1. The Hundred Acre Wood (a.k.a. Chuckanut Ridge)
Local Photo Source: Responsible Development! 100 Acre Wood Slide Show (2007).

2. Freshwater Fairy Shrimp
Photo Source: Encyclopedia Britannica Online, Eubranchipus vernalis (2007).

3. Along the Interurban Trail Near Chuckanut Drive
Sources: Bellingham Planning Division, South neighborhood Land Use Map (2004); Fairhaven Highlands Site Map (2005).

4. Forest Wetland
A marsh or bog where the ground is full of water year-round.

5. Wetland Functions Flood water storage and filtration
Wildlife and plant diversity
Fish and wildlife habitat
Source: Washington State Department of Natural Resources, Wetland Field Guides, Managing Wetlands on State Forest Lands in Washington (2002).

6. Mature Forest Wetland Features
High-quality, keystone habitat; scores 70 or more on wetlands rating scale
One-quarter acre or larger wetland; stands of at least two species of slow-growing, native trees
Largest trees years old or have trunks averaging 21 inches in diameter
Source: Washington State Department of Natural Resources, Mature Forest Wetland, Western Washington Wetland Rating System (2004).

7. Spawning, Fawning, Breeding & Nesting
Coho & Chum Salmon,
Sea-run Cutthroat Trout
Black-tailed
Deer
Red-legged
Frog
Pileated
Woodpecker
Key species in the Hundred Acre Wood.
Sources: Ann Eissinger, City of Bellingham Wildlife and Habitat Assessment (1995); Washington State Department of Wildlife, Management Recommendations for Priority Species (1997).

8. Keystone Habitat Large forest wetland 80-100 years old
Supports specific plant & animal life
Part of larger wildlife corridor
Source: Dr. John McLaughlin, Ph.D. Educational Values of Preserving Chuckanut Ridge: Benefits to Western Washington University (2006).

9. Vernal Pool Temporary Various sizes No fish
Source: The Vernal Pool Association, The Vernal Pool (2007).

10. Vernal Pool Life Cycle Vernal pools appear
and provide homes for distinct water-dependent creatures.
Seasonal rains
flood forest floor.
Required Objects:
WordArt, Custom Animation, Diagram, Text Boxes
Vernal
pools evaporate
and dormant eggs hatch in the following rainy season.

11. Vernal Pool Fairy Shrimp
Crustacean (shell on outside)
Tiny, fairylike bodies
Short lifespan
Photo Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Region 1. Recovery Plan for Ecosystems of California and Southern Oregon (2005).

12. Female Fairy Shrimp Holds fertilized eggs Drops egg sack
Eggs lay dormant in dry season
Eggs hatch in wet season
Photo Source: The Vernal Pool Association, Obligate Vernal Pool Species (1990).

13. Indicator Species
Crustacean:
Freshwater Fairy Shrimp
Bird:
Western Tanager
Amphibian:
Long-toed Salamander
The presence or absence and condition of these “obligates” indicates what kind of ecosystem it is and how well it is functioning.
Source: Ann Eissinger, Nahkeeta Northwest Wildlife Resource Services, Personal Interviews (2007).

14. Testing Shrimp Eggs for Toxins
Toxicologists analyze the adverse effects of chemicals on living organisms and determine how likely they are to occur.
Brine Shrimp Eggs Hatching
Photo Source:

15. Lubbock, Texas (1996) Cotton Field
Scientists found Roundup and 3 other common pesticides killed fairy shrimp within 48 hours of exposure.
Source: The Texas Journal of Science, Pesticide usage on the Southern High Plains and acute toxicity of four chemicals to the fairy shrimp Thamnocephalus platyurus (1996).

16. Hundred Acre Wood Wetlands
Source: Bellingham Planning Department, Fairhaven Highlands Wetlands Delineation Map (2005).

17. Incredible Shrinking Wetlands
Bellingham is one of many urban areas around Puget Sound estimated to have lost % of its natural wetlands footprint during the last two centuries.
Source: U.S. Geological Survey, Water-Supply Paper 2425 (1996).

18. Shrimp, Vernal Pools & Toxins What we can do in Bellingham City Limits:
Washington Natural Heritage Program Forest Wetland Designation
Shoreline Master Plan Priority Habitat Baseline Inventory
Critical Areas Ordinance Habitat of Local Significance Amendment
Parks and Open Space Plan Fairhaven Park Expansion, Keystone Open Space Priority
Parks Impact Fee Natural Parkland Priority Allocation
Greenways III Levy Southside Priority Acquisition Allocation

19. A Parting Thought …
Why should we be concerned about a crustacean that is less than an inch long, and will never be abundant enough to serve on top of a pizza?
Source: Larry Serpa, Region 7 Area Ecologist, The Nature Conservancy (2006).

20. In the Words of Larry Serpa, Ecologist The Nature Conservancy:
Freshwater fairy shrimp occupy a role no other wetlands creature can fill.
“When you rip an important strand out of a food web, there’s no way to know how much damage will be done.”
Source: The California Freshwater Shrimp: A ghost-like crustacean we can’t afford to lose (2006), http//

21. The shrimp’s presence or absence can tell us a lot about the health of our wetlands.
“They are mute witnesses to the condition and history of the (wetlands) they inhabit. Continually bathed by the water, they must face whatever flows toward them. Pollution, siltation, introduced species, and other factors will affect them to some extent.”

22. “We will have lost much more than just the shrimp.”
If freshwater fairy shrimp disappear, we can be sure something detrimental has happened to the environment.
“We will have lost much more than just the shrimp.”