I visited the horicon marsh today. Its described as one of the largest freshwater marshes in the US and the largest freshwater cattail marsh in the US. Sounds exciting...

>you can clearly see the other end of it. Its maybe two miles at its widest point. Human development always visible.
>Even from the innermost areas you can clearly hear cars and trucks roaring through the nearest highways. Sounds of civilization are omnipresent.
>Entire wildlife area is completely surrounded by monoculture corn and onions farming (as in literally just wire fence separating them), undoubtedly leeching their pesticides and fertilizers into the groundwater.

I feel bad, this whole area used to be wetlands, and now this tiny little nugget is the "largest" we have? Is this really the state of wetland ecosystems in this country now? Just miserable, tiny little enclaves surrounded entirely by a steadily encroaching human population? I feel like for them to have any right calling this a "wildlife refuge" they would need to dynamite every settlement and road within 15 km of it.

Anyone whose been to the cheyenne bottoms, is it a different experience to what I had?