We all know that the whys and hows of wetlands and endangered species protection are among the more controversial and actively debated natural resource issues of our day. My purpose here is to explain, in general terms, what wetlands and endangered species are and to discuss the relationships which often exist between the two. This explanation will emphasize the role wetlands play in providing habitat for many plants and animals and the consequences loss of wetland habitat has had on many species. While the warm, fuzzy description given at the beginning of this publication helps develop a mental picture of a wetland, it leaves out the mosquito bites and humidity for which these areas are famous. This bad reputation and the realization that wetlands, when drained, often converted to very productive and valuable farm land were the root causes of wetland acreage losses which began in earnest in the mid-1800s.
Wetlands share some of the characteristics of both uplands and open water.
Because wetlands are often located in an intermediate position between uplands and open water, many people call them transitional areas. Despite the early belief that wetlands were more valuable if converted to another use, time has proven that wetlands serve many functions which make them valuable in their natural state. The hydrology of a wetland also drives the formation of hydric soils. Anaerobic conditions develop when water displaces oxygen present within the pore spaces of a soil. Hydric soils are often gray in color and may smell like rotten eggs.