National Wetlands Inventory People who work to protect wetlands have an invaluable tool in the National Wetlands Inventory, assembled and maintained by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The NWI has mapped almost 90 percent of the wetlands in the contiguous United States. It also has collected detailed information about the nation's wetlands. The NWI also produces status reports for Congress, the most recent being the year 2000. In addition to the reports and maps, NWI produces soil lists, field guides, posters, and state reports. Much of this information is available at http://www.nwi.fws.gov. Cattails often indicate a wetland. Photo: © Carolyn Duckworth 2004

Identifying Wetlands

• Hydric Soils
• Wet Roots
• Wetland Delineation

Your senses can help identify wetlands.

Check the soil: Is it damp to the touch? Does it glisten with liquid, does the water soak through your shoe? Can you literally squeeze the water out? Do you see plants, such as sedges or cattails that are adapted for living in wet soil? Do you hear frogs or see salamanders?

But what if that pothole or pond has already dried up for the season? How might you identify it as a wetland? Observe the area carefully. Is the surface cracked, as when mud dries? Or is it damp beneath the surface? Look for signs of higher water such as marks on the shrubs, trees or rocks; grasses and twigs collected at the base of other plants; leaves coated with a thin layer of sediment.

Similar protocols help environmental scientists and biologists determine the presence and extent of wetlands in a process called wetland delineation.

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