As these wetland areas are lost, the local populations using them can be lost as well. The supporting web of life can be so weakened that species can be extirpated from local watersheds. This has reached national concern, and has happened locally in Sligo Creek. Only through an intensive interagency effort have some amphibian species been successfully re-introduced. We will begin to monitor the status of those amphibian species that are most vulnerable to wetland habitat loss by monitoring the species that require vernal pools to breed and maintain viable populations.
Wetlands serve many important functions in protecting our natural environment.
Through countywide master plans, the county measures and compares the way wetlands within the planning area function. Functional wetland assessments have been or will be completed as part of the Potomac, Upper Rock Creek, and Clarksburg Master Plans. Through the use of this countywide assessment, we will provide a measure of some of the ways wetland function on a countywide scale. Large wooded areas provide critical habitat for some rare migratory birds species. In addition, these forested stream buffers provide corridors for wildlife movement and connections between larger habitat areas.