Mandalay Nation Wildlife Refuge - Earthcache Please stay on the marked path and watch out for Wildlife. On the map below, you will be sicking to the marked blue dotted path.
From www.fws.gov/mandalay
Habitat Description: The 4,416 acre refuge was established in 1996 in Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana. The refuge has a beautiful fresh-water marsh with ponds, levees and man-made canals. Oil and gas wells, and the Gulf-Intracoastal Waterway are important man-made features in the area.
Management Goals:
The management goals are to provide the highest quality migratory bird habitat possible, provide for the needs of endangered plants and animals, allow compatible public uses such as fishing, trapping, wildlife observation and photography, promote research and restoration of wetland resources and provide opportunities for environmental education and interpretation, when possible.
We accomplish our goals through habitat management including aquatic vegetation control and marsh restoration and conservation, erosion control, environmental education programs and law enforcement.
Opportunities for Public Use: The opportunities for public use include bird watching, wildlife observation, boating, photography, fishing and hunting, during designated seasons in accordance with applicable regulations.
Wetlands Classifications - www.fws.gov/wetlands
Moss-Lichen Wetland
Definition. The Moss-Lichen Wetland Class includes areas where mosses or lichens cover substrates other than rock and where emergents, shrubs, or trees make up less than 3007o of the areal cover. The only water regime is saturated.
Description . Mosses and lichens are important components ofthe flora in many wetlands, especially in the north, but these plants usually form a ground cover under a dominant layer of trees, shrubs, or emergents. In some instances higher plants are uncommon and mosses or lichens dominate the flora . Such Moss-Lichen Wetlands are not common, even in the northern United States where they occur most frequently.
Subclasses and Dominance Types . Moss.-Moss Wetlands are most abundant in the far north. Areas covered with peat mosses (Sphagnum spp .) are usually called bogs (Golet and Larson 1974; Jeglum et al . 1974; Zoltai et al . 1975), whether Sphagnum or higher plants are dominant. In Alaska, Drepanocladus and the liverwort Chiloscyphusfragilis may dominate shallow pools with impermanent water; peat moss and other mosses (Campylium stellatum, Aulacomnium palustre, and Oncophorus wahlenbergii) are typical of wet soil in this region (Britton 1957; Drury 1962). Lichen.-Lichen Wetlands are also a northern Subclass . Reindeer moss (Cladina rangiferina) forms the most important Dominance Type. Pollett and Bridgewater (1973) described areas with mosses and lichens as bogs or fens, the distinction being based on the availability of nutrients and the particular plant species present. The presence of Lichen Wetlands has been noted in the Hudson Bay Lowlands (Sjors 1959) and in Ontario (Jeglum et al . 1974).
Emergent Wetland
Definition. The Emergent Wetland Class is characterized by erect, rooted, herbaceous hydrophytes, excluding mosses and lichens . This vegetation is present for most of the growing season in most years. These wetlands are usually dominated by perennial plants. All water regimes are included except subtidal and irregularly exposed .
Description. In areas with relatively stable climatic conditions, Emergent Wetlands maintain the same appearance year after year. In other areas, such as the prairies of the central United States, violent climatic fluctuations cause them to revert to an open water phase in some years (Stewart and Kantrud 1972). Emergent Wetlands are found throughout the United States and occur in all Systems except the Marine. Emergent Wetlands are known by many names, including marsh, meadow, fen, prairie pothole, and slough . Areas that are dominated by pioneer plants which become established during periods of low water are not Emergent Wetlands and should be classified as Vegetated Unconsolidated Shores or Vegetated Streambeds.
Subclasses and Dominance Types. Persistent .-Persistent Emergent Wetlands are dominated by species that normally remain standing at least until the beginning of the next growing season . This Subclass is found only in the Estuarine and Palustrine Systems. Persistent Emergent Wetlands dominated by saltmarsh cordgrass (Spartina alternifora), saltmeadow cordgrass (S . patens), big cordgrass (S. cynosuroides), needlerush (Juncos roemerianus), narrow-leaved cattail (Typha angustifolia), and southern wild rice (Zizaniopsis miliacea) are major components of the Estuarine systems of the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts of the United States . On the Pacific Coast, common pickleweed (Salicornia virginica), sea blite (Suaeda californica), arrow grass (Triglochin maritimum), and California cordgrass (Spartinafoliosa) are common dominants.
Scrub-Shrub Wetland
Definition . The Class Scrub-Shrub Wetland includes areas dominated by woody vegetation less than 6 m (20 feet) tall . The species include true shrubs, young trees, and trees or shrubs that are small or stunted because of environmental conditions. All water regimes except subtidal are included .
Description . Scrub-Shrub Wetlands may represent a successional stage leading to Forested Wetland, or they may be relatively stable communities . They occur only in the Estuarine and Palustrine Systems, but are one of the most widespread classes in the United States (Shaw and Fredine 1956). Scrub-Shrub Wetlands are known by many names, such as shrub swamp (Shaw and Fredine 1956), shrub carr (Curtis 1959), bog (Heinselman 1970), and pocosin (Kologiski 1977). For practical reasons we have also included forests composed of young trees less than 6 m tall .
Subclasses and Dominance Types. Broad-leaved Deciduous.-In Estuarine System Wetlands the predominant deciduous and broad-leaved trees or shrubs are plants such as sea-myrtle (Baccharis halimi folia) and marsh elder (Iva frutescens) . In the Palustrine System typical Dominance Types are alders (Alms spp .), willows (Salix spp.), buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis), red osier dogwood (Cornus stolonifera), honeycup (Zenobia pulverulenta), spirea (Spiraea douglasii), bog birch (Betula pumila), and young trees of species such as red maple (Acer rubrum) or black spruce (Picea mariana).
Forested Wetland
Definition. The Class Forested Wetland is characterized by woody vegetation that is 6 m tall or taller . All water regimes are included except subtidal .
Description . Forested Wetlands are most common in the eastern United States and in those sections of the West where moisture is relatively abundant, particularly along rivers and in the mountains. They occur only in the Palustrine and Estuarine Systems and normally possess an overstory of trees, an understory of young trees or shrubs, and a herbaceous layer. Forested Wetlands in the Estuarine System, which include the mangrove forests of Florida, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands, are known by such names as swamps, hammocks, heads, and bottoms. These names often occur in combination with species names or plant associations such as cedar swamp or bottomland hardwoods .
Subclasses and Dominance Types. Broad-leaved Deciduous.-Dominant trees typical of Broad-leaved Deciduous Wetlands, which are represented throughout the United States, are most common in the South and East. Common dominants are species such as red maple, American elm (Mmus americana), ashes (Fraxinus pennsylvanica and F. nigra), black gum (Nyssa sylvatica), tupelo gum (N. aquatica), swamp white oak (Quercus bicolor), overcup oak (Q. lyrata), and basket oak (Q. michauxii) . Wetlands in this subclass generally occur on mineral soils or highly decomposed organic soils .
Types of Wetlands - www.epa.gov
Marshes
Marshes are defined as wetlands frequently or continually inundated with water, characterized by emergent soft-stemmed vegetation adapted to saturated soil conditions. There are many different kinds of marshes, ranging from the prairie potholes to the Everglades, coastal to inland, freshwater to saltwater. All types receive most of their water from surface water, and many marshes are also fed by groundwater. Nutrients are plentiful and the pH is usually neutral leading to an abundance of plant and animal life
Marshes recharge groundwater supplies and moderate streamflow by providing water to streams. This is an especially important function during periods of drought. The presence of marshes in a watershed helps to reduce damage caused by floods by slowing and storing flood water. As water moves slowly through a marsh, sediment and other pollutants settle to the substrate or floor of the marsh. Marsh vegetation and microorganisms also use excess nutrients for growth that can otherwise pollute surface water such as nitrogen and phosphorus from fertilizer.
Swamps
A swamp is any wetland dominated by woody plants. There are many different kinds of swamps, ranging from the forested Red Maple, (Acer rubrum), swamps of the Northeast to the extensive bottomland hardwood forests found along the sluggish rivers of the Southeast. Swamps are characterized by saturated soils during the growing season and standing water during certain times of the year. The highly organic soils of swamps form a thick, black, nutrient-rich environment for the growth of water-tolerant trees such as Cypress (Taxodium spp.), Atlantic White Cedar (Chamaecyparis thyoides), and Tupelo (Nyssa aquatica). Some swamps are dominated by shrubs, such as Buttonbush or Smooth Alder. Plants, birds, fish, and invertebrates such as freshwater shrimp, crayfish, and clams require the habitats provided by swamps. Many rare species, such as the endangered American Crocodile, depend on these ecosystems as well. Swamps may be divided into two major classes, depending on the type of vegetation present: shrub swamps and forested swamps.
Swamps serve vital roles in flood protection and nutrient removal. Floodplain forests are especially high in productivity and species diversity because of the rich deposits of alluvial soil from floods. Many upland creatures depend on the abundance of food found in the lowland swamps, and valuable timber can be sustainably harvested to provide building materials for people.
Bogs
Bogs are one of North America's most distinctive kinds of wetlands. They are characterized by spongy peat deposits, acidic waters and a floor covered by a thick carpet of sphagnum moss. Bogs receive all or most of their water from precipitation rather than from runoff, groundwater or streams. As a result, bogs are low in the nutrients needed for plant growth, a condition that is enhanced by acid forming peat mosses.
There are two primary ways that a bog can develop: bogs can form as sphagnum moss grows over a lake or pond and slowly fills it (terrestrialization), or bogs can form as sphagnum moss blankets dry land and prevents water from leaving the surface (paludification). Over time, many feet of acidic peat deposits build up in bogs of either origin. The unique and demanding physical and chemical characteristics of bogs result in the presence of plant and animal communities that demonstrate many special adaptations to low nutrient levels, waterlogged conditions, and acidic waters, such as carnivorous plants.
Bogs serve an important ecological function in preventing downstream flooding by absorbing precipitation. Bogs support some of the most interesting plants in the United States (like the carnivorous Sundew) and provide habitat to animals threatened by human encroachment.
Fens
Fens, are peat-forming wetlands that receive nutrients from sources other than precipitation: usually from upslope sources through drainage from surrounding mineral soils and from groundwater movement. Fens differ from bogs because they are less acidic and have higher nutrient levels. Therefore, they are able to support a much more diverse plant and animal community. These systems are often covered by grasses, sedges, rushes and wildflowers. Some fens are characterized by parallel ridges of vegetation separated by less productive hollows. The ridges of these patterned fens form perpendicular to the downslope direction of water movement. Over time, peat may build up and separate the fen from its groundwater supply. When this happens, the fen receives fewer nutrients and may become a bog.
Like bogs, fens are mostly a northern hemisphere phenomenon -- occurring in the northeastern United States, the Great Lakes region, the Rocky Mountains and much of Canada -- and are generally associated with low temperatures and short growing seasons, where ample precipitation and high humidity cause excessive moisture to accumulate.
Fens, like bogs, provide important benefits in a watershed, including preventing or reducing the risk of floods, improving water quality and providing habitat for unique plant and animal communities.
Email the cache owner answers to the following questions after you log the cache. If not emailed with in a day or two, the find will be deleted. Please include the GC# at the top of the email or message.
1. Based on signs you see along the walking path, list the 5 reasons why wetlands are valuable to the enviroment.
2. Describe, compare and contrast the 3 area along your walk in your own words and using the information above. The three locations are the area to the left and right of the trail before the bridge, the waterway below the bridge and the area viewable from the observation deck. Include what classification and type you believe each of the three locations fall under and why.
3. Optional, post a picture of you and your team along the path. Please do not include any answers or signs along the pathway.