The new facility has been designed to exist in harmony with the natural environment of the site -- rich with woods, wildflowers, wetlands and wildlife. Although the lake was originally man-made, it now supports a variety of fish, geese and other wildlife. Wooded areas will be preserved around the lake, and a vegetated wetland will be created -- adding more than six times the area of wetland disturbed by the new construction. From our front yard, we will share a lake view with our neighbors at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences -- NIEHS. The land was farmed earlier in the century, so most of the trees had previously been cleared away. Over the last half century, most of the forest naturally re-established itself as a mix of pine and hardwood. This large oak stood by the old homestead. More than a century old, with a trunk more than four feet in diameter, the "Big Oak" presented a serious challenge to the designers -- who carefully re-routed the new roads to ensure that this majestic tree would live.
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