Wildlife of Wetlands
2004
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Wetlands Program
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
The EPA's Wetlands Program works to protects and restore our Nation's aquatic
resources with other federal agencies, state, tribal, and local governments, and
non-governmental partners. Through implementation of the Clean Water Act
the Wetlands Program, with other programs in the Office of Water, seeks to
maintain the chemical, physical and biological integrity of the Nation's waters
and to achieve a no net loss of wetlands and other valuable aquatic
resources. In addition, the Program promotes wetland protection
efforts through partnerships, education, grants, and sound science-
based decision making to improve the quality of the Nation's
watersheds and aquatic ecosystems. The Wetlands Program also
encourages and enables others, in concert with meeting federal
Clean Water Act responsibilities, to protect
and restore the functions and values of the Nation's
wetlands and associated aquatic ecosystems.
The photographs presented for each month were Finalists
in EPA's 2003 Wetland Photography Contest; the small
thumbnail photos received honorable mention.
Photographs of a wide range of wildlife species that
live in, or depend on, wetlands were submitted by
amateur photographers from across the country.
For more information about
wetlands, visit our web site at:
H'H'H'. epa.gov/O WO W/wetlands
or call the Wetlands Helpline at:
1-800-832-7828
Cover photo: Jay Fleming
Grand Prize 2003 Wetland Photo Contest
Great Egret, Indian River Bay, DE
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"All Paths Lead to Light" by Natalie Hamill, age 17
New Jersey.
2000 National Art Finalist. River of Words Contest.
Schoolchildren around the country are learning to explore
and value the natural world through the annual River of Words
Watershed Poetry and Art Contest, which is affiliated with the
Library of Congress.
Abigail Hemenway, Grade 5
Pennsylvania
1997 Poetry Finalist
River of Words Contest
http://www.riverofwords.org/
High
on two silver legs
hlue ice cream
tipped wings
stretching
golden vanilla
beak,
creamy white neck
bent over shimmering
water
silky smooth
peach fu:: wings
flooded
with a perfect
golden
ray of light
even stars
back away at its beauty.
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Jack Mills
Sno\v Gt'i'.vi' at t/avvrt, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, NM
Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge is famous for its wetlands, which are critically important for
migrating birds in the desert southwest. Thousands of birds, including snow gccsc and a wide variety of
other waterfowl, gather here to feed during the winter months.
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JANUARY
SUNDAY
QECEMBEE
S M T W 1 is
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21 22 2^ 24 2> 2n 2
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MONDAY
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12
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Martin Luther King Jr Da>
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WEDNESDAY
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THURSDAY
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FRIDAY
2
9
16
23
30
SATURDAY
3
10
17
24
31
"One touch of nature makes the whole world kin. " William Shakespeare
For more information about wetlands visit our website at: www.epa.gov/owow/wetlands/ or call 1-800-832-7828
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Gary Armstrong
.\lullanl.\. Green Bay. WI
The Uniied Slates. Canada, and Mexico are all signatories to the North American Waterfowl Management Plan.
a federal initiative to restore millions of acres of wetlands essential for wintering and nesting ducks, including
Mallards. In support of the Management Plan, the North American Wetlands Conservation Act has protected
and restored almost 16 million acres of wetlands and adjacent uplands in North America since 1989.
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FEBRUARY
SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY
1
2
\Wrld Wetland* Da>
3
4
5
6
0
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
President Day
17
18
\1igrakn-\i Bird
Consolation Act-1924
19
20
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21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
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29
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21 22 23 24 25 26 27
28 29 30 %1
" When the well is dry we know the wealth of water. " Benjamin Franklin
For more information about wetlands visit our website at: www.epa.gov/owow/wetlands/ or call 1-800-832-7828
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Jay Osenkowski
Toad. Richmond. RI
Amphibians, such as the American Toad, arc voracious eaters of insects. Vernal pools - small
seasonal wetlands that contain surface water for only a few weeks in the spring - are especially
important as they provide critical breeding habitat for many species of toads and other amphibians.
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MARCH
SI NDAY MONDAY TU-.SDAY WtDNhSDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY
14
21
28
15
22
29
9
16
23
30
10
17
24
31
4
11
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25
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"77k' world is mud-luscious and puddle-wonderful. " e.e. cummings
I or more information about wetlands visit our website at: www.epa.gov owow wetlands or call 1-800-832-7X28
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Robert Sofferman
Mallard on nest, Burlington Golf Course, VT
Wetlands is the collective term for marshes, swamps, bogs, and similar aquatic areas. Often called
"nurseries of life," wetlands arc among the most productive ecosystems on earth, comparable to
tropical rain forests and coral reefs. Due to this productivity, wetlands provide an abundant source
of food for more than 15 million ducks in the United States.
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APRIL
SUNDAY
MONDAY
TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY
FRIDAY
11
25
12
26
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13
20
27
14
21
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28
15
22
29
23
30
SATURDAY
to
17
24
" We abuse land because we regard it as a commodity belonging to us. When we see land as a community to which
we belong, we may begin to use it with love and respect. " Aldo Leopold
For more information about wetlands visit our website at: www.epa.gov/owow/wetlands or call 1-800-832-7N2X
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Annette Jones, Esq.
Green Tree Frog, Lake Waco, TX
This Green Tree Frog found a suitable home in a constructed wetland in Waco. Texas. The wetland
was specifically created to improve water quality in the Waco River, the source of the city's drinking
water. Recent research has found that in certain watersheds, nitrogen and herbicide runoff can be
reduced by up to 50 percent by restoring wetlands in just 1 percent of the watershed.
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MAY
si ND..VI
MONDAY
May is American Wetlands Month
TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY
FRIDAY
For more information about
American Wetlands Month
\isit our \veh site at:
u\\u.cpa.go\ owow wetlands/awm
-M'BIL
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Memorial Day
4
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6
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"// is onlv a little planet, hut how beautiful it is. " Robinson JefTers
For more information about wetlands visit our website at: www.epa.gov/owow/wetlands/ or eall 1-HOO-832-782H
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John Karian
(irctil Rllic Hi'mti in nc\l. S;md\ t reck Iimnshlp. PA
One of the most significant benefits of wetlands is their ability to
store immense quantities of floodwater and slowly release il over
time, providing a natural buffer against destructive Hoods. Great
Blue Herons also find value in wetlands as they often build their
nests in or near swamps.
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JUNE
SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY
6
13
20
27
7
14
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21
28
1
8
15
22
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2
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MAY
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Mary Hollingor
l\. St. Mar>'s County. Ml)
Dragonflies provide a natural control of mosquito populations. Healthy wetlands can support large
numbers of dragonfly nymphs, which prey upon mosquito larvae. As adults, dragonflies have
a voracious appetite for flying mosquitoes, hence their nickname "mosquito hawk." Monitoring
wetlands for water quality using bioindicators. such as dragonflies and other aquatic insects, is
helping to determine the health of these important aquatic ecosystems.
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JULY
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THURSDAY
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FRIDAY
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3
16
23
30
SATURDAY
3
10
17
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31
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"When we try to pick out anything hy itself in nature we find it hitched to everything else in the universe. " John Muir
For more information about wetlands visit our website at: www.epa.gov/owow/wetlands/ or call I -800-832-7S28
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Jay Osenktmski
. South Kmgstimn. Rl
Wetlands arc the vital link between land and water, and provide critical habitats for amphibians such as the
Gray Tree Frog. Perhaps the world's best natural filter, wetlands break down and remove excess nutrients.
sediment, and other contaminants in surface runoff This acts to reduce the amount of pollutants reaching
our rivers, lakes, and estuaries, as well as groundwater and drinking water sources.
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AUGUST
SUNDAY
MONDAY
TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
1
8
15
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16
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Alan Savitzky
Marbled Salamander. lsk- ot Wiyht County. V'A
The Marbled Salamander is typically found in floodplains and other low-lying areas. As adults.
salamanders live on land but all salamanders are born in wetlands, such as vernal pools, which
are critical to their existence.
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SEPTEMBER
SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY
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"For if one link in nature s chain might be lost, another might be lost, until the whole of things will vanish by piecemeal.
Thomas Jefferson
For more information about wetlands visit our website at: www.epa.gov/owow/wetlands/ or call 1-800-832-7828
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Paul Gibson
Yellow-headed Blackbird, Nampa, ID
Wetlands provide excellent homes for all types of wildlife, including the
Yellow-headed Blackbird and other songbirds. Even small wetlands are
important as they provide a crucial source of food, as well as resting
areas, for birds on their annual migration.
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OCTOBER
SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY
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"I go to nature to be soothed and healed, and to have my senses put in order. " John Burroughs
For more information about wetlands visit our website at: www.cpa.gov/owow/wetlands or call 1-800-832-7828
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W.B. holsoni
i Piinthcf. Everizlades National Park. II.
More than one-third of the threatened and endangered speeies in the U.S. live exclusively
in wetlands, and nearly half use wetlands at some point in their life cycle. The Everglades.
a unique ecosystem and home to the endangered Florida Panther, has been designated a
World Heritage Site and a World Biosphere Reserve by the United Nations.
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NOVEMBER
SUNDAY
MONDAY
IlLSDAY \\1-DNI-SDAY
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
7
14
21
28
1
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Dennis Dcmchtcl
"We have lost a sense of respect for the wild river, for the complex workings of a wetland, for the intricate web
of life that water supports. " Sandra Postel
For more information about wetlands visit our website at: www.cpa.gin tnum wetlands/ or eall 1-800-832-7828
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Dennis Dcmchcck
American Alligator, Layfayette, I.A
Wetlands arc crucial components of watersheds, providing numerous functions, or services, tor
both people and wildlife, including this lurking American alligator. Some of these functions
include: protecting and improving water quality, providing habitats for plants and animals, storing
floodwatcr. and maintaining surface water flow during dry periods. In addition. 95% of the
commercially harvested fish and shellfish in the U.S. are directly dependent on wetlands, hence the
saying "no wetlands, no seafood."
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DECEMBER
SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY I RIDAY SATURDAY
12
26
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4 25 2n 27 2W 2-J
3
13
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tcnscnaiuin Acl-IWV
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20
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William B. Folsom
"To protect your rivers, protect your mountains. " Emperor Yu
For more information about wetlands visit our website at: www.epa.gov/owow/wetlands/ or call 1 -800-832-7828
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The above photographs were Finalists in EPA's 2003 Wetland Photography Contest.
Mecyded/Ri'i-ydable • Printed with Vegetable Oil Based Inks on !00"'u Postconsuincr, Process ( hlorine l-rcc Recycled Paper
Publication Number EPA843-l-:-03-009
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