|
California and national
wetland habitats shrink annually at an alarming rate. The 48 contiguous states
have a dwindling 100 million acres of wetlands. The U.S.
Fish & Wildlife Service estimates that up to 43% of the
nation's 1,262 threatened and endangered species rely on
wetlands for their survival.
Wetlands are unique
biologic communities characterized by both aquatic and
terrestrial features. Plants and animals that inhabit
wetlands have successfully evolved morphological and
physiological adaptations to the presence of high levels of
salt and periodic inundation and desiccation, as well as to
low concentrations of dissolved oxygen in the water- logged
soils and exposure to alternating salt and fresh water. Many
wetland inhabitants, including salt marsh plants and some
water birds are able to excrete the excessive amounts of
salt that are absorbed or ingested.
While the debate still
rages (big bucks discussion) as to what constitutes a
wetlands, a Supreme Court ruling in late August 2006 made a
determination as to what a wetland is. Two groups of
Michigan land owners asked the U.S. Supreme Court to strike
down federal rules that protect
almost half of the
nation's streams and wetlands from pollution and bulldozer.
Protections for wetlands
miles away from waterways was extended in the Clean Water
Act of 1972.
In California, wetlands
are commonly classified according to the length of time that
an area is inundated or saturated by water or the types of
plants and animals an area supports. Five major wetland
classifications: marine, estuarine, lacustrine,
riverine, and palustrine. Marine and estuarine wetlands are
associated with the ocean and include coastal wetlands, such
as tidal marshes. Lacustrine wetlands are associated
with lakes, while riverine wetlands are found along rivers
and streams. Palustrine wetlands may be isolated or
connected wet areas and include marshes, swamps, and bogs.
Most of California's
coastal wetlands are estuarine salt marshes with associated
tidal channels and mudflats.
Estuaries are formed where
freshwater streams meet the sea, and contain variably
brackish water. Salt marshes develop along the shores of
protected estuarine bays and
river mouths, as well as in more marine-dominated bays and
lagoons. Wetlands that are less common along the California
coast are freshwater marshes, riparian wetlands, bogs, and
vernal pools. Freshwater marshes, like salt water marshes,
are vegetated mostly with herbaceous plants, predominantly
cattails, sedges, and rushes.
Freshwater marshes have
mineral soils that are less fertile than those of salt
marshes, and exhibit a greater variety of plant species than
salt marshes. Riparian wetlands, which occur on the banks of
steams, rivers, and lakes, commonly feature woody
vegetation.
Some Wetlands Birds in
California
American peregrine falcon
American white pelican
Bald eagle
Belding's Savannah sparrow
Black skimmer
Black tern
Burrowing owl
California brown pelican
California gnatcatcher
California gull
California horned lark
California least tern
Common loon
Cooper's hawk
Double-crested cormorant
Elegant tern
Gull-billed tern
Large-billed Savannah sparrow
Least Bell's vireo
Light-footed clapper rail
Long-billed curlew
Marsh hawk
Merlin falcon
Northern harrier
Osprey
Sharp-shinned hawk
Short-eared owl
Swainson's hawk
Tri-colored blackbird
Western least bittern
Western snowy plover
White-faced ibis
|
