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WETLANDS of Wonder & Worth
A Family Activity Page by Martha E. Collins
Brown cedar water gurgles around the cypress knees, a frog crawls up onto a lily pad, "CONKEREE" calls the Red-Winged Blackbird perched up where he can spy his rivals; the Great Blue Heron watches calmly as a school of shiners escapes to deeper water, mayflies spin through the air in search of mates, a turtle suns himself on a log, a Mallard Duck pair takes a rest from feeding…
What Is a Wetland? As a child I walked home from school past an intriguing wood with a brook flowing through it. In the spring the ground there was partly under water because of all the rain and it was full of the high, silvery chorus of spring peepers. Later I learned that these tiny tree frogs return every year to such vernal pools of their birth to sing for a mate. A temporary, seasonal wet spot or vernal pool like this is only one kind of wetland. Other wetlands include marshes, bogs and swamps. They are often, but not always, found along open water such as lakes, ponds, streams and rivers, bays and along the seashore.
Could Kids Visit a Wetland? Yes and it's a good idea. Wetlands are chock-full of fascinating wildlife.
- The best time to see animals is very early in the morning and if you don't see them you may see their tracks in the mud, a feather, scat (animal excrement) or a game track through the grasses. Silence is the key to seeing and hearing wildlife. Watch where your shadow falls and try to approach open water so that your shadow does not get there first and scare the fish. Water plants, marsh plants, shrubs, trees, insects, fungi, mosses and wildflowers are easier to see. You will hear birds and may see some; perhaps a Red-winged Blackbird or Great Blue Heron.
- Visit at different seasons to learn more.
- Consider bringing: boots; binoculars; a camera; drinking water; a trash bag; a water-proof cushion to sit or kneel on; and a magnifying glass.
- If you get in touch with a local naturalist at a nature center or local conservation organization, you can get good advice about where to visit a wetland that has boardwalks over the wet parts or a guided tour. You can also learn what to watch for and what to watch out for.
- Using mainly your eyes and ears when visiting natural areas is the least disruptive way to learn about them. Think of the natural environment as someone else's home. If you do move anything, be careful to put it back where you got it and not to do damage.
Other Wetland Activities?
- Learn to recognize local wetland plants and animals, such as cattails and mallard ducks, from a distance. Then as you go about your daily life notice and write down where there are wetlands in your area. Are there any along your bus route to school?
- Get a detailed local map and find all the streams in your area. Wetlands are often found along streams.
- Create your own Wetlands Species Spotters List on your region's wetlands. Then, with your friends, try to get to see examples of each species in the wild (see the Resources section, below).
WETLANDS of Wonder & Worth: Background
The Worth of Wetlands: All wetlands play a crucial part in maintaining the ecosystem.
- They act as sponges storing up rain and snow-melt water so that it does not rush immediately into streams and rivers and cause flooding and soil erosion. Instead this water is allowed to seep into the water table and recharge the underground aquifers from which well and irrigation water is drawn.
- Wetlands are nurseries and sanctuaries for wildlife where water is abundant, food is abundant and the conditions favor life. They are also homes to endangered species.
- Many fish and other aquatic animals such as shrimp require healthy wetland habitat to provide the food chains on which they depend.
- Wetlands also act as barriers to keep agricultural and lawn chemicals from washing directly into surface water. However, wetland ecosystems can be damaged by pesticide runoff.
- According to the EPA, wetlands have measurable high economic value for the reasons above and also because they provide recreational resources.
What Can You Do?
- Help preserve the physical existence of wetlands and prevent their disturbance by opposing unnecessary development. Become an educated advocate for wetlands; speak up against policies that permit wetlands to be filled, dammed up, cut off by road construction or polluted by chemicals.
- Avoid using lawn chemicals (fertilizers or pesticides) since these products may harm amphibians such as spring peepers and salamanders, particularly if you have a vernal pool, other wetland, or stream on your property;
- Avoid using and ask your neighbors not to use lawn, garden or household chemicals that are toxic to fish, crustaceans, aquatic invertebrates, or to pollinating insects.
A Coastal Wetlands Refuge Named for Rachel Carson in Maine
Consider visiting the Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge Headquarters in Wells, Maine. This refuge is composed of about 4,600 acres of tidal marsh wetlands. For a delightful preview of this type of ecosystem read Rachel Carson's book, The Edge of the Sea.
Wetlands Definition
"… wetlands are lands on which water covers the soil or is present either at or near the surface of the soil or within the root zone, all year or for varying periods of time during the year, including during the growing season." From WATER SHEDSS website.
A bog or fen is a freshwater wetland where the dead plants sink down but do not rot away very fast; this makes a spongy, springy surface underfoot.
A marsh is a wetland that is mostly covered by herbaceous plants (without woody stems) with a few shrubs but no trees with salt or fresh water.
A swamp is a wooded wetland with fresh water.
A vernal pool is a shallow freshwater pool surrounded by dry land that only exists when there is sufficient rain for the ground to become saturated as in the spring and sometimes in the fall.
Other types of wetlands are typical of geographical regions: wet meadows or prairies in the Midwest; inland saline and alkaline marshes of the arid parts of the West, prairie potholes of Iowa, Minnesota, and the Dakotas, alpine meadows of the high mountains, playa lakes of the southwest and Great Plains, pocosins and Carolina bays of the southeast coastal states and tundra wetlands in Alaska.
Local Folk Taking Action for Wetlands
Under the Massachusetts Wetlands Protection Act, vernal pools can be certified with The Massachusetts Natural Heritage & Endangered Species Program. There are currently over 1,000 certified vernal pools in that state. Volunteers have been guided by certification materials to map these pools, photograph them, provide evidence of the presence of fairy shrimp, wood frogs or mole salamanders by means of audio or video tapes or photographs.
New Englanders are not the only folk looking into wetlands. At Central High School in Victoria, VA, the biology class took on a mystery. Why were there salamanders wandering the halls of the school? They discovered the vernal pool and began a study of it under the tutelage of their biology teacher and an expert from a near-by college. They also developed a website to share their work.
Wetlands Resources
Here are some sources for information on wetlands. Ask your librarian to help you research the wildlife specific to your region. Also, it would be fun get to know some local bird songs or frog songs by listening to tapes or CDs. For book reviews of three stories that include wetlands as part of their themes, please contact RCC.
Books for young children:
- Marshes and Swamps by Gail Gibbons, Holiday House, 1998
- What Is An Amphibian?, Robert Snedden, Sierra Club, 1993
- Children's Guide to Insects and Spiders, Jinny Johnson, Simon and Schuster, 1996
- Pond Life, George K. Reid, Ph.D., Golden Press, 1987
Books for older children and adults:
- In Search of Swampland, A Wetland Source Book and Field Guide, Ralph Turner, Rutgers U. Press
- Of Men and Marshes, Paul L. Errington, Iowa State U. Press, 1996
Useful Websites:
- Search http://www.metacrawler.com on wetlands+education.
- For wetlands definitions and background: http://h2osparc.wq.ncsu.edu/info/wetlands/
- For U.S. Geological Survey Maps: http://mapping.usgs.gov/mac/findmaps.html
- For wetlands resources in Canada: http://www.wetlands.ca/
- For sample wetland education curriculum: http://www.wetland.org/wow.htm
