Permission obtained at the Butler County office that manages parks. These wetlands offer a wide variety of traditionals and a field puzzle.
Upon settlement of Ohio and eventual statehood status in 1803, the wetland areas of the Buckeye State have diminished rapidly. These areas have been subject to draining and filling in order to surface the ground for buildings or other establishments. As a result, nearly 90% of the wetland areas in Ohio have been destroyed or degraded.
Why are wetlands valuable?
Wetlands have been called “nature’s kidneys” because of their ability to filter impurities from water. Sediment settles out of runoff and dissolved contaminants bind to plant surfaces or are transformed, resulting in improved water quality.
Wetlands perform other valuable functions including reducing flood flow and shoreline erosion control.
Wetlands provide a haven for rare and endangered plants, and one-third of the all endangered species depend on wetlands for survival. Many wetlands are important fish spawning and nursery areas, as well as nesting, resting and feeding areas for waterfowl. Wetlands also provide recreational opportunities such as canoeing, fishing, and bird watching.
How are wetlands identified?
Depending on their location and characteristics, wetlands are known by many names. Some of these include swamp, marsh, bog, fen, wet prairie, farmed wetland and wet meadow. Wetlands are areas that are inundated or saturated by surface or ground water often enough to support plants adapted for life in saturated soil conditions. An undisturbed area must have all of the following to be considered a wetland:
1) Wetland hydrology — Wetlands have either saturated or flooded soils for some time during the growing season.
2) Hydric soils — Wetlands have poorly drained soils that are low in oxygen due to saturation or flooding.
3) Hydrophytic vegetation — Wetlands are dominated by vegetation that is adapted to life in saturated or flooded
soil. The familiar cattail is just one of more than 1,000 plant species that commonly occur in Ohio’s wetlands.
Others include trees, annual and perennial herbaceous plants, shrubs, vines and grasses, such as maple trees, rushes and buttercups.
The coordinates provided bring you to the informational side at the head of the trail. Follow the right side of the trail for the best view of the wetland areas around you. In order to claim a find on this cache, please answer the following questions in a message to the CO. All "found" logs will be deleted if I do not receive an email within 24 hours of your log. Also, any logs that contain spoilers or answers to the questions will be deleted.
1.) What kind of plant and animal species do you notice as you proceed down the trail? Would any of these species be considered endangered?
2.) In the cache description I provided the three factors needed in order for an area to be categorized as a wetland. What evidence at this location meets these three criteria?
3.) Would this area be subject to future draining, filling, or other modifications that could ultimately eliminate the wetland and the species currently inhabiting the area? Why or why not? What would be the resulting effect on the ecosystem?
Optional.) Post a picture of you or your GPS unit in front of the wetlands and/or near the informational sign.
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