WETLANDS Mangrove Swamp Everglades National Park Estuarine Wetland

WETLANDS Mangrove Swamp – Everglades National Park – Estuarine Wetland

Wetlands are areas that are periodically or permanently inundated by surface or ground water and support vegetation adapted for life in saturated soil. Wetlands include swamps, marshes, bogs and similar areas. January 2002

Wetlands are transitional environments between uplands and fully aquatic environments § They are defined on the basis of § Hydrology – presence and duration of water § Vegetation – dominance of vegetation adapted to saturated soil conditions § Soils – poorly drained and with evidence of low or fluctuating oxygen

Wetland Hydrology • Area is inundated or saturated to the surface for at least 5% of the growing season in most years – Growing season is based on soil temperature and is determined for regions by the USDA – Most years = 51 out of 100 years Wetlands are NOT always wet!

Hydrophytic Vegetation • Plant species that are adapted for life in saturated soils – Anaerobic soil conditions – Soggy or waterlogged soils • Require adaptations for better support • Require adaptations for gas exchange • Hydrophytes are plants growing in water or on substrates that are periodically deficient in oxygen

Hydric Soil • A soil that is saturated, flooded, or ponded long enough during the growing season to develop anaerobic conditions in the root zone –Tend to be dark in color and have mottles of iron staining

What do wetlands do? Wetland Functions Habitat : nesting, spawning, rearing and resting sites for aquatic and land species, food chain production Hydrology: protection of other areas from wave action and erosion, storage areas for storm water and flood water, ground and surface water aquifer recharge Water : water quality protection, water filtration and Quality purification, treatment of nonpoint source runoff

Why are wetlands important? • maintain biodiversity • reduce flood (animals, plants, and many damage , store runoff trees) • hiking, fishing, • provide habitat for hunting, bird animals watching, boating • maintain water quality • aesthetic value • support commercial fishing, forestry Did you know? Nationwide, an estimated 50 million people spend approximately $10 billion annually observing and January 2002 photographing wetland-dependent birds.

NC-CREWS Primary Wetland Functions and Subfunctions Water Quality – Nonpoint Source Removal – Floodwater Cleansing Wildlife Habitat – Terrestrial Wildlife – Aquatic Life Potential Risk Hydrology – Wetland Extent and – Surface Runoff Rarity Storage – Replacement – Floodwater Storage Difficulty – Shoreline – Land Use Stabilization January 2002 Characteristics

Example: Water Quality Function January 2002

What do we Know? • Wetlands store runoff and provide habitat for animals • Development issues are causing animals to overcrowd other habitats.

Common development issues • Fertilizers from farming, construction sites, and home owners • Construction is killing off trees, plants and animals. • Animals are being run out of their homes and forced to overcrowd other wetlands.

Wetland Classification • Swamp Forest • Bottomland Hardwood Modifiers: Partially Drained/ Ditched l • Pine Flat l. Cut-over • Hardwood Flat l. Cleared • Managed Pine • Freshwater Marsh • Salt/Brackish Marsh • Estuarine Scrub Shrub • Estuarine Forest • Maritime Forest • Headwater Swamp January 2002 • Human Impacted

Types of Wetlands • Swamps - Depends on nutrient-rich ground water derived from mineral soils. Great Dismal Swamp

Swamp Forest January 2002

Types of Wetlands • Marshes Permanently or periodically flooded sites characterized by nutrient-rich water. Located around beaches. Ex. – Kitty Hawk or Corolla

Tidal Salt Marsh January 2002

Types of Wetlands • Bogs - Made by peat accumulation, usually dominated by moss. Bogs appear where the water at the ground surface is acidic. Bogs are generally formed by rain water

Wet Pine Flat Hard Wood Flat January 2002

Types of Wetlands • Fens - Made by peat accumulation; may be dominated by sedge, reed, shrub or forest. Fens are mostly fed by surface or groundwater.

Common Wetland Plants Bladderwort Cattails Algae

Common Wetland Plants Spike Rushes Waterweed Bulrushes Duckweed Water Lily Coontail

Common Wetland Animals Leopard Frog Red-winged Blackbird Beaver Garter Snake Ducks Red Fox

Common Wetland Animals Whirligig Beetle Dragonfly Minnow Snail Tadpole Water Strider

Ritchey Woods Natural Area – Riparian Wetland

Walnut Creek Wetlands • Not only has all of the qualities discussed previously but also is essential for filtering trash and pollutants coming from Raleigh • All cities would love to have this natural filtration system that prevents trash from flowing all the way to the ocean

KEY COMPONENTS OF OUR WETLAND • Acts as a filter for trash, hazardous waste, and acid rain • Habitat for many species, both plants and animals, who would otherwise not live in the Raleigh area • Prevents flooding in surrounding areas

• Name 2 purposes for our visits to the wetlands. • Where does little Rock Creek originate? • Explain the pathway the water in the wetlands takes from beginning to end. • What happens to the trash if the wetlands do not filter it out?

3 purposes for visiting the wetlands: 1. To observe the wetland ecosystem and appreciate it’s beauty. 2. To be stewards of the environment, through cleaning up the trash. 3. Water quality testing- we submit our results to the city of Raleigh storm water management.

• Little Rock Creek originates in the Raleigh storm drains. • Water travels from the city of Raleigh-into the storm drains, then to Little Rock Creek, Walnut Creek, The Neuse River, to the Pamlico Sound and finally to the Atlantic Ocean.

• If the wetlands do not grab hold of the trash via rocks, branches, and changes in the flow pattern of water the trash will flow down stream and could eventually end up in the Atlantic Ocean.