WETLANDS Zach Stone, Brandon Lindstrom, Gabe Dickerson, David Batchelor
Problem Statement Overdevelopment appears to impact wetlands & water quality. How exactly is it affecting it & what can we do to decrease the development impact?
Effects of development in the spheres in wetlands Biosphere - develeopment affects the bioshpere by destroying plant life, water sources and animal habitats. Also when developing over wetland it brings in invasive species that take over the wetlands. Ex. - Phragmites
Effects of development in the spheres in wetlands • Hydrosphere – Overdevelopment affects the hydrosphere in many different ways. Chemicals and fertilizers runoff into waterways, wetlands are covered up by dirt to build on and tourists come and leave trash in the areas.
Effects of development in the spheres in wetlands • Atmosphere – Developing on wetlands destroys trees, which in turn, is causing the much needed oxygen that the trees produce to not be produced. Acid rain is also a destroyer of wetlands. Ferns are a good indicator to tell if you have acid rain.
Effects of development in the spheres in wetlands • Lithosphere - Development destroys the land that animals need to build their homes on, causing animals to overcrowd other homes and/or go into human homes. Farming also causes this. Ex. – mice going into houses during winter when wheat is gone.
Why Wetlands Are Important • They provide a home for animals. • Trees and shrubs that help produce oxygen are there. • If wetlands were destroyed, the surrounding areas would end us losing the much needed food and oxygen that the wetlands provide.
Hypothesis • Overdevelopment is destroying the homes of much of the wetland wildlife. If it isnt stopped there will be a large decrease in the population of these.
What do we Know? • Wetlands include SAV, animals, plants, and many trees • There are many types of wetlands, such as swamps, marshes, bogs, and fens • Wetlands such as swamps and bogs are being damaged by natural disasters.
What do we Know? • Wetlands store runoff and provide habitat for animals • These development issues are causing animals to overcrowd other habitats.
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.
Types of Wetlands • Swamps - Depends on nutrient-rich ground water derived from mineral soils. Great Dismal Swamp
Types of Wetlands • Marshes - Permanently or periodically flooded sites characterized by nutrient-rich water. Located around beaches. Ex. – Kitty Hawk or Corolla
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
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.
Common Wetland Plants Common Juniper Red Maple
Common Wetland Plants Coastal Plain Willow Pickeral Weed
Invasive Species • Phragmites (The Common Reed) - A large perennial grass that is found in wetlands throughout the temperate and tropical regions around the world.
Locations of Phragmites australis in North Carolina.
Invasive species • Spartina alterniflora (Smooth Cordgrass or Saltmarsh Cordgrass) - A perennial deciduous grass which is found in intertidal wetlands. It is commonly found in estuarine salt marshes o Spartina Patens (Salt Hay Grass) - A species of cordgrass. It is a hay-like grass that is found in the upper areas of brackish coastal saltmarshes. Smooth Cordgrass
Locations of Spartina alterniflora in North Carolina
Recommendations • Go to local hearings and voice your opinion about development • Vote for board members that are enviroment minded • Support organizations that help protect wetlands from development
Recommendations • Support restoration practices instead of development on agriculture and wild lands • Boycott businesses that destroy the land for their profit • Contact local board members, governors, and commissioners that can change existing rules to help protect wetlands and increase preservation in critical areas
Recommendations • Purchasing Development Rights (PDR) - This allows for states to buy back land to help provide permanent land protection. • Directing surface water runoff into swales and vegetated buffers to catch pollutants and filter them out, allowing for clean water to enter wetlands.
Recommendations • Make sure that instead of companies building on top of wetlands they move them to a different area. • Help enforce laws that make sure companies can build within a five mile radius of wetlands. Ex. – Camden landfill
NC Coastal Wetlands
References • http: //lakejuliana. tripod. com/id 11. html / "Save Our Wetlands" / June 24, 2008 • http: //academic. emporia. edu/aberjame/wetland/define. htm / "Types Of Wetlands" / June 24, 2008 • http: //en. wikipedia. org/wiki/phragmites / "Phragmites" / June, 24, 2008 • http: //en. wikipedia. org/wiki/spartina_alterniflora / "Spartina Alterniflora" / June 24, 2008 • Tidal Creek Habitats book / Author "SC Seagrant" / June 26, 2008
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