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St. Paul, Minn.-- As Minnesota’s 2015 waterfowl hunting
season begins on Saturday, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) is
releasing two reports on the health of wetlands around the state. The health of
a wetland’s vegetation can impact its quality as a habitat for ducks, geese, insects,
and other animals.
The two reports —Status
and trends of wetlands in Minnesota: Depressional Wetland Quality Assessment
(2007 – 2012) and Status
and Trends of Wetlands in Minnesota: Vegetation Quality Baseline — look at
the quality of vegetation in the more than 10 million acres of wetlands in
Minnesota. The first report covers the “prairie pothole” marshes and ponds
found in northwestern, central, and south-southwestern Minnesota, whose quality
has remained stable since they were last studied. The latter is the first study
undertaken to assess the vegetative health of all Minnesota’s wetlands.
Overall, wetlands in the state are healthy, though the quality varies
dramatically by region.
Vegetation quality is exceptional in approximately 49
percent of the state’s wetlands. Exceptional quality is defined as plant
diversity and health similar to sites that haven’t been affected by development,
agriculture, and other human activities. Thirty-three percent of wetlands are
in fair or poor condition, in which vegetation is degraded and native plants are
being replaced by non-native invasive plants.
Although Minnesota wetlands can claim good health in total,
that overall status masks some regional issues. Around 75 percent of the state’s
wetlands are in the north-central and northeast regions, where less development
and lighter land uses have allowed wetlands to thrive. However, 80 percent of the remaining
wetlands — in the central, southern, and western regions — have degraded
vegetation quality, particularly from invasive plant species, such as cattails
and reed canary grass. Aquatic invertebrates (insects, snails, leeches, and
crustaceans) are not suffering as much: invertebrate communities in 57 percent of
these regions’ marshes and ponds are in fair or poor condition.
“Excess phosphorus and nitrogen levels from runoff pose a
significant threat to the biological integrity of these wetlands,” says Michael
Bourdaghs, MPCA research scientist and author of the report on overall
vegetation quality.
Because Minnesota has lost roughly half of its wetlands
since European settlement, much of the focus on wetlands has addressed
maintaining or increasing the amount of wetland acreage. But wetland quality
affects the way wetlands are able to support watershed health and serve as
animal habitat, and is an important aspect of meeting state and federal policy
goals. The MPCA is recommending a greater emphasis on wetland protection to
promote the quality and biological diversity of the state’s wetlands.
For more information, visit the MPCA web site at http://www.pca.state.mn.us/pyri1131
Broadcast version
The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency is releasing two
reports on the health of wetlands around the state. The health of a wetland’s vegetation can
impact its quality as a habitat for ducks, geese, insects, and other animals.
Overall, wetlands in the state are healthy, though the quality varies
dramatically by region. Vegetation quality is exceptional in approximately forty-nine percent
of the state’s wetlands. Exceptional quality is represented by plant diversity
and health similar to sites that haven’t suffered from development and other
human impacts. Thirty-three percent of wetlands are in fair or poor condition. Vegetation is degraded and native plants are being replaced by
non-native invasive plants.
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The mission of the MPCA is to protect and improve the environment and enhance human health.
St. Paul • Brainerd • Detroit Lakes • Duluth • Mankato • Marshall • Rochester • Willmar
www.pca.state.mn.us • Toll-free and TDD 800-657-3864
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