Our vegetation surveys went more smoothly than last year, as we let iNaturalist and PictureThis take the lead on most of our plant IDs, while using our resources to check that the IDs made sense. We checked our app IDs against photos and descriptions of the plants from iNaturalist, field guides, and our own prior knowledge of plant ID.
June monitoring: Wetland warriors spent long days in the wetlands with plants, amphibians, and water, oh my!
chase.bergeson • June 9, 2023
We just wrapped up our second monitoring event of the year and were happy to see returning faces, new volunteers, and our plant lovers show up! We conducted our usual water quality and hydrology monitoring, but also surveyed for amphibians and plants.
We also used our best practices for photographing plants in iNaturalist so that it will be easier for citizen scientists outside of our organization to check our IDs. This included taking multiple photos of many features of the plants and using centimeter grids for contrast and size reference. Thanks to PI Thomas Reed for these great additions!
We got lots of practice with our rushes, sedges, and grasses. Luckily there were some seed heads to guide us.
We found lots of hydrophytic plants that are obligate (OBL) or facultative wetland (FACW) species, meaning that if you find them, you are likely to be in a wetland! Some of these included, lizard’s tail (OBL), jewelweed (FACW), fowl mannagrass (OBL), and false nettle (FACW).
You can check out the wonderful Common Wetland Plants of North Carolina book, updated by one of our previous board members, Kristie Gianopulos, here: https://www.ncwetlands.org/plantguide/
You can learn more about a plant and check its wetland status, here: https://plants.usda.gov/home
We also monitored for amphibians, but didn’t find much. This may be because our large groups spooked them, but could also be because our drier sites caused juveniles to metamorphosize early, before their pools dried up and head to upland areas. We actually found some already hatched spotted salamander eggs. Don’t worry they’ll be back next Spring!
We did find an Eastern Narrow-mouthed toad, Three-lined salamander, Southern Leopard Frog, and Northern Cricket Frogs!
You can check out everything we found on the data page of our website.
It was much drier than our March monitoring event with almost no standing water at our Mason Farm Biological Reserve monitoring site, that was 8 inches deep in March, and very little water left in the vernal pools of Hemlock Bluffs Nature Preserve. Even though we didn’t have much surface water, there were still many indicators that we could use to confirm that our sites were wet in the recent past.
For a wetland to be considered jurisdictional by the US Army Corps of Engineers, it must have hydrophytic vegetation (plants that can tolerate being wet), hydric soils (soils that show signs of prolonged saturation), and wetland hydrology. Vegetation and soils can help determine that a site has been wet for long periods in the past, but wetland hydrology indicators can help us determine if the site continues to be wet. Learn more here.
For our monitoring sites, our monitoring wells help us track wetland hydrology all year round, but looking for other indicators of wetland hydrology can help us confirm our well measurements and can be used in sites without wells to help determine whether our wetlands are really wet.
We saw several of these indicators at our field sites this month including:
Crayfish burrows, water-stained leaves, drift deposits, and we even smelled hydrogen sulfide!
All of these indicate to us that our wetlands are wet, even when we don’t see the surface water.
I had a wonderful time with all of you this weekend. Thanks to all of our wetland warriors for volunteering! I can’t wait to see you at our next event. Mark your calendars for our September sampling!
Photo credits: Thomas Reed
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Celebrating Our Carolina Wetlands
Hello Wetland Supporters, I hope everyone had a wonderful American Wetlands Month in May and found an opportunity to get outside and explore a wetland. We enjoyed fantastic paddling events at Robertson Millpond Preserve and Lake Mayo, where participants experienced the beauty and importance of these unique ecosystems firsthand. Wetlands have also been in the news recently as the impacts of recent Supreme Court decisions on wetland protections continue to be evaluated. Two recent articles highlight what is at stake: Lisa Sorg in Inside Climate News, Supreme Court’s Limitation on Wetlands Protection Will Make Flooding Worse Jesse Gourevitch and Adam Gold, New Research Shows What’s at Stake When Wetlands Disappea r The central message of both articles is clear: the loss of wetlands leads to increased flooding and rising economic costs for communities. Research cited by Gourevitch and Gold found that wetland loss across the United States has increased residential flood insurance claim payments by an estimated $10.1 billion since 1985 — approximately 9% of all insured riverine flood losses nationwide. The authors also emphasize that policymakers must better recognize the economic value wetlands provide in reducing flood damage to homes and communities. According to the research, the flood-mitigation value of currently unprotected wetlands is estimated at $177 billion nationwide , with North Carolina accounting for approximately $4.6 billion of those benefits . This research reinforces what the Carolina Wetlands Association has long understood: healthy wetlands are essential infrastructure for resilient communities. Through support from the NC Land and Water Fund, Carolina Wetlands Association have received three grants to partner with vulnerable communities to assess flooding concerns and develop restoration plans that incorporate community input, scientific data collection, and hydrologic modeling to identify the most effective wetland restoration strategies. We are also excited to share that we recently received a fourth NC Land and Water Fund grant to begin our first restoration project at Stony Run in Harnett County. Stony Run Walkable Watershed Lumbee Cultural Center Wetland Restoration By working alongside communities and restoring wetland resources, we are helping reduce potential flood damage while also providing additional benefits such as improved water quality, recreation opportunities, shoreline stabilization, environmental education, and greater community resilience. So, the next time you explore a wetland, remember that healthy wetlands mean healthy communities — and your support plays an important role in protecting these valuable ecosystems. Wetlands truly do matter. Best, Rick Savage Executive Director
Wetland supporters enjoyed two memorable May paddling events, exploring North Carolina’s beautiful wetlands while spotting wildlife and learning from local experts.
May is American Wetlands Month - yes, an entire month to celebrate these ecologically diverse and economically important ecosystems. Wetlands account for 14% of the land area in North Carolina and almost 20% of South Carolina!