|
Sparrows and wrens chirp as they flit through mossy branches, squirrels perform aerial acrobatics while leaping from tree to tree, a cottontail disappears silently into nearby brambles as a determined hawk circles overhead piercing the morning silence with its hunting scream. A sluggish snake warms in the sun as another unfortunate insect falls victim to the carnivorous venus fly trap. All of these things can happen in wetlands. A healthy wetland environment should thrive with a diverse variety of plants and wildlife each depending on the other as members of the circle of life.
Wetlands are one of the most important natural treasures in the nation, they are located in every state and throughout the world except Antartica. There’s a good chance that you could have a small wetland in your own neighborhood and not recognize it since they don’t always exhibit the “standing water” characteristic. You may only know wetlands as bogs, wet prairies, swamps, or marshes but sometimes one of these environmental assets is right around the corner.
In the United States wetlands were once thought of as useless mosquito-ridden swamps and were sold cheaply by the government to farmers with the binding promise that these lands be drained for agricultural use. Today, their value has been recognized and the remaining U.S. wetlands are now protected by the Environmental Protection Agency through provisions of the Clean Water Act of 1972.
Wetlands are the critical link between water and land. They act as giant sponges, absorbing stormwater runoff and releasing it slowly to rivers and estuaries, efficiently preventing downstream flooding and recharging the groundwater table in the process. Downstream flooding is controlled by the wetland absorbent soil matter, herbaceous vegetation and trees such as the cypress, tupelo and gum. These water loving trees drink in vast amounts, some consuming as much as one-hundred gallons of water per day. Wetland soils filter and purify rainwater as it seeps into underlying aquifers, removing fertilizer, pesticides and other contaminants.
The two distinct types of wetlands currently recognized are: coastal/tidal and inland/non-tidal wetlands; however the one determining factor that identifies any wetland is the presence of water (either at or near the soil surface) for a specified period of time during the year.
Because of the frequent presence of dampness or standing water, wetlands are the preferred habitat for many specialized plant and animal communities. A healthy wetland ecosystem is one of the most fascinating and productive in the world and can realistically be compared to rain forests or coral reefs. The enriched organic makeup of the wetland floor continuously feeds the food chain base beginning with the microbes, aquatic insects, and small fish which in turn feed larger fish, reptiles, amphibians, birds, and mammals. Wetland inhabitants from the tiniest microbe to the largest mammal all participate in the life cycle for water, nitrogen and sulfur. Recently scientists have concluded that wetlands help moderate global warming by efficiently storing carbon within their soil and plant communities instead of releasing it to the atmosphere as carbon dioxide.
Coastal wetlands are a very complex environment and provide habitat for those flora and fauna that can tolerate the frequent salinity fluctuations of daily tidal action (sea water mixing with fresh water). Mud and sand flats fall within the coastal wetland classification and are located among marine estuaries which are the nurseries for most seafood species. Usually these wetlands have minimal vegetation, but are prime habitat for oysters, clams and crustaceans.
Upland coastal vegetation often includes short grasses and hardy shrubs which provide forage and shelter for native and migrating birds and are hunting grounds for small mammals such as fox, raccoons, and opossums.
Inland wetlands are frequently in riparian buffers or floodplains along rivers and streams although they can also be the damp or boggy area bordering potholes or basins where rainwater has gathered and saturated the soil. Vernal pools of the western United States are classified as wetlands but may only be wet for a brief portion of each season. During the rainy season these pools serve as breeding grounds and habitat for specific types of wildlife that take advantage of this infrequent water supply.
Until recently, large areas of wetlands in the southeastern United States have been relatively inaccessible and provided ideal habitat and breeding grounds for many species of endangered plants and animals such as the reclusive red-cockaded woodpecker, the alligator, and the green pitcher plant. Aggressive herbicide spraying and drainage of wetlands has become the focus of federal agencies in an effort to preserve the remaining wetlands for future generations.
| 
