1. Wetland Reclassification Maquam Bog and Munson Flats Megan Euclide Christina Martin Meghan Shanahan Zachary Walker

2. ●Wetland environments provide habitat for significant amount of plant and animal species, many of which are endangered ●Wetland systems also enhance water quality and support the structural stability ●These systems are often threatened by anthropogenic pressures Introduction

4. ●Maquam Bog and Munson Flats are two Vermont wetlands that have unique attributes in comparison to other wetland systems in the state ●These wetlands are also under potential risk from degradation from human sources Retrieved from http://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes- detail/83-Munson-Rd_Colchester_VT_05446_M46165-88793 Retrieved from http://www.vpr.net/news_detail/93729/winters-time- to-tour-maquam-bog/

5. ●The restoration of a destroyed or damaged wetland can be successful, but is often very expensive and time consuming ●Therefore, it is more efficient to prevent any initial damages from occurring to the wetland ●Raising the classification of Maquam Bog and Munson Flats under the Vermont Wetland rules from class II to class I is the best way to achieve this goal Recovery v.s. Prevention Retrieved from http://water.epa.gov/grants_funding/wetlands/restore/index.cfm

6. ● Three characteristics of a wetland in the U.S. (Pascoe 1993) o Hydrophytic vegetation (plant life low in oxygen at points because of high water content) o Soils develop anaerobic conditions because they are flooded for a long time period o Wetland hydrology that has soil saturation to the surface at least periodically Some Background Info

7. ● Rank each function as not present, low, present or high ● Functions include: o Water storage o Fish and wildlife habitat o Exemplary natural community o Economic benefit How Vermont Assesses How Valuable a Wetland Is https://usfwsnortheast.wordpress.com/2014/04/09/ver mont-wetlands-receive-international-recognition/

8. ● Main difference is 50 ft vs 100 ft buffer ● Allowed uses very similar o Can’t alter the water flow into and out of the wetland (Vermont Wetland Rules 2010) Class I vs Class II http://wamc.org/post/missisquoi-delta-recognized- important-wetland

9. ● Maquam Bog o Peatland bog o Part of a delta wetland complex 2 uncommon invertebrate animals 1 uncommon plant 1 state endangered animal 1 state endangered plant 1 threatened plant 1 invertebrate threatened 1 vertebrate animal threatened Munson Flats and Maquam Bog ● Munson Flats o Categorized as an outstanding wetland by the state of Vermont Both currently Class II 2 state endangered animal species 2 state threatened species total of 6 rare/endangered vertebrate animals 6 plant 15 rare species of animals in the flats

10. ● Did a literature search on risks and stressors relevant to wetlands Northeastern US. ● Looked at Munson Flats and Maquam Bog as case studies to identify potential sources of stress. Methods

11. 1.Draining wetlands for farmland or dredging for development 1.Surrounding land use can cause biological, physical, and chemical stress Sources of stress for wetlands Photo Credit: Lara Cerri Houlahan et al. 2006 retreived from https://theheartthrills.wordpress.co m/category/news/

12. ● Surrounding development ● Climate change ● Surrounding agricultural use Sources of stress for wetlands in Northeastern U.S.

13. ● Increased runoff from impervious surfaces. ● Change in hydrology ● Gateway for invasive species ● Thermal and noise pollution Stress from Surrounding Development Retreived from http://dirt.asla.org/category/development/ Retrieved from: http://www.burnsmcd.com/Projects/Detail/Wetla nd-Services-Road-Improvement-Projects

14. ● Change in water balance ● Northeast is experiencing a higher percent of heavier precipitation events Climate Change Retrieved from http://www.anr.state.vt.us/anr/climatechange/Pubs/ VTCCAdaptClimateChangeVTBetts.pdf

15. ● Draining and hydrology change for crop production ● Overabundance of nutrients from agricultural runoff. Agricultural lands

16. Case Studies

17. ●Two busy roads, Interstate 89 and Route 2, along the both sides of wetland. ●Agricultural lands surround the wetland. Potential Sources of Stress for Munson Flats

18. Area for largest concern

19. Sources of Stress for Maquam Bog Change in hydrology of the river delta ●Due to a changing climate ●Due to accumulation of increased impervious surfaces

20. Steps in Risk Assessment of Wetlands ●Survey inputs that could be potential stressors ●Ecological survey - is there any degradation occurring ●Analyze the relationship between the potential stressor and potential receptor In order to decrease chances of degradation, Monitoring for this needs to start before there is a problem! Monitoring is less costly than restoring damaged wetlands. Discussion

21. ● Sediments and runoff are reduced most effectively by a buffer of 30-100 feet ● In order to be most effective in reducing both Phosphorus and Nitrogen, a buffer would need to measure 100 feet or more. Effectiveness Of Buffers

22. McElfish et al. (2008)

23. Management and maintenance ● what are the standards? ● who is responsible for maintenance? Once a Buffer is Established

24. ● Reclassify the wetlands to Class I in order to secure a 100 foot buffer ● land-owner responsibilities ● set up a monitoring program Recommendations

25. Special thanks to Laura LaPierre and Breck Bowden for their guidance in this project. Acknowledgements

26. Houlahan, J., & Findlay, S. (2003). The effects of adjacent land use on wetland amphibian species richness and community composition. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, 60(9), 1078-1094. McElfish, J.M., Jr., Kihslinger, R.L., Nichols, S., Setting Buffer Sizes for Wetlands. National Wetlands Newsletter, 2008. Vol. 30, no. 2. Pascoe, G. A. (1993), Wetland risk assessment. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, 12: 2293–2307. doi: 10.1002/etc.5620121211 Bibliography