Where Lakes Meet Wetlands: Celebrating Our Lacustrine Wetlands

July is Lakes Appreciation Month, an annual celebration led by the North American

Lake Management Society (NALMS) to recognize the many ways lakes enrich our

lives—from providing drinking water and recreation to supporting wildlife and local

economies. It is also an ideal time to recognize one of a lake’s most important, yet often

overlooked, partners: lacustrine wetlands.

When many people picture a lake, they imagine open water stretching to the horizon.

But healthy lakes are much more than open water. Aroun d their shorelines lies a

dynamic transition zone where land and water meet. These shallow, vegetated areas

are known as lacustrine wetlands, and they are among the most productive

ecosystems in the Carolinas.

What’s the Difference Between a Lake and a Wetland?

Although they are closely connected, lakes and wetlands are not the same.

A lake is generally a body of open water deep enough that sunlight cannot always

reach the bottom. In contrast, a wetland is defined by the presence of water at or near

the surface long enough to support hydric soils and plants adapted to saturated

conditions.

Lacustrine wetlands occupy the shallow margins of lakes where water levels fluctuate

seasonally. Because sunlight reaches the bottom, these areas support an abundance of

native aquatic plants such as pickerelweed, arrowhead, bulrushes, and water lilies.

Rather than competing with lakes, these wetlands help lakes function as healthy

ecosystems.

Think of them as the lake’s living shoreline.

Nature’s Water Filter

Before rainwater reaches a lake, it often flows through wetlands. Along the way, wetland

plants slow runoff, trap sediment, absorb excess nutrients, and filter pollutants. This

natural treatment system helps improve water clarity and reduce harmful algal blooms.

The same wetlands also soften the impacts of floods by temporarily storing stormwater

and slowly releasing it after heavy rains. As we have discussed in recent newsletters,

healthy wetlands provide one of our most cost-effective defenses against flooding while

protecting downstream communities.

A Haven for Wildlife

Lacustrine wetlands are biodiversity hotspots. Their shallow waters provide spawning

and nursery habitat for fish, breeding grounds for amphibians, nesting areas for turtles,

and feeding habitat for wading birds. Dragonflies patrol above the vegetation while

pollinators visit native flowering plants along the shoreline.

Many species spend their entire lives within these wetlands, while others depend on

them during critical stages of migration or reproduction. Remove the wetland, and the

lake loses much of the biological richness that makes it special.

Carolina’s Lake-Associated Wetlands

Across North and South Carolina, remarkable lake-associated wetlands demonstrate

this close relationship between lakes and wetlands.

The majestic cypress-gum swamps surrounding Lake Waccamaw create habitat for

rare plants and animals found nowhere else. The extensive shoreline wetlands of Lake

Mattamuskeet, the largest natural lake in North Carolina, support hundreds of

thousands of migratory waterfowl each winter. Reservoirs such as Jordan Lake, Falls

Lake, and Lake Norman also contain valuable coves, embayments, and shallow

wetlands that provide wildlife habitat while improving water quality.

Closer to home, many neighborhood lakes, farm ponds, and municipal reservoirs

include wetland fringes that quietly perform these same ecological services every day.

While these wetlands may seem ordinary, together they form an important network that

benefits both people and wildlife.

Some of our Wetland Treasures such as Merchants Millpond, Robertson Millpond, and

Phelps Lake Shoreline are Lacustrine wetlands.

Appreciating the Whole Ecosystem

As you celebrate Lakes Appreciation Month, take a moment to look beyond the open

water. Notice the cattails swaying along the shoreline, the chorus of frogs after sunset,

the great blue heron stalking fish in the shallows, or the dragonflies darting among the

lilies. Those vibrant edges are not simply the border of a lake—they are an essential

part of the ecosystem.

Protecting lakes means protecting the wetlands that surround them. Together, they

improve water quality, reduce flooding, support biodiversity, and provide countless

opportunities for recreation, education, and inspiration.

At the Carolina Wetlands Association, we believe that every wetland matters—whether

it borders a coastal marsh, a forested swamp, or a favorite Carolina lake. This July, as

we celebrate Lakes Appreciation Month, let’s appreciate these remarkable partnerships

between lakes and wetlands and continue working to conserve them for future

generations.

Have a favorite lake with beautiful wetlands? We’d love to see it! Share your photos and

stories with the Carolina Wetlands Association and help us celebrate the wetland

treasures that make our Carolina lakes so special.

So go out and explore a wetland at your favorite lake or at one of our Wetland

Treasures and remember that Carolina Wetlands Association is actively working to

protect all wetlands. Your support is always appreciated.

Rick