It was built on former marshland and mudflats that were drained in the 16th century. The most common rail habitats are marshland and dense forest. Most of them are associated with marshland and dense reedbeds. The region was a shallow lagoon interspersed with marshland. Palatine is in a wooded marshland where several streams rise around the village. The breeding habitat is open country including mountains, marshland and tundra. The land consisted predominantly of marshland and meadows yet to be developed. Income from the alligators kept at Rockefeller Wildlife Refuge contributes to conservation of the marshland. Sunnyside was a rural hamlet mostly consisting of small farms and marshland. However, few people were interested in grassy marshland. Howden is surrounded by largely flat land and in some places marshland. Some of these were formerly islands surrounded by marshland. The park required much land to be reclaimed from marshland. This was possible after reclamation of the nearby marshland, which was infested by malaria. Artificial preservation prevented the lake from evolving into a marshland.