WetlandsWetlandsWhat are they?

Why are they important?How are they threatened?

What we can do.

• What is a wetland?

• A wetland is land that is wet most of the year, but that is not enough.

• A wetland has hydric soil. Hydric soil is wet or moist soil low in oxygen, but that is not enough.

• A wetland has hydrophytic plants, plants that grow in wet, low oxygen environments.

• Now we have a wetland.

A wetland is wet most of the year.A wetland is wet most of the year.

A wetland has hydric soil.A wetland has hydric soil.

These cattails are hydrophytic These cattails are hydrophytic plants.plants.

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Other hydrophytic plants that live in hydric soil.

Marsh marigoldAster

More wetland plants

Monkeyflower

Waterlily

Different kinds of wetlands

A marsh is a wetland area bordering a body of water. It has grasses and small shrubs. We have marshes in Spring Lake.

A swamp is a wetland with shallow water covering a large area of land, that can have areas of woody plants and tall trees.

A bog is wetland composed mostly of dead plant material called peat. Its soil is very acidic. It relies solely on rain water.

A fen is similar to a bog but can be less acidic because it gets water from other sources running into it and also out of it.

Why wetlands are important

1.Wetlands help reduce flooding.

2.Wetlands help keep our waters clean.

3.Wetlands provide wildlife habitat.

4.Wetlands provide natural spaces for recreation.

Wetlands help to reduce flooding by acting like a sponge to absorb excess water.

Wetlands help keep our lakes and rivers clean by absorbing and filtering out and storing pollution before it gets to the water.

Wetlands provide habitat for insects, fish, amphibians, birds and mammals.

More wetland wildlife.

Wetlands are places to enjoy. These people are bird watching.

Here are people canoeing and kayaking.

Wetlands are beautiful places to walk.

Wetlands are interesting places to study.

But our wetlands are threatened!

About half the wetlands in the USA have been lost to agriculture and commercial development. This is done by draining the wetlands.

Disturbed wetlands are also under threat from invasive species, like Phragmites.

Here is what you can do to help protect the wetlands:

1. Share what you learn today with your classmates and family.

2. See if you can locate wetlands, and spend time watching their seasonal changes.

3. Include wetland protection on the agenda of environmental groups you may join.

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