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WETLANDS

What are wetlands?


A wetland is a water resource that
has three characteristics:

•Wetland hydrology
•Wetland soils
•Wetland plants
Wetland Hydrology

Water that is present in depths


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?

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