WETLANDS RESEARCH &
TECHNOLOGY CENTER

U.S. Army Engineer Waterways Experiment Station
ATTN: CEWES-EP-W (TTS)
3909 Halls Ferry Road
Vicksburg, MS 39180-6199

Request Line (601) 634-4217

Text by Elke Briuer
Illustrations by Charles Calais


Cree re Ee

core cerita sy

ere are some activities that need a
Corps permit if they happen in a wetland
area:

Filling in an area with various fill materials;

constructing levees, dikes or dams, and most roads;
mechanized clearing of land...

The list could go on. It is important to realize that
anything being done to the landscape in an area

that may be a wetland should be evaluated by an
expert to see if it needs to have a permit. This is
necessary because wetlands are very, very
important to our planet’s ecosystem. This means
that in the food chain for plants and animals
(including humans), wetlands have an important
job.



ames for different wetlands

Marsh, swamp, floodplain forest, bog, fen,
slough, wet meadow, prairie pothole—each of these
names may apply to a wetland depending on where
the wetland is located, what grows in it, or how it

go”
Spruce Bog

gets its water. Of course there are many other
names and descriptive terms. There are many
things to learn about wetlands.


Wei plants
Emergent plants can live partially covered

by water. These kinds of plants are important to
wetlands that are affected by tides. Black rush,
pickleweed and spartina are some common
emergent plants of salt marshes. Salt marshes can
be found along the Atlantic, Pacific, and Gulf of
Mexico coasts of the United States, including
Alaska and Hawaii.

A special plant found in Florida and Puerto Rico
saltwater wetlands is the mangrove tree. These
trees have stilt-like roots, and grow long seed-pods
that hang over the water. When they fall off later
on, the pointed pods plant themselves in soft mud
under the tree. If the area is flooded, the pods
float away and attach to a new place to grow up.


Tidal Waters

Pao nary}

(Absence of
Wetland
Vegetation)

Ww is a wetland?
Wetlands are areas that connect deep

water and land. There are many different types of
wetlands. Some are full of salt water from the
oceans. In some coastal areas, the wetlands may
be fed by both, fresh and salt water. Most coastal
wetlands are affected by tides. Inland, wetlands
are fed with freshwater. The plants that survive in

High Tide /
Line eye h
q Me High W i A
— 7 i lean Hig] ater ’
|

Tidelands

Coastal
Wetlands

(Vegetation
Associated
with
Salt or
Brackish
Water)

Uplands

Fresh Waters

Ordinary High Water

4 \. Sipe

K

See

the various wetlands are suitable for the type of
water that feeds the wetland. Likewise, the
animals that live in a particular wetland are suited
to the water and the vegetation. One other
important factor for the survival of vegetation and
wildlife in a wetland is how much water is
available throughout the seasons of the year.

Fresh

Water
Wetlands



Wei animals
Wetlands serve as nurseries for fishes.

Many birds, especially waterfowl, build nests and
raise their young in wetlands. Migratory birds
depend on food from the wetlands that lie on the
way of their route, and in the south, many birds
winter in the wetlands. Amphibians and reptiles
make wetlands their homes. Salamanders, frogs
and toads, turtles, alligators, and snakes live in

8

wetlands. Insects and spiders, butterflies and
moths, along with mammals from the tiny mouse to
the ferocious bobcat or the gigantic moose—all
these creatures are supported by the different
wetlands. Here is a list of the animals shown
above: alligator, bobcat, spotted turtle, moose,
frog, dragonfly, beaver, muskrat, duck, eagle,
sandpiper, bass. Can you find them?


a wes 4 The
Xe ( *“* Young « ‘
_ eae eo tists

ae, Scientist’s
tl Pyayat. Introduction
o #9,

oe i

3A Pye Wetlands

544 tds adn ge

=> At \

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as es
. ogee PED Soeteieubabtes, ta ; ys


alue of wetlands

Although we cannot yet understand the full experienced the aesthetic value, knowing that
impact of wetlands on our quality of life, scientists wetlands are places where people can enjoy
and engineers of the Corps are busily working to recreational activities such as fishing, boating,
find out much more about the functions and values hunting, bird watching, picnicking, just to name a
of wetlands. They already know that wetlands few.
help control floodwater and can filter pollutants. To make sure that we can enjoy these activities,
They know that wetlands provide habitat for along with a supply of clean water for our
waterfowl and other wildlife, lend support for day-to-day activities, we must all take very good
fisheries, and are sanctuaries for rare and care of our wetlands.

endangered species. Most of you already have

11


isiting a wetland

When visiting a wetland, remember that it is
avery complex ecosystem, where the existence of
water, animals and plants is intertwined. It is a
good idea to have a few simple rules when visiting
a wetland.

Never remove any plants or animals from the
wetland. Watch out for all living things there.

10

Wear rubber boots or other shoes that can get wet
or muddy. Stay on marked trails or access walks.
Bring binoculars, note pad (to draw leaf samples,
draw insects, or write down a bird’s colors), and
mosquito repellant. Be very quiet and listen for
the bird songs. Do not leave anything in the
wetland.


nother unusual tree is the bald cypress,

found in southern forested wetlands. A

popular story claims that cypress grow
“knees” to bring oxygen to the root system. But
these knees are very dense wood and cannot
transport oxygen. Scientists are trying to find out
why cypress grow knees, but to this day they do
not know the reason. Look for the knees the next
time you see a cypress tree.

Willows are important wetland plants. They are
widespread throughout the United States, even in
the desert Southwest, where they grow next to
lakes and rivers.

Besides trees, freshwater wetlands plants include
many colored windflowers; ferns and grasses;
shrubs, some bearing berries; and mushrooms. You
may have seen cattail plants. They grow in
freshwater wetlands.


‘ater is one of our most important
resources, perhaps even the most

important one.

We need water for drinking, cooking, cleaning,
growing crops, and keeping our pets and livestock
in good health. We make use of water by
transporting our goods on oceans, lakes, and
rivers, and by raising catfish in ponds. Finally, we
know how to have fun with water, by swimming in
it, fishing from it, and waterskiing on it, for
example.

With water being so important for people, it is easy
to understand that our representatives in

Government have passed rules and regulations to
make sure that our water stays in very good
condition.

One of these rules is the Clean Water Act. A part
of this Clean Water Act, Section 404, spells out the
regulation that deals with anyone who is interested
in depositing dredged or fill material into “waters
of the United States, including wetlands.” The
regulation states that such an activity can only
happen with permission. The United States Army
Corps of Engineers has the responsibility to give
such permits.


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US Army Corps ae

of Engineers



US Army Corps
of Engineers

Contents

What isawetland? ............ 5
Wetland plants ........+.+-+... . 6
Wetland animals .........-. oe. 8
Names for different wetlands ....... 9

Visiting a wetland a rr rs . 10

Value of wetlands .......-2.2.26- - il



na
ane a
cS


Here are some of the professions of people who work with wetlands:

Biologist

Ecologist

Zoologist
Limnologist
Physical Scientist
Hydrologist
Oceanographer
Geologist
Archaeologist
Geographer
Computer Scientist
Soil Scientist
Chemist

Plant Physiologist
Botanist

Hydraulic Engineer
Structural Engineer
Agricultural Engineer

Civil Engineer
Environmental Engineer
Journalist

Gardener

Heavy Equipment Operator
Teachers from pre-school to university
Veterinarian

Dredger

Landscape Architect
Builder

Farmer

Forester

Ranger

Attorney

Photographer

Laboratory Technician
Legal Assistant

and many, many more....

A reference book for wetlands: Niering, William A. (1985), The Audubon Society Nature Guides: Wetlands.

12

Alfred A. Knopf, New York.

4 U.S, GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE: 1993 -736-547