The Compleat Wetlander
« Previous EntriesThe Compleat Wetlander: Some plants grow only in wetlands—or do they?
Tuesday, September 7th, 2010Some plants grow only in wetlands—or do they?
Rooted plants need water to grow. But lots of water for long periods depletes the oxygen in the soil creating a condition called anoxia. Wetland plants—hydrophytic plants—are able to grow and thrive in low oxygen environments. Sounds simple. The boundary of a wetland is the line where hydrophytic […]
The Compleat Wetlander: Clean Water Action Plan: Then and Now
Tuesday, August 31st, 2010Clean Water Action Plan: Then and Now
“Don’t panic and carry a towel”
Douglas Adams, A Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
In February of 1998 the Clinton Administration announced that it would implement a Clean Water Action Plan http://www.epa.gov/history/topics/cwa/03.htm
The plan encompassed:
New Pollution Challenges. 40 percent of waterways
surveyed were still too polluted for fishing and swimming. […]
The Complete Wetlander: A Climate Change Portal for Everyone
Wednesday, August 25th, 2010A Climate Change Portal for Everyone
“We basically have three choices: mitigation, adaptation,
and suffering. We’re going to do some of each. The
question is what the mix is going to be. The more
mitigation we do, the less adaptation will be required and
the less suffering there will be.”
– John Holdren, President of the American
Association for […]
The Compleat Wetlander: The Wildest Watershed
Tuesday, August 17th, 2010The Wildest Watershed
“Once, while driving in a wagon with Dave, up an
exceedingly wet and rocky backwoods road, with the
water pouring down the middle, I asked him how in
Aroostook County they were able to tell its roads
from its rivers. “No beaver dams in the roads,”
instantly responded Dave.”
–Theodore Roosevelt, 1918
Wetlands are […]
The Compleat Wetlander: Getting Ready to Celebrate the 40th Anniversary of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands
Monday, August 9th, 2010Getting Ready to Celebrate the 40th Anniversary of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands
It’s not too soon to start planning. February 2, 2011 is a very special day for wetlands around the world. It will be 40 years since an international treaty was completed in Ramsar, Iran. It is the only international treaty that addresses a […]
The Compleat Wetlander: Oil and Water Don’t Mix: Neither do Oil and Wetlands
Tuesday, August 3rd, 2010Oil and Water Don’t Mix: Neither do Oil and Wetlands
Today the Deep Water Horizon Oil Spill has been declared the largest ‘unintentional’ oil spill in history http://www.washingtonpost.com/wpdyn/content/article/2010/
08/02/AR2010080204695.html?wpisrc=nl_headline. It also is not the only oil spill in the news. Last week EPA reported that over a million gallons of oil had spilled into the Kalamazoo River in […]
The Compleat Wetlander: Smarter, Better, Clearer: Improving Wetland Permitting
Tuesday, July 27th, 2010Smarter, Better, Clearer: Improving Wetland Permitting
I do not undertake to say all that is known
Or may be said of it
But I undertake to acquaint the reader
With many things that are not usually known
— The Compleat Angler
Over the past six months the Association of State Wetland Managers has been working with a […]
The Compleat Wetlander: Wildlife, Wetlands and Life—or the Catastrophic Consequences of Ignoring those Pesky Externalities
Tuesday, July 20th, 2010Wildlife, Wetlands and Life—or the Catastrophic Consequences of Ignoring those Pesky Externalities
“Without your community and your family you would not be happy
Without nature you would not be alive”
Pavan Sukhdev, The Economics of Ecosystems and
Biodiversity (TEEB) Study Leader
Last week a report was published through the United Nations Environment Program on the Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity highlighting […]
The Compleat Wetlander: Wetland Adoption Programs: The Basics
Monday, July 12th, 2010Wetland Adoption Programs: The Basics
There are many place-based adoption programs. These don’t entail ownership, but instead represent a commitment to help sustain and preserve the health and beauty of a park or a stretch of highway or a stream. The Adopt-a-Stream program has been around since at least the mid-80s and it provided a rough […]
The Compleat Wetlander: Wetland Jurisdiction and River Restoration: The little state that can.
Tuesday, July 6th, 2010Wetland Jurisdiction and River Restoration: The little state that can.
There is one question that I have been asked several times a year every year beginning in 2001. It is–
“How many states have passed legislation to protect
wetlands no longer protected under the Clean Water
Act following SWANCC?”
This is because Congress has not passed legislation to […]