A two-day symposium exploring the importance of wetland restoration and management will be held April 2-3 in Des Moines.
One of the goals of the symposium is to explore options, both financially and socially, to restore wetland benefits for all parties concerned including agriculture and urban development. For instance, strategic use of state and federal conservation programs can assist landowners in maximizing unproductive land.
Wetlands are areas where water is at, near, or above the land surface long enough to be capable of supporting aquatic or hydrophytic vegetation and which has soils indicative of wet conditions. Iowa wetlands are diverse resources that include marshes, bogs, floodplain woodlands, wet meadows, low prairies and fens.
One of the goals of the symposium is to explore options, both financially and socially, to restore wetland benefits for all parties concerned including agriculture and urban development. For instance, strategic use of state and federal conservation programs can assist landowners in maximizing unproductive land.
Wetlands are areas where water is at, near, or above the land surface long enough to be capable of supporting aquatic or hydrophytic vegetation and which has soils indicative of wet conditions. Iowa wetlands are diverse resources that include marshes, bogs, floodplain woodlands, wet meadows, low prairies and fens.
Iowa has one of the most altered landscapes in the world. Prior to settlement, an estimated four million to six million acres of Iowa were in wetlands. It is estimated that nearly 90 percent of Iowa's wetlands have been lost with only California and Ohio having lost more, according to The Iowa Wetlands and Riparian Areas Conservation Plan.
Wetlands have long been recognized for their value to wildlife, but it has only been in recent years that we've begun to understand the importance of wetlands in improving water quality for larger lakes and streams as well as reducing impacts from flooding. The restoration of wetlands provides not only environmental benefits in terms of improving water quality, but also economic benefits. In addition to hunting and fishing opportunities, wetlands are a haven for many non-game species.
Wildlife watching, particularly bird watching, is the fastest growing outdoor-related activity in the United States. Quality wildlife watching opportunities can be a boon to local economies that have wetland complexes designed to attract wildlife and, in turn, the people attracted to watching wildlife.
In recent years, the Iowa DNR has been actively working on restoring some of Iowa's largest wetland complexes. A video highlighting the DNR's efforts to restore existing wetlands, "Reviving Iowa's Shallow Lakes," can be found at:
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