1. What do you think is the definition of a wetland?
WETLANDS
What do you think is the definition of a wetland?
Mangrove Swamp – Everglades National Park – Estuarine Wetland   

2. Wetlands
Wetlands are areas that are periodically or permanently inundated by surface or ground water and support vegetation adapted for life in saturated soil. Wetlands include swamps, marshes, bogs and similar areas.
January 2002

3. Wetlands are transitional environments between uplands and fully aquatic environments
What defines a wetland?
They are defined on the basis of
Hydrology – presence and duration of water
Vegetation – dominance of vegetation adapted to saturated soil conditions
Soils – poorly drained and with evidence of low or fluctuating oxygen

4. Wetlands are NOT always wet!
Wetland Hydrology
Area is inundated or saturated to the surface for at least 5% of the growing season in most years
Growing season is based on soil temperature and is determined for regions by the USDA
Most years = 51 out of 100 years
Wetlands are NOT always wet!

5. Hydrophytic Vegetation
Plant species that are adapted for life in saturated soils
Anaerobic soil conditions
Soggy or waterlogged soils
Require adaptations for better support
Require adaptations for gas exchange
Hydrophytes are plants growing in water or on substrates that are periodically deficient in oxygen

6. Hydric Soil
A soil that is saturated, flooded, or ponded long enough during the growing season to develop anaerobic conditions in the root zone
Tend to be dark in color and have mottles of iron staining

7. What do wetlands do? Wetland Functions
Habitat : nesting, spawning, rearing and resting sites for aquatic and land species, food chain production
Hydrology: protection of other areas from wave action and erosion, storage areas for storm water and flood water, ground and surface water aquifer
Water : water quality protection, water filtration, quality purification, and treatment of nonpoint source runoff

9. Why are wetlands important?
maintain biodiversity
(animals, plants, and many trees)
provide habitat for animals
maintain water quality
support commercial fishing, forestry
reduce flood damage , store runoff
hiking, fishing, hunting, bird watching, boating
aesthetic value
Did you know?
Nationwide, an estimated 50 million people spend approximately $10 billion annually observing and photographing wetland-dependent birds.
January 2002

10. NC-CREWS Primary Wetland Functions and Subfunctions
Water Quality
Nonpoint Source Removal
Floodwater Cleansing
Wildlife Habitat
Terrestrial Wildlife
Aquatic Life
Potential Risk
Wetland Extent and Rarity
Replacement Difficulty
Land Use Characteristics
Hydrology
Surface Runoff Storage
Floodwater Storage
Shoreline Stabilization
January 2002

11. Example: Water Quality Function
January 2002

12. Wetlands store runoff and provide habitat for animals
What do we Know?
Wetlands store runoff and provide habitat for animals
  Development issues are causing
animals to overcrowd other
habitats. 

13. Common development issues
Fertilizers from farming, construction sites, and home owners 
Construction is killing off trees, plants and animals. 
 Animals are being run out of their
homes and forced to
overcrowd other
wetlands.

14. Wetland Classification
Swamp Forest
Bottomland Hardwood
Pine Flat
Hardwood Flat
Managed Pine
Freshwater Marsh
Salt/Brackish Marsh
Estuarine Scrub Shrub
Estuarine Forest
Maritime Forest
Headwater Swamp
Human Impacted
Modifiers:
Partially Drained/ Ditched
Cut-over
Cleared
January 2002

15. Types of Wetlands
Swamps - Depends on nutrient-rich ground water derived from mineral soils.
Great Dismal Swamp

16. Swamp Forest
January 2002

17. Types of Wetlands
Marshes - Permanently or periodically flooded sites characterized by nutrient-rich water.
Located around beaches. Ex. – Kitty Hawk or Corolla

18. Tidal Salt Marsh
January 2002

19. Types of Wetlands 
Bogs - Made by peat accumulation, usually dominated by moss. Bogs appear where the water at the ground surface is acidic. Bogs are generally formed by rain water

20. Wet Pine Flat
Hard Wood Flat
January 2002

21. Types of Wetlands
Fens - Made by peat accumulation; may be dominated by sedge, reed, shrub or forest. Fens are mostly fed by surface or groundwater.

22. Common Wetland Plants
Bladderwort
Cattails
Algae

23. Common Wetland Plants Spike Rushes Duckweed Waterweed Coontail
Bulrushes
Water Lily

24. Common Wetland Animals
Leopard Frog
Red-winged Blackbird
Beaver
Garter Snake
Ducks
Red Fox

25. Common Wetland Animals
Whirligig Beetle
Dragonfly
Minnow
Snail
Tadpole
Water Strider

26. Ritchey Woods Natural Area – Riparian Wetland

27. Walnut Creek Wetlands
Not only has all of the qualities discussed previously but also is essential for filtering trash and pollutants coming from Raleigh
All cities greatly benefit from this natural filtration system that prevents trash from flowing all the way to the ocean
From Raleigh-Little Rock Creek, Walnut Creek, The Neuse River, Pamlico Sound, to the Atlantic Ocean