{"id":31274,"date":"2024-02-27T10:39:23","date_gmt":"2024-02-27T15:39:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gsmit.org\/?p=31274"},"modified":"2024-02-28T16:20:35","modified_gmt":"2024-02-28T21:20:35","slug":"a-deep-dive-into-wetlands-free-lesson-plan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gsmit.org\/a-deep-dive-into-wetlands-free-lesson-plan\/","title":{"rendered":"A Deep Dive Into Wetlands [Free Lesson Plan]"},"content":{"rendered":"

Each summer Tremont welcomes 2-3 Community Science Educators to join the Tremont science team. These Educators are tasked with an array of projects which include co-leading our science camps for teens, helping to run our bird banding station, engaging in data collection on butterflies to lichens to salamanders, and creating their own project to strengthen Tremont’s understanding of an area of interest related to science in the Smokies.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

When you picture the environments in which these educators and campers play, learn, and explore, you may picture moss-covered rocks in freshwater rivers and creeks, blue ridge mountains, and various forests extending as far as the eye can see. Maybe you even think about the fields of Cades Cove or the high elevation Spruce Fir Forests. And you would be right! There is another ecosystem, however, that is often overlooked or not associated with mountain habitats.\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Madeline Walker was one of two Community Science Educators for the summer of 2023. An avid naturalist and Environmental Science student at Maryville College, Madeline came with a special interest in an oft-unknown ecosystem present within the mountains: <\/span>wetlands<\/b>. As the name suggests, wetlands are areas where the land is wet! More specifically, they are areas where water is present at or near the surface of the soil either year-round or during temporary periods known as hydroperiods. While fewer than 1% of the Smokies are considered \u201cwetlands,\u201d they help sustain a great diversity of species within the habitats that they provide.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

As part of her summer experience, Madeline dove in (figuratively!) to wetlands: what defines them, who lives there, and how they can be used as a teaching tool to understand soil, biodiversity, and hydrology (the movement and interaction of water with the land). If you want to take a deep dive into the science of these fascinating systems, you can check out this scientific write-up Madeline compiled below.<\/span>\u00a0Are you ready to stomp right into a wetland and explore for yourself? You can check out these exploration and discussion suggestions Madeline created for grades 6-12<\/a><\/span>.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>

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The term wetland may have a drastically different meaning to everyone depending on their own personal experiences. To some, thinking of a wetland sparks imagery of insect-laden, murky water that smells of rotting vegetation and eggs as it engulfs your leg with each step. Others may think of the tall grasses or trees that support a variety of migratory birds. Wetlands are a dynamic, critically important ecosystem full of life, history, chemistry, and beauty. There are many ways we can learn from these systems!<\/p>\n

Due to the high diversity of wetland types and the dynamic nature of the systems themselves, defining and determining where a wetland begins and ends may vary depending on the wetland aspects of interest. For example, the definition used for legal classification and policy (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers) focuses on different aspects than the definition used for an ecological study (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service).1<\/sup>\u00a0 For this reason, it is easier to define a wetland based on the presence of the following characteristics: hydrologic regime (characteristic water pattern), hydric<\/span><\/span> soils (saturated for 7-day minimum), and hydrophytic<\/span><\/em><\/span> plants (water-tolerant vegetation).1,2,3 <\/sup>The presence of these characteristics can have impacts on the presence of others, and in that way they interact with each other to create unique habitats and support biodiversity.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>