Download Swallow Hollow Nature Trail Script Outline 04

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Canisius College Ambassadors for Conservation - Swallow Hollow Script 10 GOING RIGHT This version May 10, 2009
Talking points to cover
Detailed Script
Introduce three habitats and their
transitions
I want to welcome you to the Swallow Hollow nature trail. It is just over a mile long, and it will take us
through three different habitats.
We are going to start in a Forested Wetlands, go into an Upland Hardwood Forest, and finally end in an
Emergent Marsh.
Each time we pass from one habitat into another, we will be at a “transition zone”, and you’ll know it because
you’ll see things changing around you. So, here is a challenge for you. See if you can tell when this happens
and spot the transition zones. As we walk, when you notice things changing I want you to let me know,
okay?
Messy
At 1st batch of
fallen branches
“Messy forest is a healthy
forest”
As you look around, you’ll surely notice how many leaves are on the ground and how many downed trees and
sticks are all over the place. At first, you might think that it would be sensible for someone to come in here
and clean it up because it’s such a mess. But actually that would not be a good idea. An important lesson in
ecology is that a messy forest is a healthy forest. Can any of you think why that would be?
That’s a great answer. It’s true. There are a lot more habitats for animals. They can live in the logs,
underneath them.
Flooded
Woodland
While walking
Seasonal flooding
Recycled
Bench
Boardwalk made of recycled
plastic
Detritus
Along
boardwalk
Decaying leaves and wood make
soil
This is a classic example of a Flooded Woodland. It is a kind of forested wetlands.
Now, you may notice that it is not particularly flooded right now. That’s because it is an area that goes
through seasonal flooding. It has a wet season and a dry season. Right now we are in the transition between
the wet season and the dry season. In the wintertime we have about two feet of water standing here. It is the
dry summer season that allows all these bigger trees to live here. These species could not live if they were
standing in water all year long. If it were flooded all year round, the trees would not be able to get enough
oxygen to their root systems to allow them to survive.
nutrient recycling aka “detritus”
8-10 tons of leaves fall/acre/year
I want you to take a look down at what we are walking on. This boardwalk and this bench are made up of a
combination of recycled plastic bottles and sawdust. Isn’t that cool. So the next time you remember to
recycle your bottles, you can remember that they can go to make things like this. A lot of people don’t really
know where the plastic goes when they recycle. This is one example and that is pretty cool.
And the main reason has to do with nature’s recycling system. When all of this wood decays, all the nutrients
that are left inside of it goes back into the ground and gets taken back up into the still living plants. So it is a
lot better to keep all of this stuff on the ground.
Later on, we are going to be playing some games, and our group will be playing against the other groups.
The games will be based on what we are learning here today. So there are a few things that I will tell you that
will be – little hints on what to expect. And here is one of them. One of the words that you might want to
remember for later is the word for all of the stuff that is decaying on the ground here and that word is detritus.
So what is the word for decaying leaves and twigs on the ground? Detritus! Right!
Amazingly, about 8 to 10 tons of leaves fall on each acre in each year. Just to put that in perspective, that is
about the weight of an elephant falling each year on an area about the size of one half of a football field.
That’s a whole lot of leaves on the ground being recycled into nutrient-rich soil!
Transition
30 ft past end
of boardwalk
Flooded Woodlands- Forest
Transition
Increased elevation = decreased
water
Lungs of the Earth
Forests
Start at Bench
Life from death
Cut logs
Life from Death – start of a new
cycle
Hidden
While walking
Hidden forest
Tip of the Iceberg
Biodiversity
North-South
gradient
30 ft after the
driveway glen
North/South
Conifer-broadleaf
Gradient
Taiga/Tropical Rainforest
Gradient
Transition? Right! Why? What just happened? Right. We are now seeing a big decrease in the amount of
standing water. That is because we are seeing an increase in elevation. We are entering an “upland forest”.
Forests are amazing ecosystems. Just like you and I have lungs that we need to breath, it is almost like the
earth has lungs too and that is our forests. Remember this: the forests are the lungs of the earth. They work a
little differently from ours though. We breathe in oxygen and breathe out carbon dioxide. Trees do the
opposite – taking in carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and giving off oxygen. And of course that is very
good. Oxygen is extremely important for much of the animal life on earth, including our own. Without these
trees and other plants, we would be without oxygen!
Ok, let’s stop here for a minute to consider this fallen tree. This is a very ordinary and natural thing to see in
a forest. You might think of this only as an ending for this particular tree. But it is also the start of next stage
in a wonderful cycle of life. In time this newly fallen log will be the site of a huge explosion of new life.
Fallen trees are a great example of how life can come from death. What do you think will be living here?
Right, insects, fungi and other organisms that will work to decompose it.
The insects in that log are part of the hidden forest. There is a great deal of the forest that most people don’t
see or notice. If you take a look around you right now, you see only a small part of what makes up a forest –
it is only the tip of the iceberg. Invertebrates decomposing detritus are an essential part of the food chain that
is rarely thought about. Fungi are other important hidden features. It is true that you may see a mushroom
here or there on our walk, but actually most of the fungi important to the forest are underground, also
decomposing dead material.
Do you see the mix of species here? A forest like this is considered a transition forest. It contains a mixture
of two types of trees as we have seen. What I mean is that we have both broadleaf deciduous trees and
conifers in the area. This is because we have about equal amounts of cold and warm seasons. So, both types
of trees can thrive.
If we were to travel farther north into Canada we would mostly find forests consisting almost entirely of
coniferous trees. These forests are called boreal forests – or the taiga. Throughout the northern latitudes in
North America and Eurasia, this is the principal habitat you will find. The further north you travel, the longer
the winter season is. So it is no surprise that conifers dominate in these areas.
Alternatively, if we were to travel south, the number of conifers we encounter would gradually lessen. Once
you get really far south, the trees are all broad leafed. But in the warmest areas, the trees don’t need to lose
their leaves because there is no cold season. The temperature and day length is about the same throughout the
entire year. These are the tropical forests of the world.
So, by thinking about the two very extreme types of forests – the cold Boreal forest to the north and the hot
tropical forests to the south – you can see how NY and many eastern states in the US act as transitions with
features of both forest types.
By the way, a perfect time to really notice this transition is in autumn because that is when the leaves of all of
the broad-leaved deciduous trees begin to turn color. This is because all of the cold loving conifers will still
be showing their vibrant greens. This mix of reds, yellows, and greens really shows off the blend of the two
habitats merging together.
Fallen tree
Bridge #3
Opening in the Canopy
Biodiversity
Fallen log just
before Bridge
2
More living material in rotting
log that in standing tree trunk.
This massive fallen tree actually provides a chance for new life to grow here on the forest floor. It opens a
space in the canopy (the highest portion of the forest), creating a different environment here on the ground.
What do you think happens here on the ground? Right. Now that the portion of canopy that this tree once
created, a large area of light hitting the floor is created. It is a chance for the competition for light to begin
again here as a race to see which new trees can grow the highest.
Now here is another example of a fallen tree, and this one looks like it has been down for a number of years
doesn’t it? This is a good place to see the slow progression in the forest’s recycling of nutrients. In fact, a
rotting log has more species living in it than the tree ever did when it was standing
Biodiversity
Open floor
Norway
Spruce Glen,
while walking
Open understory because of low
light
Stand and fight
Norway
Spruce Glen,
while walking
The stand-and-fight lifestyle of
plants.
Crowded floor
Just after glen
Deciduous Understory Story
Layers
Bridge 1
(deciduous
patch)
Forest layers
What is the term for situations like this in which large number of species are found in one area? Biodiversity!
Right! And biodiversity is good! Let’s remember that for our games later. Lots of species? That means you
have biodiversity!!
When we walked into this Spruce forest what did you all notice? Right! It got darker, and there is almost no
vegetation on the forest floor or in the understory. Almost all of the actively growing vegetation is found in
the canopy. This is because these trees—like all plants—depend upon the process of photosynthesis to make
food for energy and growth. And they need the sun to do this! This section is made entirely of Norway
Spruce trees, and in this species there is a long, steady competition to be at the very top. The tallest trees get
the most sunlight, and they spread so many of their needles that they cast everything else into a dark shadow.
Plants, unlike animals, cannot move to collect the resources that they need. You can think of plants as having
a “stand and fight” lifestyle. Any given new plant must make do the area where its seed originally fell. It
must stay put and compete with the plants around them. They try their best to grow tall to compete for sun,
and they spread out their roots to maximize the amount of water and nutrients they collect. By growing tall
and strong they can fight against fires and bad weather. But that doesn’t protect them from animals. Most
plants like these trees produce toxins so that insects and other animals don’t eat too much of them. Most
plants have enough distasteful toxins that when an herbivore like a deer begins to eat a plant, it will soon be
deterred by the bad taste so it moves on.
Now that we are out of the patch of spruces and back into a deciduous forest, notice that we now see much
more vegetation on the ground. Can anyone guess why? In a coniferous forest, the trees keep needles all
year round. So for the entire year, the forest floor gets no direct sunlight. However, in deciduous forests like
this, not only do they have a patchier canopy, there are periods each year when there are no leaves overhead.
Since deciduous leaves don’t grow back until later in spring, it affords plants on the forest floor and in the
understory a couple of months of direct sunlight. Most of the shrubs we see in this understory are specialists
in springtime growth spurts. It is the time of the year, when these plants will grow the most, flower, and
reproduce. They do most of their living in short periods each year, before the essential sunlight is taken away
by the taller trees.
If you take a look around, you can really notice that a forest consists of many layers. To an ecologist, every
single forest, no matter what kind, has at least four specific layers to it.
First there is the underground soil that we have already started talking about—fungi and countless
invertebrates living among the tangled web of tree roots.
The forest floor is the second layer, and it is home to massive tree trunks and their buttresses. Here we also
find ferns, and many other low growing land plants. It is also where you find the decaying detritus that is in
the process of becoming the new soil that will feed nutrients to the vegetation. It is here that you might also
be able find the largest forest animals like bear and deer.
The next layer is the understory which also includes the tree trunks. But it is higher up where there are small
branches of trees, and all the plants found in between the ground and the sun drenched treetops. At night the
understory is alive with bats hunting for insects.
The canopy is the highest layer. And it is perhaps the most exciting, because that is where most of the forest
growth takes place, and where the greatest biodiversity exists. Thousands of bird species feed and make their
nests in forest canopies. Normally, vegetation is very dense and is comprised of treetops and vines all
competing for sunlight.
Predators
While walking
Predators
Black Bear
Bobcat
Mink
NA River Otter
Canids
Red Fox
Gray Fox
Coyote
Wolf
The leaves from the canopy, broken branches, and as we saw earlier, sometimes entire trees, eventually fall
down to the forest floor and begin decaying and giving off their nutrients again.
One thing that we get a lot of questions about is the nature of the predators that exist here on the refuge—
mammalian predators that is.
Well, sometimes black bear are sighted here, but that is a very rare event. They are usually just passing
through looking for larger patches of forest. It is also theoretically possible for there to be bobcat here. At
least they did exist in this area a long time ago, and it would be great if they would one day return.
We definitely do have mink that swim and hunt for fish and other small animals in our waterways. And their
larger cousins, river otters are beginning to return to this area. That is part of very good conservation news.
Otters are gradually repopulating New York State. We will all be very excited when that aspect of this
ecosystem is restored here at Iroquois.
One thing is for sure is that we already have three species of canids that are rather common here. Does
anybody know what a canid is? It refers to members of the dog family. Can you tell me which cousins of the
dog already inhabit this area? The red fox and the grey fox are two examples. We definitely have them. But
don’t expect to spot a fox today. For one thing, they are very shy of people. For another thing they tend to be
crepuscular! See what I mean! Didn’t I just sound smart?!
Can anyone name the other species of canid that is fairly common around here? It actually looks quite a bit
like a dog. It is the coyote. They crisscross this area quite a bit, preying on small mammals like mice and
competing with vultures as scavengers when larger animals die. There actually is a chance we might spot a
coyote today. If we do, it is most likely we’ll spot it at a distance, and it will probably already be running
away from us because they are shy of people. Nevertheless, that would be really cool!
Now there is one more species of canid that used to be part of this ecosystem, but isn’t anymore. Can anyone
tell me what that species is? I’ll give you a hint. It used to hunt in packs and chase after large mammals like
the white-tailed deer. That’s right! It’s the wolf! This area was part of their range hundreds of years ago,
before settlers came here. But they need wild spaces that are much, much larger than what we have preserved
here at Iroquois. So it will not be practical to restore that piece of ecosystem back into this area.
Nonetheless, wolves are actually being reintroduced in other wild spaces that still are quite large—places like
Yellowstone National Park. Isn’t that good news?!
Poison Ivy
Vine trees
Poison Ivy
Don’t touch!
Function of poison
Plant parasites
Vine trees
Tendrils take nutrients
Tree carries weight
Leaves overgrow
Forest/Emergent
Marsh
Transition
Fallen tree
opening
Here is another transition
Why? – More water here
Alright, as we stop here by this tree, the first thing I want to tell you is to keep your hands back. That’s
because this is poison ivy. You see this one with its leaves in bunches of three, the one with a glossy/shiny
appearance, that is poison ivy.
Does anyone know why poison ivy is poisonous? No, it is not really just to make people itch, although that
is certainly true! Poison Ivy is poisonous in order to discourage animals from eating it. Just look as these
leaves on this non-poisonous Virginia Creeper, or at the leaves of most plants. They are riddled with holes
from all the plant-eating insects that have been feeding here. Now look again at the poison ivy. No holes, no
scars of any kind. That is because no insect, no mammal, no herbivore of any kind can eat poison ivy.
These vines can be thought of as plant parasites. They are benefiting from this tree and the tree is being
harmed by them. If you take a look, you’ll see that they have thick tendrils that dig into the tree. They are
not only anchoring there, they are actually sucking nutrients out of the tree which is costly to the tree. And up
on the top, it gets even worse for the tree. The total weight of all the vines that the tree has to support gets to
be quite substantial. In all, there are thousands of pounds of extra weight that the tree has to support. This
means that when the wind blows, the tree has a much greater chance of breaking or falling. And from the
tree’s point of view, the worst thing of all is that the vines leaf out on top of its branches and grow so thick
that the tree itself can’t get as much sunlight as it needs. In a way, the tree starts to get starved by the vines
overgrowing them.
Hey, did anyone notice? We are at a transition. We are entering into a different kind of habitat. Things are
changing here. There is a lot more light here because there are far fewer trees.
Why? What has changed? Water! Right! If you look over the side you’ll notice that it is a lot wetter here.
There is a lot more water here because the ground is just a little bit lower here than it is over there.
Importance of
water
Water sign
Water’s all Around us
Water Flows in a Water Cycle
This new wetland habitat that we can see is called an Emergent Marsh. It is an area that is flooded all year
long. for the entire year and so that’s why when you look over you see water and when you look around you
don’t see many large trees. When it is flooded year round the big trees can’t get enough oxygen to their roots.
Everyone take a look across this marsh and see how much water is surrounding us right now. If you think
about it water is everywhere. What places can you think of? Right, the ocean, lakes, streams, rivers. Some
places might be those you wouldn’t normally consider – there is always moisture in the air, the clouds, and
even underground there is water in giant aquifers.
That connects the Wetlands to us
What is really cool is that all of the water of the world is connected in a cycle – it is in constant motion.
Water in clouds pours down as rain. It gathers in wet places like this, and then it seeps into the ground. At
some point, the same water will be drawn up into the roots of a plant, or sipped up by a thirsty animal.
Eventually, it will be evaporated back into the air,
This is very neat if you think about this because through water, we are connected to this land and all of the
living things it contains. How many of you already used water today? Did you brush your teeth? Drink juice
or milk, which is mostly water? It is clear enough that we are part of the same water cycle. The same water
that flows through that tree may one day flow through you.
Impoundment
Dike
While walking
Interpretation
2nd Corner
Overlook
Stop log
structure
Water level
regulation
Purpose of dike is “water
impoundment.”
allows for there to be varying
water height
improvise
Explain use in regulating water
levels
Alright, now here is something that you may not realize. We are now walking on a dike – a man-made
earthen dam meant to block the flow of water. The purpose of dike is “water impoundment.” It allows the
refuge managers to have different levels of water on the two sides of the dike. I’ll show you later how they
can do that.
At this location, we have a very good view. Let’s use our binoculars to see what’s out there.
………………. CAC interprets what is seen.
This metal construction is something called a stop log structure. The refuge managers can use these to
regulate water level on different sides of the dike. All they have to do is take out, or put in, different
number of wooden planks to determine the height of the water that will flow.
A wetland should be “pulsed”
Woodpeckers
Low
Woodpecker
past gravel pt
Why do woodpeckers peck
wood?
carpenter ants and beetle larvae
Red-winged
Blackbirds
Red Winged
Blackbird sign
Under natural conditions, wetlands are “pulsed”. The water levels rise and fall with the seasons. But now,
since farms and towns have replaced most natural lands, the natural flow of water has been disrupted. So
the refuge managers use these stop log structures to artificially create water pulses in these areas in order to
keep these wetlands healthy.
Alright, let’s stop here for a second. I want you to look at this tree. You can see that there are some huge
woodpecker holes in this tree; they are enormous. The bird that made them must have been big!. In fact, it
was almost certainly the largest woodpecker in North America, the Pileated Woodpecker. Here is a picture
of what they look like (page 189/216 in field guide). Have you ever heard of Woody the Woodpecker? He
was based on this bird. It is mostly black and white. But it also has a bright red crest on its head.
Eat mosquitoes and other insects
Can any one tell me why woodpeckers peck into the trees like this? That’s right, to look for insect larva.
Some people think that they do it to eat wood. But that’s not it. It is carpenter ants that eat wood, and
pileated woodpeckers love to eat carpenter ants!
On this sign you can see the beautiful red-winged blackbird – a bird that is very typical of this marsh
habitat. They love to feed and nest in reeds like this. Do you know why the male is so colorful? He makes
a habit of perching on high points to flash his red shoulder patches and to call out loudly. When he does
this, he is establishing his territory, and he is calling out for a mate.
Male and female color
difference
Do you know what Red Winged Blackbirds eat? Mosquitoes! If you don’t like mosquitoes, then you love
Red Winged Blackbirds!
Red Winged Blackbirds are
typical of marsh habitats
Now look at this. This is a female. The Red Winged Blackbird is a species in which the males and females
look very different. The female is the one that spends most of the time in the nest. So she wants to be
camouflaged so that she doesn’t attract predators to her young. Now, if a predator does comes near the nest,
the male will use his colors for another purpose. He will start flapping and going the opposite way of his
nest to lure the predator away from the nest.
Keystone
While walking
Keystone species
Others depend on it
Indicator
While walking
Indicator Species
Sign of env health
Snags
Turn to Snags on
Rt at large fallen
trees
Snags are dead standing trees
Pileated Woodpeckers depend
upon snags
Wood duck box
Wood Duck Box
on left
Box is simulation of hollow tree
Woodpecker
trees
Big woodpecker
holes
Some holes are for feeding,
some for nesting
nest holes, large and high
Snapping turtle
ecology
Little holes tree
that is actually
before the bigholes tree
Snapping Turtle
sign
Snapping Turtle biology
Pileated Woodpeckers are an example of what ecologists call a keystone species. This means that they are a
beneficial part of the ecosystem in ways that many other animals depend on. Quite a few other bird and
mammals depend on the holes that pileated woodpeckers create. In other words, they make new
neighborhoods for owls, squirrels, etc. Also the soil is greatly enriched by the many woodchips that they
scatter around. Their chipping creates a great deal of detritus and consequent nutrient recycling.
It is very good news that we have them here. Pileated Woodpeckers are also considered an “Indicator
Species”. They are a species that does not thrive unless they have a very clean, undisturbed habitat. This
means that biologists can use Pileated Woodpeckers as an “indicator”. If they are around, it indicates there
is a healthy and balanced ecosystem in that area. So the sign of them here is very good news for us at
Iroquois.
Another thing that I want you to take a look at is all those dead, standing trees. This was once a forest, now
permanently flooded. So the trees have died. Now there is a special name for dead, standing trees like this.
They are called “snags”, and snags are another example of how a messy forest is a healthy forest. Just
because they are not as pretty as trees with the leaves on them, they are still very beneficial. They are the
homes for a lot of animals and especially birds like the pileated woodpecker. We will most often see the
pileated woodpecker on snags like these. Because the trees are already decaying, they have lots of insects
in them, and the wood is a lot softer for them to peck into. So do you remember the name for the stuff that
decays on the floor? That’s really close; yes that’s it…detritus. So what are the dead trees called…a snag.
Good! And once again a messy forest is what? That’s right! A healthy forest!
While we are in this area, I want to point out something else. See that box over here, that metal box with
the skirt on it? That is called a wood duck box. Well, since it makes its home in hollowed-out trees, this is
a structure that the refuge staff uses to simulate a hollowed-out tree above the water. And that skirt on the
bottom is so that predators (things like skunks and raccoons, our egg eaters) won’t be able to climb up and
eat the eggs.
Notice how far up they are on the tree. Do you think these particular holes are for nesting, or for feeding?
Right! Since they are so far up, they certainly might be – especially if they continue to make them even
bigger. A woodpecker has to make its home high up so predators can’t get to it.
Now look at this tree. Do you think a Pileated Woodpecker made these holes? No, you’re right. They so
little, that it may have even been our littlest woodpecker—the Downy Woodpecker (show picture). This is
what these cute little guys look like. He has a mostly white belly, a mostly black back, and the male he has
a little red spot on the back of his head. Let’s try really hard to spot one of them.
Let’s look at this next sign. If you have never seen a snapping turtle, this is what they look like. Now take
a look at the picture with the little girl. On the ground near her feet you can see what baby snapping turtles
looks like. This other picture is of an Eastern Painted Turtle. They are a lot smaller than the snapping
turtles. Both species are very plentiful in this marsh.
You want to know something really cool? Right at this time of the year, female snapping turtles go through
the process of laying their eggs. And when they do this, they will come up onto a sandy bank like this to
dig a shallow nest to lay their eggs. They use their back legs to dig a shallow hole. They do this at night
and they dig a number of test holes before they choose an ideal spot. Each time they dig, they reach their
feet into the hole to make sure that it’s the right temperature for her eggs. Once they are satisfied, she’ll lay
her eggs and use those same back feet to bury up the eggs. So let’s look for little depressions or any other
signs of digging. We may be able to find some signs of nesting.
Main Channel
Soil depression
at left
Turtle nest predation
Channel Bridge
one of the main waterways at
INWR
Change to deeper water ecology
(Duckweed, Fish eating
mosquito larvae)
Wow, we have definitely found a snapping turtle nest. Now seeing a nest open means one of two things.
The first possibility is that this is a nest from last year – one in which the eggs already hatched and the baby
turtles have already made their way back into the water. They do that on their own, without any help from
the mother. The second possibility is that a predator sniffed out a new nest. Then it dug into the ground in
order to gobble up the eggs. Can anyone guess what species of predators will hunt for turtle eggs like that?
Well, snakes won’t actually dig up the nest. It is mostly raccoons and skunks that will do that. They have a
great sense of smell and they are great diggers. So see how all these shells are scattered like that? That’s
probably an example of a predator doing something like that.
This waterway is one of the main channels that carries water into the refuge. The little green plants that are
floating on the surface is called duckweed. Each of the individual duckweed plants is only about this big
(tiny fingers). Each of the plants is made up of two tiny leaves and a little set of rootlets. Each one is tiny,
but there are millions of duckweed plants in this refuge, so it has a big impact.
Although it is called duckweed, surprisingly ducks don’t actually eat it. You may find ducks in areas of
duckweed though because it provides a good habitat for invertebrates that ducks do eat.
Wetlands
Marsh
Boardwalk
Soil is wet for most of the
growing season.
Life adapted to this
environment.
plants grow in watery soil, w
little oxygen.
Wetlands of different types all
throughout the US.
Ecological
Importance of
Wetlands
Marsh
Boardwalk
huge BIODIVERSITY, like
rainforests and coral reefs
habitat for countless species of
plants and animals including
many endangered species.
Other species use wetlands as
STOPOVERS
We also have fish in deep water like this. This is one of the reasons that this is one of my favorite parts of
the refuge. That’s because when there are fish in an area, it means there are fewer mosquitoes there.
Mosquitoes lay their eggs in water, and their larva live in water. Well, any place that has fish has fewer
mosquitoes because the fish eat up all the eggs and larvae. So whenever there are fish, there are fewer
mosquitoes.
When most people think of wetlands, they usually think of a marshy area like this. But actually wetlands
take on many forms, as we are beginning to see. Basically a wetland has three characteristics. The first is
that the soil is saturated with water for all or most of the growing season. The second thing is that there is
very low oxygen in the soil. The third is that all of the plants and animals that live in this area are all
adapted to the conditions.
So if your backyard floods every so often and fills up with water, it would still not be considered a wetland
because the wet conditions are only occasional, and the trees are not likely to be adapted to those
conditions. But here in this marsh, all of the shrubs and other plants thrive in this.
We have this wetland right here at this refuge, and there are wetlands of many different types all throughout
the United States.
When a lot of people when they think about important environments, they think about saving rainforests or
coral reefs because they have learned that those areas have high biodiversity. But what many people don’t
know is that wetlands like these rank right up there on the same dimension.
Can you think of any types of animals we might see here? Beaver is one. We might also see a spotted
salamander, a pileated woodpecker, or a raccoon. Yes, we also have snakes. We have garter snakes and we
have water snakes but all the snakes that live here are non venomous. So we have a lot of animals here.
We have mammals, lots of birds, and a great many amphibians as well—frogs and salamanders. But all of
this pales compared to the huge number of plant and insect species that are preserved here. There are so
many different species living in wetlands, people need to think about wetlands like that.
Wetlands
benefit human
populations
Marsh
Boardwalk
ABSORB water/mitigate floods
STORE water for use later
FILTER water
SEQUESTER CO2
add wetlands protection to our
goals
Many species make this area their permanent homes. Other species use wetlands as stopovers during
migration. They stop here for food, for shelter and simply to rest. At INWR, this includes tens of
thousands of Canada geese and ducks. It also includes many thousands of smaller birds like warblers.
Many of the birds that migrate through here in the Spring are on their way to the central portions of Canada.
Others are on their way all the way up to the Arctic. In the fall, they are on the move down to southern
states like Florida. Some even travel all the way down to South America. So in a way a wetlands like this
serves like a little bird hotel. They stop here to rest, eat, drink, and things like that.
Not only are these places very important to animals that live here, they are also very important for us
humans in ways that most people don’t think of.
Wetlands take in huge volumes of water after rainy periods or snow melt. This is very beneficial to people
because it lessens the chances that towns and cities will flood. If you think about it, when we get all of our
very heavy snow in the winter or when we get our very heavy rains in the spring, all of that water has to go
somewhere. Your cities don’t flood because there are places like this that can absorb all that water.
Wetlands store huge volumes of water – water that can subsequently be used by people when they need it.
Just think about it. All year round, people need fresh water. We need it for drinking, for cooking, for
washing, for watering our yards and for irrigating our farms. Because of this, we need to preserve areas like
this that hold water.
Wetlands act as filtration systems. While the water is here, it doesn’t just sit here. It actually slowly flows
through this area over the course of many months. During that time, all the plants take out most of the
fertilizer runoff, most of the pesticide, most of the chemicals of every type. So wetlands like this actually
clean the water that passes through it. They clean the water so that it is more suitable for humans to drink
when it finally flows out into our rivers and lakes.
The actively growing plants in wetlands take huge amounts of carbon dioxide out of our atmosphere. Does
anyone know why this is good? Yes, you’re right. That decreases the greenhouse effect in our atmosphere
that is causing global warming. So another reason why these places are very important to us is because
these plants take in a lot of the carbon dioxide out of our atmosphere.
When we burn gasoline and other petroleum products, we humans put extra CO2 into the atmosphere. That
is why we need plant-rich areas like this to take carbon dioxide back out of the atmosphere. That is
definitely a good thing for all of us.
Forest/Emergent
Marsh
Transition
After Cut Tree
We are at a transition
Why? – What has changed?
More water here
We should all consider wetland protection just as important to conservation and the environment as
recycling, and pollution control. Wetlands are important to the health of the whole world and to the health
of our own local region! The bottom line is that we humans should love wetlands. WETLANDS ARE
GOOD!
Hey, did anyone notice? We are at a transition. We are entering into a different kind of habitat. Things are
changing here. There is a lot less light here because there are far more trees.
Why? What has changed? Water! Right! If you look over the side you’ll notice that there is a lot less
water here. There is a lot less water here because the ground is just a little bit higher here than it is over
there.
Some ecologists refers to this as an “edge” – a particularly rich ecological area – a place where two
ecosystems flow into each other.
Wood ducks
Wood Duck sign
Extremely beautiful.
Nest in hollow trees. Babies
must jump
This pond is man-made to create
habitat
CAC message
30 ft past wood
duck sign
Wetlands reduced by 50%
But there is lots of good news
What can you do?
Help spread the word
Support advocacy groups
Write to elected officials
This is the wood duck and it is probably one of the most beautiful ducks in the world. They make their
nests hollowed-out trees in flooded woodlands like these.
These nests can be as much as 60 feet above the ground. So when the babies have to come out of the nest,
they actually have to jump and fall to the ground. They even sometimes bounce a little bit. But then their
parents lead them to the water. It’s really cute.
This pond in front of us is actually a man-made depression and it was created here to encourage wood ducks
to breed here. In a wildlife refuge like this, a lot of the things are modified like this so that the habitat is
enriched. In this way, we can get the most number of species in one area.
In 1492, when Europeans first started to arrive, there were about 220 million acres of wetlands in N
America! By now, about half of those wetlands are gone. So we only have a little bit more than 100
million acres left. This means that when Columbus first came over to North America, it was a very
different looking place. The main problem was that as the human population expanded, wetlands were
drained for development, for agriculture and for cities.
But if you think about it, that is still the equivalent of fifty million football field’s worth of wetlands that
remain in North America. And the reason for this is that we now understand their importance, and many,
many people have gotten involved to help save them. So the wetlands story is beginning to be a good-news
conservation story! Human involvement can help preserve wetlands, and I am very glad to say that that is
happening!
The US government is preserving huge tracts like these in National Wildlife Refuges. And the EPA is now
enforcing laws that protect wetland areas. These are all good things.
Now you would agree with me that this area is pretty cool, isn’t it? It is really pretty area, we have seen lots
of wildlife, and we have come to understand the importance of water.
So wouldn’t you think it would be worthwhile to help preserve areas like this? What steps could you take if
you want to help?
Actually one of the best things that you can do is to simply tell people about wetlands. Tell people how
important these areas are to both to the wildlife that live here and to us!. You can help spread the word.
Most people don’t understand the importance of wetlands. So tell them!
Join groups like the Friends of the Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge, the National Wildlife Foundation, or
the Nature Conservancy. Support these groups by doing fundraising. Also, support these groups by
volunteering your time at refuges.
Optional birding
Schedule
reminders
People counter
Approaching
parking lot
Improvisational chit chat
Schedule reminders
Collect binoculars
You can also write letters to the government and tell them how important it is to protect wetlands. You will
be surprised. A lot of times congressmen will respond very positively to messages from younger kids,
because they know kids are really interested in a better future for all of us.
Improvisational chit chat to adjust timing of arrival in parking lot
What’s next? Bathroom break, bus ride to lunch spot?