This revival suggests that seeds, pollen and microbial life survived under decades of industrial sediment, waiting for water and light to trigger the rebirth. What began as one of North America’s largest wetland-restoration efforts has now turned into a wildlife refuge.

Credits: Unsplash; Author: Shivam Kumar;

Soil samples once stripped of life are now producing living worms, plankton, water fleas, algae and native reeds and cattails, effectively reviving the former wetland’s micro-ecosystem, and offering tangible proof of resilience even in heavily urbanised zones.