Wetland ReclassificationMaquam Bog and Munson Flats

Megan EuclideChristina Martin

Meghan ShanahanZachary Walker

● Wetland environments provide habitat for significant amount of plant and animal species, many of which are endangered

● Wetland systems also enhance water quality and support the structural stability

● These systems are often threatened by anthropogenic pressures

Introduction

● Maquam Bog and Munson Flats are two Vermont wetlands that have unique attributes in comparison to other wetland systems in the state

● These wetlands are also under potential risk from degradation from human sources

Retrieved from http://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/83-Munson-Rd_Colchester_VT_05446_M46165-88793

Retrieved from http://www.vpr.net/news_detail/93729/winters-time-to-tour-maquam-bog/

● The restoration of a destroyed or damaged wetland can be successful, but is often very expensive and time consuming

● Therefore, it is more efficient to prevent any initial damages from occurring to the wetland

● Raising the classification of Maquam Bog and Munson Flats under the Vermont Wetland rules from class II to class I is the best way to achieve this goal

Recovery v.s. Prevention

Retrieved from http://water.epa.gov/grants_funding/wetlands/restore/index.cfm

● Three characteristics of a wetland in the U.S. (Pascoe 1993)o Hydrophytic vegetation (plant life low in

oxygen at points because of high water content)

o Soils develop anaerobic conditions because they are flooded for a long time period

o Wetland hydrology that has soil saturation to the surface at least periodically

Some Background Info

● Rank each function as not present, low, present or high

● Functions include: o Water storageo Fish and wildlife habitato Exemplary natural

communityo Economic benefit

How Vermont Assesses How Valuable a Wetland Is

https://usfwsnortheast.wordpress.com/2014/04/09/vermont-wetlands-receive-international-recognition/

● Main difference is 50 ft vs 100 ft buffer

● Allowed uses very similaro Can’t alter the

water flow into and out of the wetland (Vermont Wetland Rules 2010)

Class I vs Class II

http://wamc.org/post/missisquoi-delta-recognized-important-wetland

● Maquam Bogo Peatland bogo Part of a delta wetland

complex2 uncommon invertebrate animals1 uncommon plant1 state endangered animal1 state endangered plant1 threatened plant1 invertebrate threatened1 vertebrate animal threatened

Munson Flats and Maquam Bog

● Munson Flatso Categorized as an

outstanding wetland by the state of Vermont

Both currently Class II2 state endangered animal species2 state threatened speciestotal of 6 rare/endangered vertebrate animals6 plant 15 rare species of animals in the flats

● Did a literature search on risks and stressors relevant to wetlands Northeastern US.

● Looked at Munson Flats and Maquam Bog as case studies to identify potential sources of stress.

Methods

1. Draining wetlands for farmland or dredging for development

2. Surrounding land use can cause biological, physical, and chemical stress

Sources of stress for wetlands

Photo Credit: Lara Cerri

Houlahan et al. 2006

retreived from https://theheartthrills.wordpress.com/category/news/

● Surrounding development

● Climate change

● Surrounding agricultural use

Sources of stress for wetlands in Northeastern U.S.

● Increased runoff from impervious surfaces.

● Change in hydrology● Gateway for

invasive species ● Thermal and noise

pollution

Stress from Surrounding Development

Retreived from http://dirt.asla.org/category/development/

Retrieved from:http://www.burnsmcd.com/Projects/Detail/Wetland-Services-Road-Improvement-Projects

● Change in water balance● Northeast is

experiencing a higher percent of heavier precipitation events

Climate Change

Retrieved from http://www.anr.state.vt.us/anr/climatechange/Pubs/VTCCAdaptClimateChangeVTBetts.pdf

● Draining and hydrology change for crop production

● Overabundance of nutrients from agricultural runoff.

Agricultural lands

Case Studies

● Two busy roads, Interstate 89 and Route 2, along the both sides of wetland.

● Agricultural lands surround the wetland.

Potential Sources of Stress for Munson Flats

Area for largest concern

Sources of Stress for Maquam Bog

Change in hydrology of the river delta● Due to a changing

climate● Due to accumulation

of increased impervious surfaces

Steps in Risk Assessment of Wetlands● Survey inputs that could be potential stressors● Ecological survey - is there any degradation occurring● Analyze the relationship between the potential stressor and potential receptor

In order to decrease chances of degradation, Monitoring for this needs to start before there is a problem!

Monitoring is less costly than restoring damaged wetlands.

Discussion

● Sediments and runoff are reduced most effectively by a buffer of 30-100 feet

● In order to be most effective in reducing both Phosphorus and Nitrogen, a buffer would need to measure 100 feet or more.

Effectiveness Of Buffers

McElfish et al. (2008)

Management and maintenance ● what are the standards?● who is responsible for maintenance?

Once a Buffer is Established

● Reclassify the wetlands to Class I in order to secure a 100 foot buffer

● land-owner responsibilities● set up a monitoring program

Recommendations

Special thanks to Laura LaPierre and Breck Bowden for their guidance in this project.

Acknowledgements

Houlahan, J., & Findlay, S. (2003). The effects of adjacent land use on wetland amphibian species richness and community composition. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, 60(9), 1078-1094.

McElfish, J.M., Jr., Kihslinger, R.L., Nichols, S., Setting Buffer Sizes for Wetlands. National Wetlands Newsletter, 2008. Vol. 30, no. 2.

Pascoe, G. A. (1993), Wetland risk assessment. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, 12: 2293–2307. doi: 10.1002/etc.5620121211

Bibliography