Meet Morton and Zoe

Morton and Zoe are the mascots for the Wetlands Education Program. Morton and Zoe represent the reasons to treasure and protect the wetlands in our community.

Morton:

My name means "homestead by a marsh". Wetlands are important to me because without them I would not have place to live, food to eat, or air to breath. I need both the water and the land in a wetland for shelter. The wetland also provides many insects with plants for food, water for laying eggs, and land for shelter. This is important because I eat many of these insects and other invertebrates. There are lots of different plants, shrubs, and trees in wetlands that produce oxygen that you and I need to breathe.

Zoe:

My name means "life", and my life depends on wetlands. I spend a lot of time in the water and can absorb pollutants that may be in the water. Wetlands clean and filter the water so I don’t get sick. Wetland plants are very good at taking some of these pollutants out of the water. Pollutants floating in a stream are carried in the current, and will settle out when the water slows down in a wetland. This makes the water cleaner and clearer for me, and my friends that live in the creek downstream.