We monitored at Robertson Millpond Preserve on Friday and managed to avoid tripping on the many cypress knees that populate our monitoring locations. Robertson Millpond Preserve is unique in that it is home to the only bald cypress habitat in Wake County, NC. We didn’t find many salamanders at this site, but we did find a Green Treefrog and Pickerel Frog.
New Volunteers Get Their Feet Wet in First Round of 2023 Volunteer Wetland Monitoring
chase.bergeson • March 7, 2023
The first Volunteer Wetlands Monitoring Pilot Program weekend of 2023 provided plenty of opportunities to get our feet wet (both literally and figuratively)! We had lots of new people volunteering this weekend who got to learn our monitoring protocols for amphibian surveys, water quality sampling, and hydrology monitoring for the first time. We are so excited to see the program expanding and meet new, amazing wetland warriors!
On Saturday, we monitored at Mason Farm Biological Reserve in Chapel Hill, NC. Our first monitoring location was wetter than we’ve ever seen it! In some places the standing water was over a foot deep and some of us had to switch to waders to avoid overtopping our boots! Because of all the water, we were able to find lots of larval salamanders who would sneak up to the surface and make themselves visible in the otherwise dark or cloudy water. We don’t usually take a water quality sample at this site and don’t have a permanent staff gauge because it is often completely dry.
This site illustrates how widely wetland hydrology can fluctuate over the course of the year. Luckily, our water level data loggers will help us keep track of the hydrology even when we can’t go out and see for ourselves. These loggers, along with our keen observations of wetland hydrology indicators, such as, drift deposits and crayfish burrows can help us to determine whether our sites are really “wet” enough to be “wetlands.” Sometimes, when we visit a wetland during the dry season, it can be hard to know how wet it is at other times of the year. These indicators and loggers help us to have a clearer picture of wetland hydrology over time.
On Sunday, we had a beautiful monitoring session at Hemlock Bluffs Nature Preserve. We were lucky enough to be joined by an employee of the preserve who says she can “smell where the salamanders are.” We were able to find salamanders in every life stage from egg sacks to adults, although the numbers that we saw may have been impacted by other herpetology surveys in our study area earlier in the week.
It was great to see so many new faces and add to our already wonderful group of wetland warriors. We are looking forward to getting back out in June for another round of water quality, hydrology, and amphibian monitoring. We will also be doing our vegetation surveys, so we’ll be calling all plant lovers for our next monitoring events. In the meantime, we hope to see everybody at our second Wednesday of the month Meet & Greet social events and to get back in the wetlands soon for some more practice with our field skills.
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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!