What are wetlands?

Wetlands are also known as bogs, marshes, cedar swamps, and potholes. They are characterized by wet soils or standing water for part or all of most years. They often have unique soil conditions that differ from adjacent uplands, and they support different vegetation that are best adapted to moist or wet conditions. Cattails, wild rice, tamarack, and cedar trees all grow in wetlands.

Quick Fact: Wetlands are found from the tundra to the tropics and on every continent except Antarctica.

Officially speaking, however, a wetland is defined under the Clean Water Act as: "those areas that are inundated or saturated by surface or ground water at a frequency and duration sufficient to support, and that under normal circumstances do support, a prevalence of hydrophytic vegetation typically adapted for life in saturated soil conditions."

Wetlands are among the most productive ecosystems in the world, comparable to rainforests and coral reefs. An immense variety of species of microbes, plants, insects, amphibians, reptiles, birds, fish, and mammals can be part of a wetland ecosystem.

Are there different types of wetlands?

Yes! Wetlands come in all shapes and sizes and each one is different. In Minnesota, there are two commonly used systems for classifying or grouping wetlands.
Click here to find out more about wetland types.

Do I have a wetland on my property?

If you have one or more of the following, you may have a wetland on your property.

Adapted from Cwidiel, 1996

If you have a wetland on your property and you need to survey boundaries, you may want to contact a certified wetland delineator.

Click here for a list of wetland specialists as members of the Minnesota Wetland Professionals Association.

The Importance of Wetlands

Wetlands filter and store many pollutants which improves water quality, floodwater storage, fish & wildlife and plant habitat, biological productivity, economic benefits, recreation and aesthetics. For example, wetlands function as natural sponges that trap and slowly release surface water, rain, snowmelt, groundwater and flood waters.

Quick Fact: 43% of the federally threatened and endangered species rely directly or indirectly on wetlands for their survival.

What wildlife need wetlands?

Fish, amphibians like frogs and salamanders, reptiles like turtles, aquatic insects, songbirds and some mammals like beavers need wetlands for all or some critical parts of their life cycles.

For example, in late winter and early spring, adult spotted salamanders migrate from uplands to vernal pools (seasonally wet ponds) for breeding and egg deposition. The gilled larvae resulting from their fertilized eggs then develop further, eventually producing lungs. Then they must leave the vernal pools for adjacent upland, usually forested habitat, to live as adults. As the life cycle requirements of the spotted salamanders change, it is important to have a complex of wetlands within a forest environment because both wetland and upland habitat areas are needed. This requirement for both wetlands and uplands can be similarly said for other amphibians, as well as other animals.

Check out some of the life cycle requirements of other animals at these links:

• Wetland animals
• Fish and wildlife habitat needs
• Beavers

Why and how are wetlands protected?

Wetlands must be protected from stressors including land alterations or activities that result in impacts to preserve the specific functions and values of the wetland. Many of those functions and values are mentioned above and are inclusive of ecological processes like flood attenuation, habitat, shoreline protection and nutrient removal.

Wetlands are primarily protected by the educated and aware landowner. They are also protected by local, state and federal regulations. If you own property within the Minnehaha Creek Watershed District (Click here to answer the question: Are you in the District?), see the links below for specific regulations:

• City of Victoria 

• Minnehaha Creek Watershed District 

• State of Minnesota (Minnesota regulations from the Board of Water Soils Resources) 

• Federal (US Environmental Protection Agency federal regulations and laws)

What can I do to help wetlands?

One of the most effective ways to help a wetland is to establish and maintain a naturally vegetated buffer area around it.

Other ways to help wetlands include:

• Check out books or magazines about wetlands at your local library to learn more about them. 
• Visit the electronic wetland websites in the links section. 
• Plan an outing to a state park or other public place that has wetlands and see what you can discover. 
• Purchase duck stamps that support wetland acquisition. 
• Volunteer to help agencies and organizations restore wetlands. 
• Become active in local issues - attend conservation commission or state agency meetings about projects involving wetland alteration or restorations in your neighborhood. 
• Don't fill or alter wetlands on your property. 
• Consider restoring drained or filled wetlands on your property.

Wetland Buffers - Types and Benefits

A wetland buffer is an unmowed and naturally vegetated area adjacent to a wetland that protects the wetland from the effects of nearby development. Buffers can also be used to link wetlands, providing habitat connectors for wildlife to move safely from one habitat to another.

One of the most effective ways to protect a wetland is to establish and maintain a vegetative buffer around it!

Are there different types of buffers?

Yes. There are many types of buffers. Some examples used in agricultural areas:

• Contour buffer strips - narrow bands of vegetation established across the slope of a crop field and alternated down the slope with strips of crops.
• Field border strips - strips of vegetation planted at the edge of fields that can be used for turn areas or travel lanes for machinery.
• Filter strips - strips of grass or other vegetation used to slow water runoff from a field to intercept or trap sediment, nutrients, pesticides and other pollutants before they reach a river, lake, stream or wetland. 
• Grassy swales - strips of grass on areas where water is concentrated, used primarily to prevent and control gully erosion and act as a filter, trapping sediment and other pollutants.
• Living snow fence - trees and/or shrubs designed to control drifting snow. 
• Riparian buffer - streamside planting of trees, shrubs and forbs that intercept pollutants from both surface and ground water. Provides habitat for wildlife and also enhances fish habitat. 
• Shelter breaks/windbreaks - a row or rows of trees and/or shrubs used to reduce wind erosion, protect field crops and provide shelter from blowing snow. 
• Wetland buffers - areas adjacent to wetlands with water-loving grasses, shrubs and trees that act as a filter and provide wildlife habitat. 

Residential areas typically use one or more of the buffer types described above such as wetland buffers, grassy swales or living snow fences.

More on types of buffers from the US Department of Agriculture's Natural Resource Conservation Service.

Do I have wetland buffers on my property?

If your property is located within the watershed district and there is a wetland on your land, you may have protected wetland buffers on your land.

What are the benefits of wetland buffers?

Water quality protection - Wetland buffers provide the initial filtering and natural treatment of sediment and other pollutants from runoff of rainwater and snow melt to keep streams, rivers, and lakes cleaner.  The runoff is slowed down, especially by tree leaf litter and detritus, allowing it to trickle into the ground. Plants also filter overland flow through their stems and leaves.

Habitat connectors - Wetland buffers provide a protective pathway for wildlife moving from wetlands to upland habitat areas. They are vital to the survival of many species that rely on wetlands to complete their lifecycle and habitat needs. These habitat connectors also provide a noise and visual barrier between the wetland and adjacent development. 

Soil stability - The plants of wetland buffers, including native trees, shrubs, forbs and grasses, have deep root systems. The roots absorb and ‘take up’ nutrients and other pollutants from ground water as it moves through the soil. This root system stabilizes the soil and is essential in preventing erosion of sediments into the wetland, stream or lake.

Recreation and aesthetics - Wetland buffers provide areas for wildlife watching, bird watching and listening, nature study, photography, and a place to connect with nature.

Fish and wildlife habitat - Many mammals, amphibians, reptiles and birds depend on buffers and wetlands for feeding, nesting and hiding, as well as migration and wintering habitat. 

More information about Wetland Buffers

Buffers are an important tool in our efforts to reduce nonpoint source pollution. It is important to prevent nonpoint source pollution from entering wetlands to protect function and values of the wetland. A critical element in this is providing an adequate wetland buffer. Generally, the appropriate width of a wetland buffer is based on several variables, including:

Existing wetland sensitivity to disturbance; buffer characteristics; land use impacts; and desired buffer functions. Wetland systems which are sensitive or have important functions will require larger buffers to protect them from disturbances.

Buffer characteristics like slope and type of vegetative cover influence the ability to reduce the adverse effects of adjacent disturbance.  For example: dense shrub or forested vegetation with steep slopes provide the greatest protection from direct human disturbance.

Land uses with significant construction and post-construction impacts like vegetation removal, debris disposal, noise and erosion need larger buffers.  

Desired buffer function also determines the appropriate buffer width. Temperature moderation for example, may require a smaller buffer than a wildlife habitat. The bottom line is buffer effectiveness increases with buffer width.

Informational Resources

• Benefits of Wetland Buffers: A Study of Functions, Values and Size (report prepared for MCWD by Emmons and Olivier Resources, Inc.)
• NRCS buffer brochure
• NRCS website

MCWD Buffer Landscaping templates with plant lists:

• Wetland buffer
• Lakeshore buffer
• Stream side buffer
  

What plants are best in my wetland buffer?

Benefits of Native Plants

The benefit of growing plants within the region they evolved is they are more likely to thrive under the local conditions while being less likely to invade new habitats. Native plants are well-adapted to local environmental conditions, maintain or improve soil fertility, reduce erosion, and often require less fertilizer and pesticides than many alien plants. These characteristics save time and money and reduce the amount of harmful run-off threatening the aquatic resources of our streams, rivers, and estuaries. In addition, functionally healthy and established natural communities are better able to resist invasions by alien plant species. So the use of native plants can help prevent the spread of alien species already present in a region and help avert future introductions. With the large variety of grasses, ferns, wildflowers, shrubs and trees from which to choose, native plants can fulfill any landscaping need, from simple container gardens to showy perennial borders to expansive public lawns and gardens.

Native plants provide familiar sources of food and shelter for wildlife. As natural habitats are replaced by urban and suburban development, the use of native plants in landscaping can provide essential shelter for displaced wildlife. Land managers can use native plants to maintain and restore wildlife habitat.  For instance, on land managed for upland game animals, native warm season grasses (big and little bluestem, switch grass, Indian grass, coastal panic grass, gama grass) and other native forbs (butterfly weed, ironweed, Joe Pye weed) offer good sources of nutrition without the ecological threats associated with nonnative forage plants. Dramatic increases in nesting success of both game birds and songbirds have been observed in fields planted with native grasses, which also offer superior winter cover.

On a broader ecological scale, planting native species contributes to the overall health of natural communities. Disturbances of intact ecosystems that open and fragment habitat, such as land clearing activities, increase the potential of invasion by alien species. Native plants provide important alternatives to non-native species for conservation and restoration projects in these disturbed areas. They can fill many land management needs currently occupied by non-native species, and often with lower costs and maintenance requirements. Once established in an appropriate area, most native plant species are hardy and do not require watering, fertilizers, or pesticides.

In addition to ecological and land management benefits, the native flora of Minnesota offers a surprising variety of color, form, and texture to gardeners and landscape designers. In fact, many familiar and popular landscaping plants such as Black-eyed Susan, columbine, and bee balm are native to Minnesota. Designing with natives allows the creation of distinctive natural landscapes including woodlands, meadows, and wetlands with unique regional character. In addition, native plants attract a greater variety of butterflies, hummingbirds, songbirds and other wildlife than traditional lawns. In fact, the greater the variety of native species included in a landscape, the more likely uncommon or rare species will be attracted to an area.

Resources

• Wetland buffer guideline for accepted plants (pdf) 
• Blue Thumb Interactive guide for native plants 
• Photos of native plants (pdf).

For more information contact our Wetland Technician.