In honor of World Wetlands Day on February 2nd, here is a little bit of info about the wetlands in the Huron River watershed.
Wetlands – Nature’s Kidneys
Wetlands, along with floodplains and shorelines, are critical environmental areas. Wetlands are saturated lowland areas (e.g. marshes and swamps) that have distinctive soils and ecology. Wetland areas filter flowing water, hold flood water, release water slowly into surrounding drier land, and capture carbon, thus reducing greenhouse gases in our atmosphere. These functions are critical to keeping the Huron River clean and safe for wildlife, drinking, paddling, fishing, and swimming. See our Wetland Page for more details.
The Huron River Watershed’s Wetlands
The Huron River watershed is home to many kinds of wetlands (the Michigan Natural Features Inventory lists 26 different kinds of wetlands that exist in our watershed!); including wet prairies, hardwood swamps, and bogs. Unfortunately, due to agricultural drainage and development, only about half of our wetlands remain.
Wetland Protection
With all the ecological services that wetlands provide it is important to keep them healthy and restore wetlands when we can. HRWC highly recommends that local communities enact wetland ordinances and building setback requirements to protect our remaining wetlands.
HRWC’s Natural Area Assessment and Protection Project maps and assesses wetlands and other natural areas to help target conservation efforts. Our Green Infrastructure programs work with communities to protect existing and create new wetland areas to restore the landscape’s ability to filter and control stormwater runoff. And our Change Makers program teaches residents how to engage with their local government and influence policies and decisions to protect wetlands.
What You Can Do
- Sign up for one of our 2023 FREE Change Makers Boot Camps, February 23 or March 15 to learn about local policies that protect wetlands and how you can influence community decisions.
- Protect your home’s value, your family’s health and wetlands by caring for your septic system.
- Care less for your lawn and more for wetlands by reducing your use of fertilizers and pesticides.
- Plant and maintain a vegetative buffer of trees, shrubs, taller grasses and wildflowers between wetland and upland areas.
This blog was updated February 1, 2023.