Wetlands

A constructed wetland at Sycamore Conservation Education and Demonstration Farm

These are known by several names: swamps, marshes, etc.  They are low-lying areas with water saturated soil and many kinds of aquatic plants.  Water depth is low and /or seasonal; they can be home for hundreds of species of birds, amphibians, and plants.  Wetlands also mitigate flooding because of a large water storage capacity, thus functioning also to recharge ground water and filter out sediments and chemicals.

Cost share programs are available to assist landowners who want to build a wetland, under the Wetland Reserve Program (WRP), administered by the Natural Resources Conservation Service.