MoDNR Topics
Water Resources Center Survey
About Wetlands
What are wetlands?
Wetlands are transition areas between dry land and open waters; however,
they are not always wet.- Usually wetlands contain plant-life adapted to survive in water-saturated soils, normally without oxygen (anaerobic).
- Some of the plants found in wetlands include duckweed, water lilies, cattails, pondweed, reeds, sedges and bulrushes.
Why is it important to preserve wetlands?
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Wetlands can provide habitat for fish and
wildlife and recreation areas for people to hunt, fish and enjoy watching
nature. Wetlands store floodwaters and maintain surface water flow
during dry periods. Wetlands protect and improve water quality.
Missouri has eight types of natural wetlands: swamps, shrub swamps, forested wetlands, marshes, wet meadows, fens and seeps, pond and lake borders and stream banks.
Restoring vs. Preserving Wetlands
Wetlands are impacted during construction of highways, roads, businesses and homes. The Federal Water Pollution Control Act, Title IV Permits and Licenses, Section 401 and Section 404 empower the state and federal government to regulate permit applicants that may discharge, dredge or place fill material into navigable waters and adjacent wetlands. Within the permit process the federal government or the state may require compensation, replacement or restoration to mitigate wetland impacts. In theory wetland restoration may help to ensure that there is no net loss of wetlands. However, a restored wetland is never exactly the same as the drained or filled wetland. First, soil and water conditions will vary between wetlands and restored wetland functions may take many years before they can mimic a natural wetland. With different soil and water conditions, the mix of plants and animals also varies. In addition, the public may have accessibility to one wetland but not the other. Consequently, the functions and values of a restored wetland may vary from the drained or filled wetland.
The Value of Wetlands
Every piece of wetlands provides value through social and environmental benefits (such as flood control, water quality improvements and wildlife habitat) in addition to the property’s economic value. The property’s market value is recognized by the owner. The social benefits are recognized by the public as well as the private owner.
About the Following Questions
In order to determine what value is being placed on preserving wetlands, the Missouri Department of Natural Resources is asking Missouri residents to answer a series of questions.
Included in the first section of the questionnaire (Section A), are a few general questions about your experience with wetlands and related activities. This will help group responses by experience level.
The second section of the questionnaire (Section B), asks five sets of distinct wetland questions. Each set describes a particular wetland function followed by questions about a hypothetical wetland. One question in each set will ask the respondent to place a dollar value above, below, or the same as market value. Do not be concerned if you are unsure what dollar amount to select. Select the answer that best fits your values and opinions. The answers will give us important information from all those who respond to the survey.
In the third section of the questionnaire (Section C), there are a few questions about your background and formal education. In the analysis of the results, these questions will be used to group respondents’ answers in order to learn how different segments of Missouri’s population differ in their opinions.
