May is Wetlands Month!
Wetlands Month Highlights Important Resource

America first celebrated “Wetlands Month” in May, 1991. Wetlands are some of the most productive and dynamic habitats in the world. New Jersey is home to a variety of wetlands types, from vernal pools crucial to amphibian breeding in the north to our coastal marshes that are globally significant for migratory birds.

Besides providing habitat for species of wildlife like fish, reptiles, amphibians, birds and mammals, New Jersey’s wetland serve as a natural filter for our water used for drinking, irrigation and industry. They also provide economic benefits estimated to be at least $34 million dollars annually - from recreational uses of wetlands such as, birding, hunting, fishing and more! And our wetlands even benefit the great American pastime; the mud used to "rub up" every baseball used in the US major league baseball games comes from New Jersey wetlands.

Wetlands are commonly referred to as swamps, marshes, or bogs. However, many wetlands in New Jersey are forested and do not fit the classic picture of a swamp or marsh. Previously misunderstood as wastelands, wetlands are now being recognized for their vital ecological and socioeconomic contributions.
NJ DEP Division of Land Use Regulation
http://www.nj.gov/dep/landuse/fww

The physical, chemical, and biological interactions within wetlands are often referred to as wetland functions. These functions include surface and subsurface water storage, nutrient cycling, particulate removal, maintenance of plant and animal communities, water filtration or purification, and groundwater recharge.

Similarly, the characteristics of wetlands that are beneficial to society are called wetland values. Perhaps these can best be thought of as the importance of a wetland function to an individual or group. Some examples of wetland values include reduced damage from flooding, water quality improvement, and fish and wildlife habitat enhancement. It is important to maintain and restore wetland functions and values because wetlands contribute to the overall health of the environment.

New Jersey Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) provides technical and financial assistance for wetland restoration projects to private landowners interested in restoring wetland functions and values from agricultural areas formerly farmed and disturbed from agricultural uses. Several New Jersey landowners have received assistance for wetland restoration through the Wetlands Reserve Program and the Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program. You can learn about some of what has been accomplished on the New Jersey NRCS website at http://www.nj.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/wrp/WRP_Conservation_Success.html

---Tim Dunne, State Resource Conservationist
tim.dunne@nj.usda.gov

NRCS Seeking Land for Wetlands Project

Wetlands Photos