Corkscrew trip Week 3

The Corkscrew trip was a huge step up from our swamp walk.  I actually didn't mind the tour and learned quite a bit.  It was a very hot day and the mosquitoes and fire ants were really bad, but I guess thats to be expected at a swamp.  
Upon arrival, we were taught about the "living machine" housed at Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary.  I thought it was very neat how they chose to go this route.  It is so much more environmentally friendly than to put a water treatment plant at the swamp.  It also takes up a lot less room to house.  Essentially what happens is the waste water produced on site is filtered through the ground and the plants and purified, then recycled.  Someone would go to the bathroom, flush the toilet, at which time the water is sent to a holding tank with no oxygen.  It goes through that tank and into a tank with oxygen exposure, then through 2 manufactured wetlands.  The plants pick up more of the waste, however after all these steps, they are still required to chloronize and dechloronize the water before it is used again.  Then final step is to trim the plants and incinerate the trimmings to eliminate any toxins lurking on the plants. The chloronize/dechloronize step seems kind of silly and hypocritical to the mission of the living machine. It is almost as if they are saying the water isn't actually safe or good enough so they have to add chemicals, which is the opposite of what they are trying to do in the first place.  The idea of the living system is to reduce pollution created from a waste treatment plant.  It is literally a biological waste water treatment system.  I really like how the swamp chose to use this type of system and I think it is completely in line with their mission to be environmentally sustainable.  
After hearing about the living machine we were split into two groups for a tour of the sanctuary.  We learned about what an ecosystem is, which until that day I have to say I wasn't completely sure about.  It seems like such a simple word and a simple concept but without ever formally learning about ecosystems, I was not sure exactly what they were.  An ecosystem is basically all the living and nonliving parts of the environment.  There are many different types of ecosystems.  Corkscrew Swamp is home to four different types of ecosystems. 
All in all, I'd say my trip to Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary was very beneficial and enlightening.