In the past wetlands have been thought of as wastelands.  People either stayed away from them or tried to get rid of them.  Because of this over half of the wetlands in the United States have been destroyed.  But as people begin to understand the value of wetlands, more of them are being protected or restored.  Wetlands are a valuable natural resource.  Wetlands provide habitat for many animals,  help control flooding , improve water quality, and provide for recreational activities
 
 

     Wetlands are nature's nurseries for young birds, mammals, crayfish, fish, frogs, turtles, snakes, and aquatic insects.  Thick plants cover shallow water, and this makes a good place to hide young and store food, so the young can get off to a good start.
    Over the years people have forced many species of animals out of their  habitat and have made life hard and almost impossible.  Many conservation groups have developed various terms to describe animals' distress.  Animals might be extinct if something is not done to protect wetlands which are valuable habitat for many plants and animals.
    Wetlands are breeding grounds for many kinds of animals such as snakes, fish, birds, deer, trout, rabbit, mice, and many other animals that live in the wetlands.

    Erosion of soils is decreased because wetlands hold water during and after a storm, and the water is released slowly to prevent fast moving water which causes erosion. Wetland plant life provides important protection to soil near water bodies by filtering and holding sediments that would otherwise enter lakes and streams and slowly fill them. Erosion wears away rock materials by moving them from the earth's surface. Wetlands benefit us by slowing down water which prevents us from losing valuable soil.
 

Flood Prevention

    Wetlands make the movement of storm water slower so there is less run off, and these same wetlands can provide storage areas for floods. Flood damage can affect the view, animals, living creatures, fish, humans, food, and water. What do you think you could do to reduce flood damage?  Wetlands hold back flooding by holding water much like a sponge that you wash dishes with. Wetlands keep river water levels normal, filter pollutants,  and purify the surface water. Creeks are a part of wetlands, and they also help the rivers not to flood.  The creeks are like a straining area, or just a plan B for flooding rivers.   Floods cause erosion.  Erosion is the movement of soil because of wind or the movement of water. A flood makes the water mostly sand and mud. Why do floods come? A lot of ancient people wondered. Most ancient people believed that a flood was a punishment sent by the gods. You may think of it as unbelievable, but water can tear down cities,  forests, and homes. They can kill people very easily, and take families apart.  We all drink water, wash in water, swim in water, and some things live in water. Two thirds of our earth is water, and it helps us a lot. Part of water's power comes from its weight and ability to travel fast. Water is heavy. The heavier it is, the faster it is.  A flood can flow up to 20 miles per hour. The deadliest flood ever was the China Yellow River.  It killed many people.  I think people should do something about floods.  If we didn't have wetlands then a lot more floods would take place.
 
 

       Wetlands have two main groups of water quality: filters and flood control.

        Filters is the first group of water quality. As water goes out of a wetland it is filtered and most of the bacteria and other harmful substances are cleaned out. Wetlands also filter pesticides, wastes, nitrogen, phosphorous, and agriculture fertilizers. Wetlands can filter because they are calm, and the harmful substances just settle to the bottom. By the slow moving flow of the water, wetlands reduce cloudiness, or turbidity. Plants take out pollutants too. Also pollutants are turned into plant tissue from algae and other plants. Pollutants also turn into peat and mud. Some harmful substances travel to less toxic lakes by wetlands. About 90% of pollutants are removed by wetlands in certain areas. From this, water is safe to drink. Larger wetlands and ones with heavy vegetation make water safest.

        The second group of water quality is flood control.  After a big rain a wetland will hold most of the water and slowly release it, so that grasses and other vegetation don't get flooded.  Because of this, during a drought, they give the extra water to lakes and rivers.  Wetlands are called nature's sponges because of the extra water that they hold.
 

    We get many things from Wetlands. Here are some of them.
     People pick cranberries, blueberries, and strawberries that grow in wetlands. All of them are fruits that are edible. We use them in jams, cakes, pies, juices, and sometimes eat them plain.
    We also get sphagnum moss from wetlands.  It is very useful.  When it dries it turns into peat moss.  Some ways we use it is for diapers, fuel, insulation, and bedding.  Peat moss acts like a sponge and soaks up water. With this it can reduce some of our plumbing problems.
    People can also get many things from cattails. The leaves are used for weaving chair seats, mats, and baskets. Young shoots and grown pollen spikes may be cooked for vegetables and ground beef.
    Wild rice also is a product from wetlands that we get. People cook it and eat it plain or make hot dishes with it. I think that if you mix it with milk, cinnamon, and sugar when it is hot, it tastes really good. You will have to try it some time!

    Some popular activities to participate in at wetlands are hunting, fishing, boating, hiking, canoeing, water skiing, and bird watching.  Some others are natural observation, photography, and other outdoor recreation. In the United States, 55 million people spent ten billion dollars observing and photographing waterfowl and other wetland birds. Wetlands provide multi-million dollar investment of fishing and hunting while you are having fun!
    People appreciate wetlands very much. What most people like is bird watching and enjoying the beautiful scenery they provide. For these reasons, many people want to prevent destruction of wetlands and preserve them. Despite all of the benefits and recreation that wetlands provide, people are still destroying them.
 

By Anthony

                This page was created by the Osseo-Fairchild sixth grade students supported by a Cluster A Goals 2000 Grant.
                                          Created 4/8/l999      Updated  2.8.2001    sdp