Horizon VIII: The Present Preserving the Swamp for the Future Today, the 500-acre Cedar Swamp is a refuge for wildlife, a place of traditional and spiritual significance to the Pequots, and a unique natural resource that the Pequot tribe will protect for generations to come. 1. Trail Walkers Today the Mashantucket Pequots appreciate the natural beauty of Cedar Swamp.  “It’s a quiet, tranquil place to be,” says Charlene Jones, a tribal member who often goes for walks there. 2. Atlantic White Cedar in Center of Swamp The Atlantic white cedar for which the swamp is named has almost vanished because the swamp’s hydrology was changed by colonial agriculture and intensive logging. 3. Red Maple Today the dominant tree species in Cedar Swamp is the red maple.  Hemlock, red and white oak, and yellow birch are important associates, and shrubs include alder, high bush blueberry, sweet pepper bush, winterberry elderberry and mountain laurel. 4. Eastern White Pine The most conspicuous tree at Mashantucket is the eastern white pine, which became established after agricultural lands were abandoned near the end of the 19th century.  Just outside the Cedar Swamp, white pines up to 90 feet tall form the backdrop for this museum. 5. Rhododendrons in Bloom The tall shrub Rhododendron maximum forms a prominent evergreen fringe around much of Cedar Swamp.  The unusual red-centered flower of this wild rhododendron is said to symbolize the blood shed during the massacre of the Pequots in 1637. 6. Wild Turkeys The swamp is home to a rich diversity of mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians including the fox, deer, bobcat, coyote, wild turkey, garter snake and red-backed salamander.