In the Spirit of the Wetlands- Clare Howard and David Zalaznik

For hundreds of years, people generally thought of the swamps, bogs, marshes and moors as unproductive land—even menacing and foreboding land. As evidence accumulated about the essential role of wetlands in the environment, some people became captivated with a new vision and undertook a challenge to resuscitate these backwaters.  In many cases it was trial and error, learning by failure, frustration and persistence.

Then the forgiving and enduring nature of wetlands responded, and they began to re-emerge.  Seeds dormant for 100 years took root. Wetland defenders felt affirmed. Some restored wetlands are visual feasts with water stretching to the horizon like a vast inland sea.

This book and exhibition engage with these creators—people who construct wetlands where none existed before, and almost miraculously, the spirit of the wetlands emerges.

Clare Howard and David Zalaznik worked for the Peoria Journal Star for decades. Their concern for our environment and efforts to promote and protect our resources extend through their words and photographs in a University of Illinois Press book In the Spirit of Wetlands: Reviving Habitat in the Illinois River Watershed, 2022.