Wetlands and Wildlife

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Wetlands and Wildlife

• NR 250

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Outline

• Define wetlands
• Types of wetlands
• History of wetland management
• Benefits of wetlands
• Techniques to enhance benefits of wetlands
• Target species

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Definition of wetlands

• Wetlands
• Wet above the ground or within 12 inches of the
  surface during all or part of the growing season
• Hydric soils
• Hydrophytic plants

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Wetlands Transition zones between aquatic
and terrestrial environments.
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Types of wetlands

• Marine open ocean/beach interface
• Estuarine between marine and freshwater

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Types of wetlands

• Riverine along rivers and streams
• Lacustrine along lakes and ponds
• Palustrine bogs, swamps, marshes

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History of Wetlands

• Originally about 215 million acres in lower 48
  states
• About 99 million acres remain
• 9 million high quality for wildlife
• 13.5 million moderate quality
• Current status
• Unless connected to a navigable water body they
  are unprotected except in WI

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Benefits of wetlands

• Very productive wildlife and fisheries habitats
• 5050 ratio of open water to emergent vegetation
  (hemi-marsh) is most productive

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HEMI-MARSH
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Management to enhance wetlands

• Preserve existing and reclaim altered wetlands
• Manipulate water levels and vegetation
• Flooding raising water levels to increase open
  water and deepen pool

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Management to enhance wetlands

• Manipulate water levels and vegetation
• Flooding Control invasion of woody species
• Flooding Attract water birds

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Management to enhance wetlands

• Manipulate water levels and vegetation
• Drawdown lowering water levels to encourage
  growth of moist soil plants

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Management to enhance wetlands

• Manipulate water levels and vegetation
• Drawdown Speed up plant succession
• Drawdown Release nutrients
• Drawdown Attract shorebirds and terrestrial
  wildlife

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• Drawdowns and flooding are used together to
  manage migratory wetland wildlife

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Target wetland species

• Puddle (dabbling) ducks
• Feed in 12 - 18 inches water
• Consume invertebrates (spring/summer) and plants
  (fall/winter)
• Nest in emergent or upland vegetation or cavities

Richard Bartz
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Target wetland species

• Diving ducks
• Feed deeper water
• Consume molluscs, other invertebrates, tubers of
  aquatic plants
• Nest in emergent vegetation at waters edge

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Target wetland species

• Geese and Swans
• Graze on grasses and forbs, grain and
  invertebrates (summer)
• Nest in emergent vegetation

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Target wetland species

• Shorebirds
• Feed in areas with moist oil
• Nest in floating or emergent vegetation and on
  mud flats

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Target wetland species

• Cranes
• Feed on invertebrates, seeds and small
  vertebrates
• Nest in emergent vegetation

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Target wetland species

• Furbearers
• Diet varies with species
• Otter and Mink - Carnivores
• Muskrat and Beaver - herbivores
• Dens or lodges in bank burrows or masses of
  vegetation
• Need stable water levels

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Target wetland species

• Other species
• Amphibians standing water during breeding along
  with upland
• Songbirds Nest in emergent vegetation and
  uplands, feed on aquatic insects and seeds
• Eagles and Osprey Feeding sites (fish)

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