Wetlands are elaborate ecosystems which perform many functions in the landscape. A few of the better known functions are stormwater storage, erosion prevention, sediment and pollutant filtration, and the presence of plant communities which provide habitat for wildlife. Even the most diverse team of experts cannot identify all the functional constituents of a wetland because processes within wetlands interact in complex ways. How then do we create, restore, or enhance these systems without thoroughly understanding them? This is a question many managers and ecologists have asked in light of the poor success that has been achieved to date with these types of projects. Continue reading →

Fourth Corner Nurseries offers 74 species of herbaceous wetland plants available as bare-root divisions. These include several species of Carex, Juncus, Scirpus, Aster, Eleocharis palustris, Typha latifolia, Oenanthe sarmentosa, Deschampsia caespitosa, Glyceria grandis, Sparganium, Distichlis spicata, Mimulus guttatus, Potentilla pacifica, Lysichiton americanum, Veronica americana and Stachys cooleyae. Many of these species are available in large quantities (40,000-100,000). These are all grown from seed, not wild collected. Our seedlings often have higher survival rates than wild-collected plants due to less stressful harvesting techniques, and natural wetlands are not impacted. Continue reading →

As our landscape becomes more developed, management of stormwater runoff is a crucial part of maintaining the health of natural water systems. Diminishing natural streams and wetlands are increasingly important for beleaguered wildlife populations, and we should do all we can to ensure that clean water enters these systems in natural flow patterns. Stormwater runoff often contains high sediment loads and many types of pollutants, including oil and grease, chemicals, pesticides, heavy metals, bacteria, viruses, and oxygen-demanding compounds (Interagency Workgroup on Constructed Wetlands, 2000). Treatment facilities are engineered to capture and transform pollutants in water running off roads, parking lots, and roofs so that they will not reach natural wetlands and other ecologically important habitats. The time over which water from a storm event enters streams can be extended to prevent flooding and, depending on the engineering design and site conditions, groundwater recharge is also possible. Over time, however, pollutants will concentrate in the sediment and vegetation in these facilities, creating an unhealthy environment for aquatic life. Wildlife exclusion devices may be necessary. The loss or damage to wetland habitat incurred during development should be replaced with mitigation wetlands, providing the same functions and harboring the same species diversity and biotic richness as the wetlands they replace. Mitigation wetlands require different designs and may not be used as stormwater filters due to pollution concerns. Continue reading →