I just learned about #what3words - a 3-metre square grid system that uses a 3 word address to easily and memorably #communicate precise location information globally. Very helpful for #fieldwork in remote locations and #safety plans. The words are random, but coincidentally, the door to the building where our #wetland#ecology lab is based is at ///indoor.roaming.aquatic !
"#WestCoast policymakers should look to #eelgrass meadows and other tidal #wetland habitats to play a critical role in the [#ClimateResilience] effort. These habitats capture and store #carbon, filter excess nutrients from the water, produce #oxygen, and help protect coastal communities from #floods and #StormSurge. Healthy eelgrass meadows also provide vital habitat for salmon, Dungeness crab, and other #wildlife that are important to the region’s economy. "
Walks out to obvious wetland area with fish jumping, turtles swimming, and cattails growing on the banks.
Sees the drainage channel with a clear ordinary high water mark leading from into a flowing river happens to be dry.
My Report:
"It would be horribly unethical for you to destroy this, but SCOTUS says this isn't a wetland anymore. Nothing's stopping you from complete environmental destruction. I hope you don't."
Could smell the salt really strongly among the mangroves here - the muddy waters here are part of the Hunter River Estuary (think it's also part of Ironbark Creek which is tidal and goes through a fair chunk of Newcastle).
Our tiny patch of wetland continues to survive in the wooded back portion of our property. Wetland is an important biome, but so many people want to see every bit of woodland drained to make dry, human-accessible spaces. Guess what? It's not all about us!
Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) and Northern Pintail (Anas acuta) Ducks at Salt Plains National Wildlife Refuge in Alfalfa County, Oklahoma, United States on February 9, 2024
This year, share your amazing #wetland science! Submit by Jan 12 to Session #6 “Advances in Wetland Science: Connecting the Land, Water, and People” at #IAGLR24 in Windsor.
Co-Chairs: @kirkwoodlab.bsky.social @girls@cdrobich.bsky.social @tylerbhampton.bsky.social
Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia) in cattails (Typha angustifolia) at Salt Plains National Wildlife Refuge in Alfalfa County, Oklahoma, United States on February 9, 2024
Two African Fish Eagles sit together to survey their world. The larger, stockier bird on the lower branch is the female. The slighter bird sitting protectively above her & turned to regard the viewer is the male.
Note: When zooming in hard on this photograph, I can see that the male has lost his right eye, but it doesn't seem to be slowing him down any.
We took a trip to the Lincoln Park Zoo today and saw the Wetland exhibit in the Birdhouse. Not the best photos but thought it would be a good contribution to #MarshMadness :)
There's lots of interesting stuff underground at the edge of a #wetland meadow. Layers of coal are a few hundred meters below, but we hope they won't reach that deep. They come back with black noses and feet anyway.
Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) near cattails (Typha angustifolia) at Salt Plains National Wildlife Refuge in Alfalfa County, Oklahoma, United States on February 9, 2024
Wetlands are areas of land that are saturated with water, either seasonally or permanently. Swamps, bogs, and marshes are all wetlands. Here are examples of each in Indiana:
Twin Swamps Nature Preserve located in Mt. Vernon
Pinhook Bog is a bog located in northwest Indiana. It is home to one third of Indiana’s rare or endangered plants.
Celery Bog (which is actually a marsh) in West Lafayette