Subject: Wetlands

Introduction: "Wetlands" is the collective term for marshes, swamps, bogs, and similar areas. They are lands where shallow water stands and the ground is saturated for at least part of the year. Wetlands are found in flat vegetated areas, in depressions on the landscape, and between water and dry land along the edges of

streams, rivers, lakes, and coastlines. Wetland areas can be found in nearly every county and climatic

zone in the United States. Early explorers called Wisconsin "the Great Swamp," since the territory was covered with ten million acres of wetlands. Acre for acre, wetland ecosystems support more wildlife, in numbers and variety, than any other type of habitat.

Marsh - marshes are distinguished by the type of vegetation that grows there. A freshwater marsh has standing water and is dominated by soft-stemmed plants such as cattails, water lilies, arrowheads, rushes and sedges. An enormous variety of birds, animals, insects, fish, and reptiles live in freshwater marshes. A saltwater marsh, found on ocean coastlines, is dominated by tough grasses. The ocean tide rises and falls in these marshes twice each day. Saltwater marshes are home to birds, crabs, fish, mussels, clams, and many other animals. Because of the abundant food found in both freshwater and saltwater marshes, many migrating birds use them as nesting, resting and refueling stations.

Swamp - a wetland dominated by trees and shrubs. Examples of swamps include the cypress swamps of southern Illinois and the tamarack swamps of northern Wisconsin and Michigan.

Bog - bogs are found in high latitude regions of the world, where there is a lot of precipitation and low evaporation (such as northern Wisconsin). Bog moss, or sphagnum, invades the wetland and acts as a sponge. Bog moss accumulates over time, and forms peat, which feels bouncy to walk on. Bog moss makes soil acidic, and an unattractive environment for most plants to grow. Acid tolerant plants, such as cranberries, are able to survive. Black ash and tamarack are trees common in Wisconsin bogs.

Floodplain - the area on either side of a stream that receives excess water when the stream overflows. Historically, floodplains have often been developed for human use: housing, farmland, etc. Developing floodplains may not be wise: the Mississippi river flood in the early 1990s had a huge impact on the towns and farms located in its floodplain.

Wetland troubles - At one time people didn’t realize wetlands are so valuable. Over half in the

U.S. have been destroyed by:

Farming… some farmers have drained wetlands to plant and grow more crops on the land. Most of the lost wetlands (roughly 80%) have been destroyed by these actions.

Development… people have drained and filled wetlands to build houses, stores and buildings.

Display a new clue about wetlands each day for several days before you begin a wetlands unit – see if they can guess what the "Mystery Topic" is. You could bring in: a package of rice, a bag of mud, a frog toy, a picture of a wetland critter, play a tape of frog calls, etc. On the last day hang up a poster of a wetland and use it to introduce the topic for the first day of the unit. Play "Wetland Bingo" to introduce things that live and grow in a wetland: make a card (or several) with different things you’d find in a wetland: water, turtle, muskrat, beaver lodge, snail, flowers, cattails, footprints, etc. Pass them out to students and play like bingo. Play "Wetland Metaphors:" prepare a "Mystery Metaphor" (or "Symbol") container filled with common objects that represent the uses/values of wetlands described above (e.g. a piggy bank for "water bank," a sponge for "flood reducer"). Divide the class into groups and have a student from each group choose an item from the box. Have each group decide what their object represents - something a wetland is or does - and present their ideas to the class.

On the Trip

Have students sit or lay down and listen to the sounds of the wetland, smell the smells, observe what they see. Have them feel and describe different types of soil. Older students can make a list of things they observe. Ask them to write or think about 5 things they like about their surroundings, and 5 things they don’t. Later, sit in a circle and share their answers. (You can follow this one up with the same activity in an urban setting, and ask them to compare and contrast the 2 sites. Which did they find more pleasing and why?) Bring along paper and have them make mud finger paintings. Let them get messy!

Post-Trip Activities

Make wetland mobiles (see attached sheet). Have the whole class make a wetland poster to hang up in the classroom: have each child add something different to the picture (make sure plants and various types of animals are included). When it is done, have each child say 2 or 3 things in the picture it is connected to and how (e.g. something it eats, something it is eaten by, something it builds a home with, etc.). Talk about food webs and food chains. Play the "what if?" game: What if someone drained the water from the wetland - what would happen to the plants? What would that do to the birds, the fish, etc..

Web Sites Offering More Cool Ideas

http://water.usgs.gov/ - U.S. Geologic Survey. Check out their educational resources and links!