A lthough people are the dominating life form in Switzerland, cows place a close second. Supported by lush green hillsides and valleys fed by glacial runoff, cows graze throughout the countryside amidst the clanging of their bells. Cows primp in the fields of Schwarzwaldalp, a small chalet in the heart of the Jungfrau Region. E xpansive glaciers cap the core of the mountainous regions of Switzerland like icing on sweet rolls. But some of that icing is melting at alarming rates and causing certain glaciers to recede several feet per year.
Glacial runoff fuels the geography and feeds the landscape in south central Switzerland.