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Articles on Wetlands

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Many ecologically important wetlands, like these in Kulm, N.D., lack surface connections to navigable waterways. USFWS Mountain-Prairie/Flickr

The Supreme Court just shriveled federal protection for wetlands, leaving many of these valuable ecosystems at risk

In Sackett v. EPA, a suit filed by two homeowners who filled in wetlands on their property, the Supreme Court has drastically narrowed the definition of which wetlands qualify for federal protection.
The Hudson Bay Lowlands is among the fastest warming regions on the planet, with temperature increases projected to be up to three times higher than the global average. (Vito Lam)

How climate change is impacting the Hudson Bay Lowlands — Canada’s largest wetland

The impacts of climate change on the terrestrial ecosystems, that comprise interconnected webs of snow, water, plants and animals, can be rapid, complex, and unpredictable.
Beavers dramatically change a landscape by building dams that create ponds of still water. Jerzy Strzelecki/Wikimedia Commons

Beavers and oysters are helping restore lost ecosystems with their engineering skills – podcast

Restoring entire ecosystems is a difficult and expensive process. Thankfully, certain species, called ecosystem engineers, can make restoration easier. Gaining social and political support is critical too.
A raccoon with a fish at the Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary in Naples, Fla. Michael Siluk/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

What is a wetland? An ecologist explains

The US Supreme Court opens its 2022-2023 term with a case that could greatly reduce federal protection for wetlands. Here is what makes these ecosystems valuable.
Wetlands like this one in California’s Morro Bay Estuary shelter fish, animals and plants and help control flooding. Citizen of the Planet/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

Which wetlands should receive federal protection? The Supreme Court revisits a question it has struggled in the past to answer

The Supreme Court opens its 2022-2023 session with a high-profile case that has major implications for both wildlife and landowners.
The round goby is an invasive fish that has become established in the St. Lawrence River over the past two decades, following its introduction into the Great Lakes. (Cristina Charette)

St. Lawrence River zones that are hostile to invasive species can be refuges for native fish

Wetlands can help limit the spread of the voracious round goby, an invasive species that has infiltrated the Great Lakes and has become widespread in the St. Lawrence River.
A bridge and road submerged by floodwaters from the North Fork of the Kentucky River in Jackson, Kentucky, July 28, 2022. Leandro Lozada/AFP via Getty Images

What is a flash flood? A civil engineer explains

As recent deluges in St. Louis and Kentucky show, flash flooding can happen in urban and rural areas, with deadly results in either setting.
The population of western chorus frogs has been declining over the past 60 years and continues to be an issue across Canada. (Shutterstock)

Finding their song: Reviving the declining western chorus frog population is now critical

Habitat protection and restoration, advanced reproductive technologies and reintroduction procedures could help slow the decline of western chorus frogs and other amphibians.
An abandoned forest road that has become impassable due to the washout of the culvert fill. The beaver dam has also contributed to road erosion. (Forest Hydrology Laboratory of Université Laval)

How Québec’s abandoned logging roads are damaging lakes, rivers and streams — and putting wildlife at risk

By mismanaging its forestry road system, Québec and the forestry companies operating in public forests have made significant savings, to the detriment of protecting aquatic environments.

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