The Art and Science of Building Wetlands
An ephemeral wetland was created during the Monongahela's wetlands workshop in June.
Participants from 15 federal and state agencies, universities, and private groups gathered on the Monongahela to learn the fine points of wetlands construction.
A properly designed and constructed wetland can be critical to the long-term survival of numerous species of insects, amphibians, and invertebratres. In addition it can help support populations of bats and birds, and provide drinking water for other animals. But not all constructed wetlands ARE properly designed or built and some are dismal failures.
A workshop held on the Monongahela National Forest June 6-8, 2008, provided Forest Service employees and others with a hands-on opportunity to learn the art and science of building wetlands. Organized by Forest biologists Cathy Johnson and Dan Arling and District biologists Jay Martin and Cheryl Tanner, the session attracted national interest and participation. Led by Jim Biebighauser, a Forest Service wildlife biologist on the Morehead Ranger District of the Daniel Boone National Forest in Kentucky, the workshop focused primarily on the construction of ephemeral or vernal wetlands.
Biebighauser, who has overseen the construction of more than 1,000 wetlands to date and has published materials on the subject, emphasized the hands-on nature of the information. With a bulldozer operator who had never created a vernal pool prior to the workshop, Biebighauser was able to demonstrate the concepts of creating a wetland that not only met the need of the wildlife for which it was developed, but which also visually fit on the land.
District staff identified areas along a relatively flat ridge in an on-going timber sale where they wanted to create a series of vernal pools. Doing a series of related wetlands is not only more beneficial to wildlife than a single pond, but is a cost effective way to make use of heavy equipment. Working with the areas already flagged out the dozer operator gradually created the wetland, stopping periodically so that the class could hear discussions as to the techniques being used.
While the dozer was working the group spent hands-on time learning characteristics of suitable and unsuitable soils by handling 10 different samples to determine if they would hold water; and what the best construction techniques would be for each soil type. Techniques and their relative costs and times of year to implement were all discussed.
As a special treat a bat mist-netting exercise was conducted over a pond in the area, to showcase how valuable ridgetop wetlands are for such animals as well as to amphibians and other species discussed during the session. Seven species of bats were caught over two nights of netting.
By the time the workshop ended, participants from the Fish and Wildlife Service, West Virginia Division of Natural Resources, West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection, US Geological Survey, several National Forests, two universities and several environmental groups or consulting firms learned and shared a great deal about wetlands creation. Their efforts in the field also resulted in the creation of 10 ephemeral wetlands in the project area.
These will be monitored for success over the coming years and included in the Forest's monitoring reports. Forest biologists also plan to develop Forest-specific guidelines for pond/wetland construction in association with other forest projects, based partly on the workshop and follow-up comments.