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Wetlands
These diverse wetlands--and the ducks, squirrels, and dragonflies that make their home here--represent the original Chesapeake Bay environment, the largest estuary in North America. Chesapeake means "Great Shellfish Bay" in the Algonquian language.
Living on the Water
Before European settlement, the local environment looked very different. Because erosion was not so extensive, Chesapeake waterways were clearer and deeper, and dolphins frequently swam along the shores.
During the winter, Native communities harvested the roots of cattails and yellow marsh marigolds for food. Cypress trees--like the fallen one in the middle of the wetlands--were prized for making dugout canoes. Native peoples used reeds to weave mats and fish nets. They roasted oysters to provide food through the seasons. |