Anatomy of a Tidal Marsh (Marker)

Here follows the inscription written on this trailside marker:

Anatomy of a Tidal Marsh
Your body has a heart and blood vessels to carry nutrients to your tissues, lungs to breathe, kidneys to filter out pollutants, and skin to protect you. When you look closely at Dyke Marsh, you can find natural systems that do all the same things.

Circulate
Purple and blue on this map show the winding channels of the marsh, called guts, and the Potomac River. Tides pump Chesapeake Bay saltwater up the Potomac River and into the marsh. There it mixes with fresh water, nutrients and sediments.

Filter
Green plants act like kidneys, filtering pollution from the water. Marsh plants also slow down the movement of sediments, produce oxygen, and capture nitrogen.

Protect
Wetland forests, shown here as the mixed mosaic of green, yellow, and blue at the left, act like a protective skin. They anchor the shoreline and reduce erosion, sheltering Dyke Marsh and the people who live nearly.

Erected by National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.

More about this marker. Text in Braille is on the right side of the marker, presumably the same as the main text.


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About Dyke Marsh Wildlife Preserve, as published on the National Park Service website:

Dyke Marsh is one of the largest remaining freshwater tidal wetlands in the Washington metropolitan area. Its 485 acres of tidal marsh, floodplain, and swamp forest can be explored by boat or on foot. The Haul Road Trail follows an old mining road through each type of habitat in Dyke Marsh. The trail is three-quarters of a mile long, flat, and paved in a combination of pea gravel and boardwalk. The best way to explore the tidal guts of Dyke Marsh is by boat. There are a boat ramp and boats for rent at the Belle Haven Marina. The grounds at Dyke Marsh Wildlife Preserve are open year-round from 6 am to 10 pm.