Volunteer Wetland Monitoring: An Introduction and Resource Guide

Wetlands were maligned for many generations as mucky, buggy, disease-ridden mires. Wetlands may still be a nuisance or barrier to some people, but society now recognizes wetlands for their unique and highly valuable qualities. Wetlands provide rich habitat for plants, invertebrates, fish, reptiles, birds, and mammals. Coastal, riverside, and lakeside marshes are major nurseries for many of the fish that humans and other animals eat. Isolated wetlands provide critical stopover points for migrating birds and breeding grounds for amphibians. Bogs, which are naturally acidic environments, host magnificent plants such as pitcher plant and the sundew (both insect-eating plants).