- Description
- Wetlands Map
Wetlands have a lot of different definitions but in the most basic terminology they are transitional areas between open water and upland environments. For regulatory purposes, according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers the term wetlands means "those areas that are inundated or saturated by surface or ground water at a frequency and duration sufficient to support, and that under normal circumstances do support, a prevalence of vegetation typically adapted for life in saturated soil conditions. Wetlands generally include swamps, marshes, bogs, and similar areas."
Wetlands are controversial at all levels of government and legislation has been passed at the state and federal levels to protect wetlands. The federal government passed the Clean Water Act in 1977 (CWA) and Minnesota passed the Wetland Conservation Act (WCA) in 1992; a tougher, more broad-sweeping law to protect Minnesota’s wetlands. SMSC has wetlands that fall into the jurisdiction of both laws because the tribe owns trust and fee land. Lands in trust are those that are recognized by the United States government as sovereign soil. Wetlands on trust land fall under the jurisdiction of the CWA and its protection laws. Wetlands on fee lands fall under the jurisdiction of the WCA and its protection laws.
Wetlands are protected because they are ecologically valuable. They are highly variable forming in all kinds of landscapes but one common thread they all share is diversity. The plant communities are uniquely adapted to saturated conditions and filled with many species. Fauna of all kinds exploit the plant communities for food and shelter.
Wetlands have other benefits too, and the WCA recognizes the following as ecologically important (Board of Soil and Water Resources website):
- Water quality, including filtering pollutants out of surface water and groundwater, using nutrients that would otherwise pollute public waters, trapping sediments, protecting shoreline, and recharging groundwater supplies.
- Floodwater and storm water retention, including reducing the potential for flooding in the watershed;.
- Public recreation and education, including hunting and fishing areas, wildlife viewing areas, and nature areas.
- Commercial benefits, including wild rice and cranberry growing areas and aquaculture areas;
fish and wildlife benefits. - Low-flow augmentation during times of drought.
