A Publication Written and Produced by the Conservation Technology Information Center Wetlands A Component of an Integrated Farming Operation Produced in September 2008 through Cooperative Agree- The Conservation Technology Information Center has ment Number X7-83163101-0 between the U.S. Environ- compiled this document to highlight success stories in mental Protection Agency and the Conservation Technol- wetland restoration across the country. It is designed to ogy Information Center. provide farmers and others a greater understanding of the technical and social aspects of wetland restoration, in- Conservation Technology Information Center (CTIC) cluding the many options available to farmers interested in is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to advancing restoring wetlands on their property. Mention of organiza- reliable, profitable solutions for improving the relation- tions or products in this document does not constitute en- ship between agriculture and the environment. CTIC dorsement by CTIC or the U.S. Environmental Protection provides information, education, training and consulting Agency but is intended to provide information, resources services to members and partners working to increase and/or assistance the users may then evaluate in terms conservation and improve profits in agriculture. of their own needs. CTIC prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age, 3495 Kent Avenue, Suite J100 disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation and marital or West Lafayette, Indiana 47906-1073 family status. Cover Photos: Steve Werblow. Tel: 765.494.9555 E-mail: [email protected] The Conservation Technology Information Center thanks Web: www.conservationinformation.org Dr. Norman Melvin of the Natural Resources Conserva- tion Service and Dr. Daryl Jones of Mississippi State Uni- versity for their help with the text of this document. Design: Davis Design Partners Photography: Steve Werblow, except where noted Illustration: Eden Beth Gallanter Introduction We’ve come a long way from thinking of wetlands as the enemy. The growing understanding of the dramatic roles that wetlands play in safeguarding water quality and protecting working land is Our Shrinking complemented by a growing appreciation for the subtleties of different wetland environments. Wet- Wetlands lands are as unique as the land they’re situated upon, as individual as your farm or ranch. In the Lower 48 states, more than half of the wetlands that existed when the Pilgrims They may also be a productive and even profitable component of a working farm or ranch operation. landed have been drained or converted to Just consider some of the most vital roles wetlands play on working ground: other uses. Nearly half of the states have lost more than 50 percent of their wetlands, and » Filtering out suspended sediments and nutrients before they reach streams and lakes; some, including California, Illinois, Indiana, » Cleansing water as it approaches the water table; Iowa, Kentucky, Missouri and Ohio, have lost » Buffering wet and dry cycles; more than 80 percent. » Storing floodwater; And despite a growing awareness of the » Providing wildlife habitat; importance of wetlands, the contiguous U.S. » Enhancing vegetative growth that may be grazed or harvested. lost nearly 60,000 acres of wetlands per year Rather than serving as a financial drain on a working farm or ranch, wetlands are increasingly between 1986 and 1997. The good news is that the rate of loss was about 10 percent of valuable. Fee hunting and other recreational income opportunities abound in and around privately what it had been in the previous few decades. managed wetlands. Because of their importance in the landscape, wetlands can be a magnet for The bad news is that lost wetlands represent funds from federal, state and private conservation organizations, putting profit into protecting, lost benefits to the land and the ecosystem. enhancing and managing these valuable resources. And there’s significant value in removing from More recent information—studies in 2004 and production land that simply isn’t practical to farm anyway. 2006—indicate that we are now restoring the In this document, we will explore some of the basics of wetland protection and restoration. same number of wetland acres per year that Obviously, there is plenty of science—biology, physics and chemistry—that will fall well beyond we are losing. Protecting, restoring or enhancing a wet- the scope of this paper, so be sure to consult experts who understand wetlands in your area before land on your farm reverses a tragic trend, and you embark on a wetland project. But start here and consider how preserving or restoring wetlands could offer significant advantages—on the on your farm or ranch could be a valuable decision. farm level as well as the ecosystem level. / 2 / Wetlands A Component of an Integrated Farming Operation What is a Wetland? The Definition The basic definition of a wetland, framed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), is a of Wetlands parcel of land that, under normal circumstances, supports vegetation that tolerates water-saturated The U.S. EPA defines wetlands as follows, soils. Basically, it’s land that is wet at least some of the year. (For details, U.S. EPA outlines the defini- after specifically excluding prior converted tion in 40 CFR 230.3(t): see sidebar.) cropland: That’s a pretty broad definition, and it has to be. It covers far more than ponds or marshes. 40 CFR 230.3(t) The term wetlands A wetland can include a seasonal wet meadow in the high desert along the eastern edge of the Rocky means those areas that are inundated Mountains, a ribbon of riparian habitat beside a stream in the arid West or a cypress swamp along or saturated by surface or ground water at a frequency and duration sufficient the Louisiana Gulf Coast. Wetland vegetation can be the familiar cattails and rushes of the “classic” to support, and that under normal marsh, or the mosses, grasses, forbs and trees of an array of wetland environments. circumstances do support, a prevalence of vegetation typically adapted for life Each individual wetland is a system, with its own hydrology, its own plant and animal in saturated soil conditions. Wetlands community and its particular freeze/thaw cycles, nutrient release patterns and capacity to generally include swamps, marshes, store and release water. And each wetland fits into larger watersheds and regional systems. bogs and similar areas. The Hydrologic Cycle Water constantly works its way through a hydrologic cycle of evaporation, precipitation, infiltration and percolation. Wetlands perform vital roles in all aspects of the cycle, including capturing rain so it can recharge groundwa- ter supplies. / 3 / Some Common Types of Wetlands Wetlands are as diverse as the landscapes they occupy. Here are some examples of invaluable freshwater wetland habitats around the country: » Prairie potholes, Minnesota. » Mangrove swamps, Florida. trout and salmon. The vegeta- According to the Izaak Walton Strong roots and complex eco- tion can also support wildlife League, more than 300 spe- systems support wildlife and and livestock. Mangrove Wetland, Florida cies of birds rely on these vital protect coastal property. » Green tree reservoirs, watering holes in the Upper Mid- » The Rainwater Basin, Mississippi. Carefully managed west; 50 to 80 percent of North Nebraska. Wetlands covering flooded dormant hardwood America’s migrating waterfowl 17 counties in south-central stands shelter nesting and use them. Nebraska nurture migratory foraging waterfowl. » Wet meadows, southern Colo- birds, including sandhill cranes, » Vernal pools, Ohio and rado. Critical wildlife (and live- as well as raptors and other California. Seasonally wet stock) feeding grounds as other species. vernal pools lack fish, which arid highland soils dry up. » Kettle bogs, Massachusetts. makes them perfect breeding » P l a y a s , New Mexico. Shallow, These rain-fed remnants of grounds for amphibians rain-and-snow-fed wetlands in glacial scouring are oases for and crustaceans that thrive the southern High Plains feed wildlife, as well as rare plants. without predation. more than 1 million ducks, as well » Pocosins, North Carolina. as hundreds of thousands more With their abundant crops of birds, along the Central Flyway. wild berries, these thickly veg- » Emergent marshes (or hemi- etated depressions are loaded marshes), Illinois. These wet- with wildlife, from salamanders Riparian Belt, Idaho lands, marked by a combination to songbirds to bears. of open water and stands of » Riparian belts, Oregon. grass, sedge or rush, are impor- Streambanks provide water for tant breeding grounds for plants vegetation that, in turn, shades and animals, and valuable feed- the water and keeps it cool ing grounds for the creatures enough for young fish, including that prey upon them. Wherever you farm, there’s likely to be a type of wetland native to your area. And chances are, your work protecting or enhancing it could have a tremendous impact on your local environment—and an impact that may be felt from pole to pole, as birds migrate from your land to their seasonal breeding grounds as far away as South America and the Arctic. Seasonal Wet Meadow, Oregon / 4 / Wetlands A Component of an Integrated Farming Operation Thr ee Ty pes Studies cited by Ducks Unlimited demonstrated that a mallard duck must find all the resources of Wetlands it needs within a 12-mile radius, or it moves on in hopes of finding a better environment. Those Beyond the broad definition of wetlands— needs include seasonally flooded bottomland forests (also called green tree reservoirs), shrub or scrub saturated land that can support vegetation swamps, moist soil wetlands, emergent marsh (vegetated marsh that includes open water), fishless that tolerates wet soils—there are more ponds or seasonally flooded cropland. specific definitions. Though other regions Of course, the value of wetlands extends well beyond the needs of migrating waterfowl. Under- have other types of wetlands, the three standing the nature of the wetland on your farm or ranch is vital to conserving or enhancing it.