Thursday Wetlands were viewed by early settlers as real estate with very little value. Farmers in the colonial period envisioned corn fields or pastureland where all the wet, mucky places were. Besides, swamps and the like have always images of creepy, slimy things like the creature from the black lagoon. So, settlers drained or filled the bogs, swamps, and marshes to produce dry land for agriculture or for homesites. Today, we understand a lot more about the important role wetlands play in our environment.
Wetlands also act like humungous natural filters.
They trap silt and sediments which sometimes contain chemicals harmful to animal and plant populations living in bodies of water downstream. The abundance of food in wetlands attracts ducks, geese and other birds that use these areas as pit stops during their long seasonal migrations. Wetlands are a very special kind of habitat, but they need our protection, so they can continue to protect us. Friday Bogs are very special types of wetlands that play an important role in our environment. Streams do not flow in or out of bogs, creating a highly acidic habitat.