Wetlands - Wildlife and Migratory Bird Habitat

Wetlands exhibit very high rates of plant productivity - the conversion of energy from the sun into plant materials. Recent studies suggest that some wetland types such as coastal marshes and inland freshwater marshes, are among the most productive ecosystems in the world. This high productivity often supports a varied and complex food web both within and outside of the wetland.

Wetlands provide essential habitat and food for numerous wildlife species. In addition to serving as a food source, the dense vegetation found in most wetlands provides places for wildlife to build homes and to hide from predators. Wetlands are also an important nesting habitat for migratory birds and waterfowl. For many species, like the Canada goose, wood duck, great blue heron, muskrat, beaver, snapping turtle, and bullfrog, wetlands are primary habitats - the only places they can live. For others, such as black bear, moose, deer, wood frogs, and marsh hawks, wetlands are not primary habitat but are important for a part of their life cycle or during certain times of the year. According to the Vermont Wetland Rules (pdf, 84 KB), in determining whether a wetland is significant for Wildlife and Migratory Bird Habitat the Vermont Natural Resources Board shall, at a minimum, consider the extent to which the wetland meets the following criteria:

For Migratory Bird Habitat the Wetland:

• Has the habitat to support one or more breeding pairs of waterfowl or one or more broods of waterfowl;
• Supports or has the resting, staging or roosting habitat to support waterfowl migration;
• Supports a nest site, provides a buffer for a nest site, or is used as feeding habitat for any of the following species: Great blue heron, black-crowned night-heron, snowy egret, or green-backed heron;
• Or supports or has the habitat to support one or more breeding pairs of any of the following species of birds: Virginia rail, sora rail, common moorhen (gallinule), American coot, snipe, horned grebe, marsh wren, Wilson's warbler, rusty blackbird, bay-breasted warbler, blue-gray gnatcatcher, black tern, Cape May warbler, Lincoln's sparrow, Tennessee warbler, American bittern, pied-billed grebe, least bittern, northern harrier, short-eared owl, black-backed woodpecker, three-toed woodpecker, spruce grouse, and Cerulean warbler.

For Mammal Habitat the Wetland:

• Contains evergreen trees and can be shown to provide winter or otherwise necessary feeding habitat for white-tailed deer, based on an assessment of historic and current use of browsing at a moderate or heavier level;
• Provides necessary feeding habitat for black bear or moose, based on an assessment of historic and current use;
• Contains evidence that it is used by muskrats, otter, or mink;
• Or supports an active beaver dam, one or more beaver lodges, or evidence of an adult population of beaver which have used the site in two or more consecutive years.

For Amphibian and Reptile Habitat the wetland:

• Provides habitat that supports the reproduction of uncommon Vermont amphibian species including: Jefferson salamander, blue-spotted salamander, yellow-spotted salamander, and others found in Vermont of similar significance;
• Supports or based on its habitat is likely to support breeding populations of any uncommon Vermont amphibian species including: Mountain dusky salamander, four-toed salamander, Fowler's (Woodhouse's) toad and others found in Vermont of similar significance;
• Or supports or based on its habitat is likely to support populations of any of the following declining or disjunct species of reptiles: Wood turtle, map turtle, stinkpot turtle, or spotted turtle.

Other wetland characteristics indicative of Wildlife and Migratory Bird Habitat:

• Meets four or more of the following conditions indicative of wildlife habitat diversity:
• Three or more wetland vegetation classes (1/2 acre or greater in size) are present including: open water contiguous to but not necessarily part of the wetland, deep marsh, shallow marsh, shrub swamp, wooded swamp, fen, or bog;
• The dominant wetland vegetation class is one of the following types: deep marsh, shallow marsh, or wooded swamp;
• The wetland is located contiguous to a lake, pond, river, or stream;
• Fifty percent or more of the surrounding habitat types are any combination of one or more of the following types: forest, agricultural land, old field, or open land;
• Emergent or woody vegetation occupies 26 to 75 percent of the wetland area and open water occupies the remainder of the wetland area;
• The wetland falls into one of the following:
• Hydrologically connected to other wetlands of different dominant vegetation classes or open water bodies within 1 mile; or
• Hydrologically connected to other wetlands of the same dominant vegetation class within 1/2 mile; or
• Within 1/4 mile of other wetlands of different dominant vegetation classes or within 1/4 mile of open waterbodies; but not hydrologically connected;
• Is owned by the state or federal government in fee or through easement and managed as a wildlife area as evidenced by a management plan filed and approved by the Secretary;
• Or contains evidence that it is used by wetland dependent wildlife species.

Links of Interest

• Best Management Practices for Resolving Human-Beaver Conflicts in Vermont
• NRCS Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program: a voluntary program for people who want to develop and improve wildlife habitat primarily on private land. Through WHIP USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service provides both technical assistance and up to 75 percent cost-share assistance to establish and improve fish and wildlife habitat. Look for information on Vermont under Index to State Programs and Information, and under the Success Story on the Connecticut River.
• National Wildlife Federation: This site contains a link to "Frogs Forever", a National Wildlife Federation/Department of Interior partnership to save our country's threatened frog populations.
• Wetlands as Bird Habitat: a USGS technical paper that discusses the factors of wetlands that influences birds, the importance of wetlands to birds, the effects of wetlands on waterfowl populations, and the effects of wetland degradation on bird populations.

Updated: April 2005