less than 6 ft., or soils are saturated, for 10 days or more during the growing season for the prevalent vegetation; Hydric soils
Soils with physical and
chemical characteristics that are associated with lack of oxygen in the soil Hydric or Wetland Soils Characteristics • Very dark brown or black colored, or sometimes gray or blue; • Distinct smell of rotten eggs when you dig in it; • Can have distinct red or reddish colored spots, called mottles, in it; • Sometimes a “histic epipedon” or a layer of peat-like material at the surface. Hydrophytic vegetation
Vegetation uniquely suited for
growing in water or saturated soil conditions Plants that grow in water have adaptations to get air to roots • Floating leaves • Hollow stems • Roots that grow above the soil/water surface • Trees have “buttresses”, i.e., very wide trunks at the soil/water surface, sometimes with roots sticking out to help the tree stand in mucky soils. Where are wetlands found? • Associated with streams and stream margins • Low gradient (flat) valley bottoms • Sideslopes with springs and seeps • Depressions such as roadside drainage ditches • Tidal estuaries and interdunal swales • Almost anywhere there is standing water during late spring Why are wetlands important? Wetlands provide homes for wildlife • Habitat for birds of all types • Refugia for deer and other mammals • Habitat for fish, salmon and other types of aquatic life • Habitat for frogs, turtles, newts, salamanders Wetlands are valuable so they are protected by law:
The Clean Water Act protects
wetlands in all states, and in Oregon, the Fill and Removal Law also protects wetlands. Threats to wetlands • New development like roads, houses, shopping centers and malls: These activities threaten wetlands by filling them in to make land to build on and by increasing the amount of paved area • Farming: Farming can drain or destroy existing wetlands through clearing, plowing, draining, and planting them. More threats to wetlands: • Water and land pollution: Industrial wastewater being discharged into wetlands, land fills and other activities that pollute surface and ground water • Invasion of wetlands by non-native or pest plants and animals What will you do to protect our wetlands?