The Wetlands of Fishing Creek EarthCache
The Wetlands of Fishing Creek
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Welcome to the Wetlands of Fishing Creek!
This Earth Cache will take you along the new Fishing Creek
Boardwalk and will exhibit natural wetlands. Along your journey,
you will have an opportunity to read about Fishing Creek’s
wetlands, geology, wildlife, flora and fauna.
According to the Maryland State DNR Green infrastructure
assessment:
Maryland has been called "America in miniature". From east to west,
Maryland varies from ocean, to barrier island and beaches, to tidal
marshes and estuaries, to fertile low-lying farmland, to pastoral
rolling hills, to mountains, valleys and plateaus. North and South
also meet in Maryland: historically, culturally, geologically, and
ecologically. Maryland is extraordinarily diverse for a state its
size, and reflects conditions found in the nation as a whole.
Like America as a whole, Maryland's diversity and vitality depend
on the composition of its landscape: its geology, climate, water,
soils, flora, and fauna. These characteristics have shaped the
history of the region, and still affect the state today. Maryland's
most important natural lands comprise its "green infrastructure,"
and provide the bulk of the state's natural support system.
Ecosystem services, such as cleaning the air, filtering and cooling
water, storing and cycling nutrients, conserving and generating
soils, pollinating crops and other plants, regulating climate,
sequestering carbon, protecting areas against storm and flood
damage, and maintaining aquifers and streams, are all provided by
the existing expanses of forests, wetlands, and other natural
lands. These ecologically valuable lands also provide marketable
goods and services, like forest products, fish and wildlife, and
recreation. They serve as vital habitat for resident and migratory
species, maintain a vast genetic library, provide scenery, and
contribute in many ways to the health and quality of life for
Maryland residents.
When wetlands and forest are developed into human-centered uses,
there are costs incurred that are typically not accounted for in
the marketplace. The losses in ecosystem services are hidden costs
to society. These services, such as cleansing the air and filtering
water, are fundamental nee s for humans and other species, but in
the past, the lands providing them have been so plentiful and
resilient, that they have been largely taken for granted. In the
face of a tremendous rise in both population and rate of land use
conversion, many people now realize that these natural or ecosystem
services must be afforded greater consideration. The breakdown in
ecosystem functions causes damages that are difficult and costly to
repair, as well as taking a toll on the health of plant, animal,
and human populations.
Maryland’s Department of the Environment report states the
following:
Maryland’s 9,837 square miles of land area lie in five
distinct physiographic provinces, making it one of the most
geologically and hydrologically diverse states in the northeastern
United States. The five physiographic provinces, from east to west,
include: the Coastal Plain, the Piedmont, the Blue Ridge, the
Valley and Ridge and the Appalachian Plateau.
Definition:
As summarized in Wetlands of Maryland (Tiner and Burke, 1995),
wetlands are areas that hold water for significant periods during
the year and are characterized by anaerobic (low oxygen) conditions
favoring the growth of specific plant species and the formation of
specific soil types. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service developed a
scientifically-based definition of the Nation’s wetlands for
resource management purposes and to help ensure accurate and
consistent wetland determinations. This definition emphasizes three
key attributes of wetlands: 1) hydrology – the degree of
flooding or soil saturation, 2) wetland vegetation (hydrophytes),
and 3) hydric soils. This further defines wetlands as all areas
having enough water at some time during the year to stress plants
and animals not adapted for life in water or saturated soils.
Wetlands may be permanently flooded by shallow water, permanently
saturated by groundwater, or periodically inundated or saturated
for varying periods during the growing season in most years. Many
wetlands are the periodically flooded lands that occur between
uplands and salt or fresh water bodies (ie., lakes, rivers, streams
and estuaries). Other wetlands may be isolated in areas with
seasonally high water tables that are surrounded by upland or occur
on slopes where they are associated with groundwater seepage areas
or drainageways. Wetlands are important natural resources providing
numerous values to society, including fish and wildlife habitat,
flood protection, erosion control and water quality preservation.
Wetlands comprise a range of environments within interior and
coastal regions of Maryland.
Tidal marshes are the estuarine farmlands that produce tons of food
each year that support Chesapeake Bay’s living aquatic
resources and ultimately, provide food for human consumption.
Simplified food pathways from tidal marsh plants to commercial and
sport fishes of value to humans are simplified for illustration.
(from Tiner and Burke, 1995).
The posted coordinates will take you to an interpretative sign that
will describe the geology of Fishing Creek.
To get credit for this Earth Cache, describe in an email the 3
areas highlighted on the sign and answer, a single ____ can filter
how many gallons of water per day?
For a great view of the wetlands, continue to the end of the
boardwalk and if you wish, post pictures of your visit.
Additional Hints
(No hints available.)
Treasures
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