Etter Marsh
Landmarks, 2.59800
The marsh is at once the wellspring, repository, and composting place of life. It generates the richest soils, the greatest diversity of organisms, the clearest and most well-regulated water, the most dynamic schemes of nature. --Alfred Etter
Located in the southeast corner of The Morton Arboretum's East Side, Etter Marsh was named for Alfred Etter, a naturalist and writer, who worked at the Arboretum from 1970-1978. The soils at Etter Marsh indicate that the site had supported wetland vegetation for thousands of years, but the area was drained for agricultural purposes in the early 20th century. In 1976, Etter submitted a project record proposing to revert the area back to a marsh-type habitat with the purpose of conserving water, providing refuge for marsh-type wildlife, and shedding light on marsh establishment, revegetation, and management. This resulted in the expansion of the existing wetland. The marsh was named for Etter after his death in 1978.
2. Etter, Alfred. "Marsh (East End of Shrub Collection, beneath Hi-Lines)." The Morton Arboretum Records: Research. Sterling Morton Library, The Morton Arboretum. 1976.
3. Hall, Marion T. "Alfred G. Etter." The Morton Arboretum Quarterly 14, no. 1 (1978): 3.
4. Hootman, Richard and Patrick Kelsey. "Landscape Features of The Morton Arboretum." The Morton Arboretum Quarterly 26, no. 3 (1990): 35-45.
5. "Marsh in the Making." The Morton Arboretum Quarterly 13, no. 1 (1977): 6-9.
