla Springs water system is the Wakulla underwater cave system. The Wakulla- Leo Sink cave system is the longest underwater cave system in the United States (Friends of Wakulla Springs).

The author of passage one employs a detached and impartial style by listing detailed facts about the swamp’s physical features and wildlife. The author immediately commences the passage by stating the location and dimensions of the swamp as “25 mi wide and 40 mi long”, followed by a matter-of-fact explanation of the effects of the surrounding landscapes and bodies of water on the swamp’s environmental characteristics. The technical terminology, concise sentence structure, and lack of vivid figurative language displayed throughout the entire passage reveals an unbiased and objective perspective whose sole purpose is to inform those who want to learn of what the Okefenokee Swamp consists of.

The French are at it again with claims of having the Ohio River Valley. We have that land fair and square. That land is a necessity to colonists. There is much fur trade there and that could boost our economy. Also those greedy French have enough land.We are restricted to the east of the Appalachian Mountains. With that vast land, they still have to take the Ohio River Valley.

Describing the Okefenokee Swamp are two very different passages. Both passages contain interesting ideas. However, one passage seems more statistical than the other. For example, passage 1 describes how big the entire place is. It basically gives you an overview of the entire place not just the swamp itself. Passage 2 describes exactly what is in the swamp. For example sentence 1 says, “Vast and primeval, unfathomable, unconquerable, bastion of cottonmouth, rattlesnake and leech, mother of vegetation, father of mosquito, soul of silt, the Okefenokee is the swamp archetypal, the swamp of legend, of racial memory, of Hollywood.” Yet, while describing what’s in the swamp area, the author gives off a feeling of suspense and then later in in the

This excerpt of Swamplandia, a novel by Karen Russell focuses on Hilola Bigtree, a performer who races alligators as she is watched by an audience and her family. It is in the point of view of the performer’s daughter, who has seen her mother perform before and is newly captivated each time. Since it is in her point of view, she is able to create an atmosphere where she can elevate her mother as an exquisite being. She has an admiration for her mother, both as a performer and in general, that is extremely clear. The tense narrative in the excerpt contributes to Hilola’s portrayal as indestructible. Russell portrays the narrator’s exaltation of her mother through the combination of generated and real tension by use of dark imagery and the contrast between her and the audience through sublime diction.