Wetland Demonstration Garden-Fall 2003

By: Jason Hebert and Kelsey Williams

Bench overlooking the pond

The term Wetland encompasses many types of aquatic areas including bogs, fens, marshes, flood lands, freshwater lakes, prairie potholes and swamps.  Wetlands are a very important feature in our landscape.  Both natural and artificial wetlands provide refuge for many different plants, animals and insects that may not be found in other habitats.  Wetlands also help to improve water quality by removing sediment and pollutants, and act as flood protectors because of the amount of water they can intake.

The wetland area of the “Gifts of the First People” demonstration garden is designed to simulate an aqueous habitat as might be found in nature with the intention of bringing greater awareness and respect for a group of ecosystems that have been largely seen as inhospitable wastelands. Today, worldwide it is estimated that only 45 to 50% of previous wetland habitats still exist.  This puts a lot of plant and animal species in danger, while also causing other adverse affects like lack of flood retention and poorer water conditions in the area. 

Work on the “Gifts of the First People” wetland project began during the 2002-2003 academic year. Students Arletta Archer, Emily Plot, Rachel Width, and Melissa Bates were the instrumental visionaries. During the fall 2002 quarter they exhaustively researched wetland ecology and flora, visited various wetlands, researched building techniques and material costs, and mapped out the proposed site. During winter quarter Melissa, Arletta, and Rachel stayed on to see the site excavated. The group proceeded to place and bury the pond liner, fill the pond, designate the trail and introduce various plant species including: Labrador Tea, Cattail, Willow, High Bush Cranberry, Western Coltsfoot, Deer Fern and Sword Fern. In the spring Arletta and A.J. Nash continued introducing various new plants including: Vanilla Leaf (though I suspect it has died as I have not seen it), reeds and rushes, Red Elderberry, blueberries, Devil’s Club, and more. We have spent the fall quarter of 2003 trying our best to decipher the intents of last year’s students and act upon our own visions for the future of the area.

When we began working in the wetland garden in October, the area had been completely overgrown with grass and other invasive plants including morning glory and horsetail.  We spent the majority of the first part of the quarter weeding and trying to figure out what was actually planted in the area.  We discovered many plants that were previously unapparent including Bog Cranberry, several blueberry bushes, Labrador Tea, Deer Fern, Maidenhair Fern, several unidentified trees, Pacific Ninebark, High Bush Cranberry, and others. 

Kelsey checking out the pond with new stakes in the foreground

The pond just after our first flood

After things got a little more cleared out, we got a better feel for the area and started making plans for what we wanted to do with it.  We decided to designate a trail around the pond using stakes and rocks, and we added a bench (which Jason made himself).  We experimented with transplanting several Sword Ferns and also a couple of Salmonberry Bushes.  We went through many different ideas and changes to our plans, and also took trips to local wetland areas to get a better feel for what functioning wetlands are like. We had a few minor setbacks when the flooding drained half of the pond and kept taking away rocks we were using to mark the trail and logs that were holding down the pond-liner and helping to prevent erosion. These problems were fairly easy to deal with, but flooding and erosion prevention still need to be enhanced there so the pond does not fill in via the surrounding soil. For erosion control we hope to establish abundant plant life around the pond and on the burm to hold the soil together. We also have hopes to someday have a wooden walkway put in, and have labels for the plant species there to make the area more visitor friendly.

Kelsey and Jason

We hope that this demonstration wetland will bring more awareness to the beauty and usefulness of our world’s natural wetlands, and hopefully inspire people to help conserve these vanishing ecosystems.