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Importance of Wetlands

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Importance of Wetlands & Their Preservation What is a wetland? Marsh: soft-stemmed vegetation Swamp: woody plants Bog: freshwater, spongy peat, evergreens, mossy ... – PowerPoint PPT presentation

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Title: Importance of Wetlands


1
Importance of Wetlands
  • Their Preservation

2
What is a wetland?
  • Marsh soft-stemmed vegetation
  • Swamp woody plants
  • Bog freshwater, spongy peat, evergreens, mossy
    floor
  • Fen freshwater, peat-forming, covered in grass,
    reeds, and wildflowers
  • www.nwi.fws.gov

3
Wetlands
  • The link between the land and water
  • An ecosystem characterized by
  • -hydrology
  • -soils
  • -vegetation
  • Nurseries of life

4
What Wetlands do for you
  • Prevent/reduce flooding
  • Improve water quality
  • Fishing
  • Maintain biodiversity and aesthetics
  • Reduce soil erosion
  • Serve as ground water recharge areas
  • Make wonderful outdoor classrooms!

5
Despite all of these benefits, 60,000 acres of
Wetlands are lost each year, in the US alone
  • The Clean Water Act of 1972
  • Goal To restore and maintain the chemical,
    physical, and biological integrity of the
    nations waters
  • Support the protection and propagation of fish,
    shellfish, and wildlife and recreation in and on
    the water
  • The Act does not deal with ground water or water
    quantity issues
  • It employs ways to sharply reduce pollutant
    discharge, finance wastewater treatment, and
    manage runoff

6
Reversing the impact of degradation
  • The nation behaves well if it treats the natural
    resources as assets which it must turn over to
    the next generation increased, and not impaired,
    in value.
  • -Theodore
    Roosevelt
  • Wetland Mitigation
  • -improvement upon wetlands that is made as
    exchange for damage done to wetlands elsewhere
  • Restoration
  • -returning one of the wetland characteristics to
    a drained wetland site
  • Creation
  • -impounding water to excavated, depressed areas
    that did not previously contain wetland soils or
    vegetation

7
Mitigation
  • 1980s President Bushgt no net loss
  • Each developer must first obtain a permit before
    beginning construction
  • no net loss policy fails
  • Index of Biotic Integrity (IBI)
  • Army corps of Engineersgtenforce
  • Fish and Wildlife Servicegtconsultants

8
REstoration
  • Provides landowners an opportunity to benefit
    wildlife, themselves, and community
  • -USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service
    (NRCS) Wetlands Reserve Program
  • Takes place where hydric soils remain
  • From 1982-1992 768,700acres of wetlands gained

9
CREATION
  • All 3 characteristics are missing
  • Difficult, costly, and often unsuccessful
  • A Success Story
  • -NHC/DEM Landfill, treating leachate
  • -awarded CAMA grant from NC division of Coastal
    Management
  • -lowers costs, and reduces 60,000gal of
    discharge from entering Cape Fear

10
You may ask yourselfHow can I help?
  • EPAs wetland helpline 1-800-832-7828
  • EPAs wetland homepage
  • www.epa.gov/owow/wetlands
  • USDAs Wetlands Reserve Program
  • www.wl.fb-net.org
  • May is American Wetlands Month!
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