Chad Helder
English 102
November 28, 2008
Is the Government Doing Enough to Protect the Wetlands?
America’s wetlands are some of nature’s most innovative designs. Sometimes referred to as “nature’s kidneys,” they are responsible for filtering out pollutants from water and trapping suspended particles. They also perform the much needed task of absorbing flood waters and then releasing them slowly back onto the land. It is estimated that wetlands cover less than 3 percent of Earth’s surface; yet they provide up to 40 percent of valuable ecosystem services such as purifying water and cycling nutrients. Obviously such a seemly small and insignificant collection of lands has more of an impact on the ecosystem as a whole than some realize. A large variety of wildlife either call the wetlands home or else use its waters and marshes to breed and lay their eggs. Wood frogs and salamanders spend most of their lives hidden away in forest undergrowth, but they need to breed in watery areas to ensure the safety of their eggs from such predators as fish. So they migrate to pools swollen from the wet seasons that can be anywhere from a few feet to several acres across. In ideal circumstances, their young will hatch and grow large enough to eventually breath air before the pools dry up in the summer. Other species, such as fairy shrimp, depend upon these pools for the long-term. During the dry months their eggs will stay dormant, snuggled away in the dirt and mud, then they will hatch when the pools reappear a year later.
Settlers that decided to make America their new home long regarded the wetlands as worthless swamps, insect breeding grounds, and annoying blockades impeding travel and farming. It wasn’t until the early 20th century that people began to realize their beneficial impact on the environment. After this time groups formed opposing the destruction of these animal safe havens and flood absorbers. By this time, however, it was already too late for some. In 1928, after a catastrophic storm hit Florida, Lake Okeechobee subsequently flooded thousands of surrounding acres. Some 2,500 people were killed as a result. A more recent example, and one that was equally preventable, is that of Hurricane Katrina. On August 29th, 2005 the hurricane hit the Louisiana Gulf coast line, killing roughly 1,000 people and causing at least $125 billion in damages. Nearly half of those who lost their lives were 75 years old or older. Several studies later indicated that the storm surge would not have been nearly as devastating had large sections of coastal wetlands not been destroyed by Mississippi River flood-control projects and coastal oil and gas development.
The government takes the possibility of total wetland obliteration I would say about semi-seriously. Several environmental laws have been put into place to at least question a developers need to remove sensitive wetland areas, but powerful money making industries have made these rights difficult to maintain. In response to the overwhelming and daily losses of much needed wetlands, President George W. Bush announced that he would be working to “replace” some of these areas with man-made versions. This process of replacing or working to restore lost wetlands is known as mitigation. Some good has been seen to come about from this process. Farmers, for example, are encouraged to participate and thus receive credits for doing so. So far the farmers have shown great interest in “mitigation banking” as it is called, an encouraging factor. Yet there are some that remain critical about replacing lost wetlands with those constructed by humans. It is argued that they do not seem to work as well, that there is simply no replacement for mother nature’s design. I do not believe that this is grounds enough to stop the work that they are doing, however I think the answer (such as it is) also lies within prevention. Less than half of America’s wetlands remain today, and of those that do there are dangers other than obliteration to face. Pollutants drain into their soil, soaking into the residing plant life and poisoning the wildlife within. More than one-third of threatened and endangered species in the U.S. live only in the wetlands, and half will spend at least part of their lives there. Destroying these rich ecosystems we would not only be condemning these already threatened animals to extinction, but also forever altering our planet’s ability to function correctly. Just like a human body without organs, life would not survive for long.
Works Cited
Weeks, Jen. “Protecting Wetlands, Is the Government Doing Enough?” CQ Researcher Online.
3 Oct. 2008.
The Associated Press. “Nearly 50% of Hurricane Katrina’s Louisiana Death Toll Elderly.” Daily News Online. 28 Aug. 2008.
