OutdoorNebraska

5 GUIDE TO NEBRASKA'S WETLANDS NEBRASKA'S WETLANDS W etlands: a source of great interest, and at times confl ict. Wetlands represent different things to different people. To some people they may be considered shallow, muddy nuisances whereas to others they are considered to be wonderful, varied, and productive assets. This is because wetlands take on many roles as part of an elaborate and dynamic system. Understanding wetlands requires understanding the complex and varying roles they can play. To aid in this understanding, this guide defi nes wetlands, discusses their importance and dynamics, identifi es threats and losses, describes conservation programs, and takes an in-depth look at Nebraska's regional wetland complexes. Nebraska's wetland resources are surprisingly diverse and dynamic. They include marshes, lake edges, river and stream edges, backwaters, oxbows, wet meadows, fens, forested fl oodplains, and seep areas. These wetlands vary greatly in nature and appearance due to physical features, such as geographic location, water source and permanence, and chemical properties. Some wetlands hold water for only a few weeks or less during the spring, whereas others rarely go completely dry. Many wetlands receive their water from groundwater aquifers, and others are totally dependent on precipitation and runoff. Finally, the water chemistry of wetlands ranges from fresh to saline, and from acidic to basic. These descriptions identify the extremes of wetland characteristics. Nebraska's wetland resources possess these extremes and virtually every combination in between. What is a Wetland? T here has been controversy about how to defi ne wetlands, because wetlands are regulated by several laws. The application of these laws requires the wetland boundary be determined, a process termed wetland delineation. Delineation of wetlands can be diffi cult because they occupy a transitional zone on the landscape, and frequently become dry. The State of Nebraska has adopted the federal defi nition that wetlands are "Those areas that are inundated or saturated by surface or groundwater at a frequency and duration suffi cient to support, and that under normal circumstances do support, a prevalence of vegetation typically adapted for life in saturated soil conditions. Wetlands generally include swamps, marshes, bogs, and similar areas" (USACE 1987). Wetland delineation in Nebraska is based on the 1987 Corps of Engineers Wetlands Delineation Manual (USACE 1987) and the Regional Supplemental Manuals for the Great Plains (USACE 2010a) and Midwest (USACE 2010b). These manuals use three diagnostic environmental characteristics to delineate wetlands. The three characteristics are: 1) Hydric vegetation — a prevalence of hydric, or water-loving, plants adapted to growing in inundated or saturated conditions. 2) Hydric soils — the presence of soils that developed within inundated or saturated conditions that limit oxygen, known as anaerobic conditions. 3) Hydrology — inundation or saturation by water at some time during the growing season, or the time when plants are actively growing. All three of these characteristics must be present for an area to be considered a wetland. Note that these characteristics apply to both natural and artifi cial wetlands, such as constructed ponds.

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