b" wildlife refugeFinding nature in the cityByFit Flyer staffto prevent water from flooding nearbyhealthy come from what's happening William Cramp Elementary School neighborhoods where people live.around the refuge, she says. For example, salt used on icy roads gets into the water. When Brianna Amingwa was growing upBecause the refuge has freshwaternotSo do grease from cars and fertilizer from in Detroit, she didnt know much aboutsalt waterit offers a home to plants andpeoples yards.nature. But she knew she loved animals.animals that can help keep it clean.For She studied animal science in college andinstance, mussels take in dirty water andOne thing we do is plant native plants that then worked at wildlife refuges in Ohio,filter it to remove pollution, says Rangerhave roots that can suck up pollution, she Iowa, and Minnesota.Brianna. One mussel can filter up to 15says. For the past six years, she has been aA native plant is one that grows naturally in supervisory park ranger and educator atan area. the John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge,The wildlife refuge staff also helps by which straddles the city of Philadelphia andreconnecting channels of water that have Tinicum Township. I wanted to work withbeen cut off from the marsh. This helps kids who might not know as much aboutthe water flow betterthe way that nature nature, like me when I was younger, sayswas supposed to work, Ranger Brianna Ranger Brianna, as she likes to be called.says. The wildlife refuge covers 1,000 acresBrianna Amingwa Environmental Educator The wildlife refuge is in danger from with 10 miles of trails and three habitats:climate change. The warming of the forests, fields, and tidal marsh, she says.gallons of water in a single day. atmosphere is causing what Ranger Squirrels, rabbits, skunks, foxes, deer,Brianna calls intense storm events, which turtles, fish, snakes, birds, and otherSome people even call the wetlands theflood the whole marsh, washing away roads animals live in the refuge year-round.kidneys of the watershed, she says. Yourand flooding bridges. She worries that such Some birds stop there when they migratekidneys clean the toxic stuff out of yourstorms could get worse. during the spring and fall. People also visitbody. The wetlands do the same thing for to enjoy and learn about nature, hike, andthe watershed. A watershed is the landWhen storms come through the marsh, walk their dogs. area where runoff drains into streams,Ranger Brianna says, they pull in a lot of lakes, creeks, or other bodies of water. water that can carry pollution. Some trash The most distinctive feature of the refugeEven though nature does a good jobfrom other places can come in, she says. is the tidal marsh, which is land where theof cleaning the water, Ranger BriannaImagine water from a landfill coming here. amount of water increases and decreasesexplains that the wildlife refuge staff andIt can damage the place, hurt the land, and with the ocean tides.volunteers need to help too because ofbring in different pollution. The Tinicum Marshthe freshwater tidalpollution such as litter. She says learning about the marsh can help marsh at Heinzis more than a home forSome reasons that the water is lessus understand how to protect it and keep animals, Ranger Brianna says. It helpsthe community healthier.10B Y K I D S , F O R K I D S | S p r i n g 2 0 2 3 Page 10 illustration by Lorraine Brown-Gause, 8th grade,DePaul Healthy Trailblazer Journal"