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Written and submitted by Bill Buchanan, John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge, Philadelphia, Penn.

Many people come to the John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge to view the amazing diversity of wildlife. The refuge plays host to a wonderful range of subject matter from birds and frogs to wildflowers and mammals. But there is an even more diverse and amazing world of life that exists in its waters, sediments, and many other environs that form the foundation for so many other species. It is seldom seen or even thought about by most. It is the microscopic world where the use of a hand lens or microscope is needed to peer into its wonders. Now a new exhibit is up to help explore this unique place and its inhabitants.

Before becoming an employee of the Service, and even before I began my freelance writing and photography career, I was a medical technologist doing both clinical and research work primarily in hematology and oncology. Although I had left my lab days behind I never really lost my interest or enthusiasm for the biological sciences. So when the opportunity arose to work on new exhibits my thoughts turned to the emphasis the Service was putting on solid science and our ongoing impoundment drawdown program, including obtaining samples of water and sediment to check for various macroinvertebrates. I asked refuge biologists, Brendalee Phillips and Rob Allen to collect material, so I may observe what might be living in this portion of the refuge. In addition, we obtained various micro life forms from a commercial source and began culturing these to do both video and still microphotography for use in the exhibit.

What can be seen in the exhibit itself is an amazing array of life that forms the base upon which everything else is dependent. From bacteria and algae, to protozoa on up to larger animals such as insects (who feed on the former), which are in turn eaten by fish or other aquatic creatures right on up to the shorebirds and waders that feast during the impoundment drawdown, it creates a mosaic of life. Along with the "in-house" produced exhibit panels there is also a 12 minute video that tells the story of the drawdown and shows actual footage of some of the micro life from paramecium and euglena to seed shrimp and cyclops and just how we were able to grow them and "get them to smile" for some microscopic adventures.

As part of our public programs we will soon begin special micro life exploration days where visitors can personally discover this incredible microscopic world. Visitors will collect and observe specimens right at the refuge with staff and volunteers, utilizing the wonderful assets of the Cusano Environmental Education Center. Hopefully they will take home a different, and perhaps even inspiring, experience that connects them to the natural world in a new and unusual way.

While the exhibit itself is now complete we hope to begin the public programs later this summer. Several volunteers have already shown interest in being involved and we also hope that more local teachers will utilize the exhibit and the program as another tool in teaching their students about the amazing world of science and nature and connecting them to both; right here at the John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge at utilizing.