The Chesapeake Bay is the largest and most productive estuary in the U.S. In the past, the Bay has provided the residents of the watershed with a bounty of fish and shellfish, numerous recreational opportunities and stunning scenery. However, with the population of the watershed now at more than 15 million people, the Chesapeake Bay and its resources are being threatened. One of the reasons for the decline in the Bau's productivity is due to changes that have occurred in land use - in particular, the destruction of wetlands.

     Historically, wetlands have been viewed as unappealing and useless ecosystems infested with insects, snakes and rodents. As a result of this perception, the Bay watershed experienced substantial losses of wetlands beetween the mid 1950s abd the late 1970s with annual losses averaging over 2,800 acres. In agricultural areas, many wetlands are drained, cleared and out into crop production. In urban areas, other wetlands were filled for houses, industrial facilities, office buildings and sanitary landfills.

Wetland Types

     Wetlands are the link between the water and the land. "Wetlands" is the collective term for marshes, swamps, bogs and similar areas found between dry land and water along the edges of streams, rivers, lakes, ponds, and coastlines. Although most wetlands have standiong or flowing water, many are dry for part of the year. For example, essturine wetlands that are influenced by the tides may be dry twice a day. Several wetland types occur throughout the Chesepeake watershed due to its variability in typography, climate, soil, hydrology. salinity, vegetation and other factors. Scientists, however, often group wetlands into two main groups: esturaine wetlands and palustrine wetlands. esturine wetlands are tidally flooded by salt or brackish water and are found chiefly along the shores of the Bay and its tidal rivers.

(Courtesy Chesapeake Bay Program))

     In contrast, palustrine wetlands are freshwater. They are situated on the floodplains bordering rivers and streams, fringing the shorelines of lakes and ponds, filling isolated depressions, and covering broad flat areas at or near sea level.

(Courtesy Chesapeake Bay Program))

     Wetlands are further characterized by their vegetation as :

1. emergent wetlands (commonly called marshes and wet meadows) dominated by grasses. sedges, and other herbaceous or non-woody plants;
   
2. shrub wetlands (including shrub swamps and bogs) characterized by low to mediuym height woody plants; and
   
3. forested wetlands (largely wooded swamps and bottomland hardwood forests) cominated by trees.

     Although comprising only 4% of the 64,000-square mile Bay watershed, wetlands are vital to the health and productivity of the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries. Public support for wetland production and restoration and concern about wetland destruction have steadily increased in recent years. Consequently, protecting wetlands is one of the goals of the Chesapeake Bay restoration effort.

Functions and Values of Wetlands

• Water Quality: One of the ,ost omportant wetland functions is their ability to help restore and maintain water quality in rivers and streams. Wetlands are capable of removing and retaining nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus. For example, forested riparian (strea,side) wetlands have been shown to remove approximately 80 percent of the phosphorous and 90 percent of the nitrogen from water. If these contaminants were not removed, algal blooms could result. When algae die and decompose, they consume large amounts of oxygen, resulting in massive fish mortality. Wetlands are also capable of minimizing sediment loads and absorbing chemical and organic pollutants before these contaminants can enter the Chesapeake Bay.
• Flood and Erosion Control: Wetlands often have been referred to as natural sponges that absorb flooding waters. By temporarily storing flood waters, wetlands help protect adjacent and downstream property owners from flood damage. Wetlands in urban areas are especially valuable for flood protection, since urban development increases the rate and volume of surface water runoff, thereby increasing the risk of flood damage. In agricultural areas, wetlands help to reduce the potential for flood damage to crops. Wetlands are often located between rivers and high ground and, therefore, are in a good position to buffer the land against erosoin. Wetland plants can reduce erosion by binding soil with their roots.
• Wildlife abd Aquatic Habitat: Tidal estuarine and palustrine wetlands provide particularly crucial habitat for fish, shellfish, various waterfowl, shorebirds, wading birds and several mammals. Striped bass, menhaden, flounder, oysters and blue crabs are among the most commercially important fish and shellfish that depend on estaurine wetlands. Palustrine wetlands also provide valuable fish habitat and support a variety of birdlife, including ducks, geese and a large number of songbirds. Some common mammals that are found in wetlands include muskrat, white-tailed and beaver.
• Natural Resources: A wealth of natural products are supported by wetlands, such as fish, shellfish, waterfowl, wild rice and blueberries. Forested wetlands, which are the miost common type of palustrine wetlands, are a valuable source of timber products.
• Recreation: Many recreational activities occur in and around wetlands. Waterfowl hunting, fishing and crabbing are popular activities. Other recreational activities include hiking, bird watching, photography, swimming and boating.

• Identify wetlands on your property and avoid these areas during any construction.
• Learn about the habitat values of wetlands on your property and the types of plants and animals that inhabit or frequent the area.
• Maintain vegetated buffer areas arund wetlands to conserve their habitat values for fish and wildlife.
• Encourage local governments and private developers to adopt innovative land use planning that would conserve wetlands.
• Comment on public notices and attend public hearings concerning wetland permits and regulations.
• Donate wetlands or funds for the purchase and management of wetlands to private conservation agencies.
• Restpre wetlands on your property where where former wetlands have been destroyed or degraded (government financial and technical assistance is often available).
• Conserve wetlands and their values whenever possible. When planning to use wetlands for production, such as hunting, trapping, oir forestry, consult federal and state agencies (e.g., the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and your state departments of conservation and forestry) to learn how you can minimize the impacts of these activities on your wetlands.

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