Louisiana's river swamp Atchafalaya, along the river of that name's path to Mexican Gulf, is the world's longest in its stream-bordering kind, an extremely complex habitat. It harbors a rich fauna, including the red 'bobcat' lynx and a brown bear subspecies, partly being monitored as contact with humans endangered various populations, but new balances are also found, like alligator farming with dug-up eggs. A dam forced sea-river-migrating species to retreat here instead of swimming further inland, making the reserve even more vital.
Okefenokee is a vast, marshy federal nature reserve on the border between Georgia and Florida. Abundant fish and aquatic small fry feeds an impressive army of predators, including such terrors as alligators (kept in check by nest-raiding raccoons), poisonous snakes and giant, yet elusive eel-like salamanders, and omnivores. Peet-rich waters however aren't nutritious, hence populated with specialists like flesh-eating plants. Draining by prisoners-dug canals failed to open the swampland up for exploitation before it was protected. Regular natural fires grow bigger, longer and more frequent due to climate warming.