Wetlands As Filters for the Soul

I recently discovered that spending time in a wetlands can be as much a healing experience as it is a learning experience. The diversity of the wetlands is astounding--from the birds, reptiles, and plants to smells, sounds, and sights. A few weekends ago, I spent the day at the Baltimore Aquarium learning about teaching wetlands in the classroom. I love learning new things and finding ways to bring the outdoors into my classroom. Wetlands and waterfront are near and dear to my heart. Having grown up on Frog Mortar Creek in Baltimore County, the water has been apart of me from the beginning. From sailing and boating to crabbing and fishing to swimming and water skiing--very few memories of mine from childhood do not involve the water. We vacationed on the Eastern Shore in Maryland and along the Sakonnet River in Rhode Island. I have been blessed to develop a relationship with not just nature and the outdoors, but with the water. 

Running and jumping off of my grandparents' pier, I was a diver exploring the depths of the ocean. As a young child I loved watching the tidal pools along the beach at my Aunts and ocean waves at Cape Cod or Ocean City. When I was 11, my uncle gave me a row boat. I would explore the shoreline as a marine biologist looking for new specimens to study. In college, I took every chance to explore the rivers of Western Maryland in the classes that I took and Deep Creek Lake. Learning about the ecology of the fresh, brackish, and marine waters of Maryland with it's vast biodiversity and the Chesapeake Bay excites me. I take advantage of any training that I can get. Hence why I was spending a lovely Saturday at the Baltimore Aquarium and the Fort McHenry Wetlands learning about the "Wonders of the Wetlands". 

While on our field excursion at Ft. McHenry, I was reminded of the rich history and environmental diversity that Baltimore City has. For me, Baltimore (whether it be the county or the city) is home. I have memories of playing in Patterson Park, ice skating at the Inner Harbor, hiking through Gwynn Falls, and enjoying the ballparks (both Memorial Stadium and Camden Yards). But this was a new experience for me. I did not realize there was a wetlands at the fort nor did I know that it was there as a mitigation project for the wetlands lost during the construction of the Fort McHenry Tunnel system. 

Walking through and observing the pines and locust trees of Locust Point reminded me that we can find nature anywhere we go. I loved hiking through the marsh land to sand of the beach along the Patapsco River--it felt like home. It was healing to see the remains of the Key Bridge--one I have fond memories of crossing on the way to points unknown with my parents, or the time my aunt and I were lost and crossed the bridge and went through the tunnel seven times each. I remembered vividly the first time I had to drive over the bridge on my own and thinking how tall it was (and windy). To see it in person made it real--but reminded me--just like the wetlands was a project to bring back something that was lost, the bridge would be back. I prayed for those who lost their lives, those who searched the water, and those now navigating the clean-up and rebuild. That spot has seen so much history--the War of 1812, the great fire of Baltimore, ships arriving and leaving with passengers near and far--it will once again be a welcoming beacon for those coming home and a navigational beacon for those coming for the first time. 

Back to the healing of a wetlands. A wetlands is a place (that is sometimes wet and sometimes dry) that for lack of a better analogy, acts like a sponge. It soaks up the pollution and nutrients and cleans the waters before releasing them to the next reservoir--a stream, creek, river, lake, bay, or even the ocean. They are called different things all around the world--wetland, bog, marsh, swamp, bayou, mangrove, even a muskeg and a fen! They serve a purpose of creating nursery ground for many organisms, a shelter for others, and a filter for our water. Think of them like the Brita of the Earth! Being in that wetland that day and seeing all that it had to offer and what was to come as the spring bloom lead to the summer glory was healing. It reminded me that every season in life needs a filter. A time to take out the bad and focus on the good. A time to experience the grief, but cling on the memories. Being in that wetlands was a filtering day for me. I've experienced some heart ache in the past few weeks--and I needed to recenter, refocused, and resume my life. The wetlands did that for me--it filtered out the negative and made room for the positive. We need to experience all of the emotions, but we also need to decide what we will hold on to and what we will filter out.