HOW TO WIN THE POSTER CONTEST

"Wetlands Are Wonderful

by Sheila Jones, Wake Soil & Water Conservation District


CONSERVATON POSTER MESSAGE
Through your poster, teach someone:
1) about one unique NC wetland youve researched and studied,
2) what benefits your wetland provides to healthy watersheds,
plant & wildlife habitat, and people; and
3) how we can take positive actions to protect wetlands
and why it is important to do so.

For years, many people considered wetlands to be unproductive wastelands that should be drained, filled
in, or channeled. Education has given people a new perspective and appreciation for the free ecological
services wetlands provide that benefit both human and environmental communities. In a reverse trend,
wetlands are now being protected, restored, enhanced, and constructed.

STEP 1: RESEARCH CONTENT!
The 1
st
step is to research what wetlands are and what they do as a vital and dynamic ecosystem.

Definition of Wetland
A wetland is a type of ecosystem where the land is saturated with water and contains biotic (living) and
abiotic (non-living) components that interact and affect each other. This ecosystem has three
characteristics that classify it as a wetland:
1. Hydric Soil: Wetlands have special hydric soils that show the effects of, and presence of water.
They are usually located between a body of water and land.

2. Hydrophytic vegetation: Plants that are specially adapted to living on, near, or in the water.

3. Hydrology: Wetlands have a water table that is at or close to the surface for most or part of the
year. Note: Some wetlands look dry, but theyre still wetlands because the water table is close
to the soil surface.
Be sure to see Step 2 that provides definitions for many of these wetland terms.

Types of Wetlands
Choose one of the following eight different NC wetlands to research. As your resource, use the special
excerpt Freshwater Wetlands from Wildlife in North Carolina magazine, March 1995 written by the
NC Wildlife Resources Commission. To learn about salt marshes, read the excerpt from the book North
Carolina WILD Places: A Closer Look written by the NC Wildlife Resources Commission.

a. Mountain Bog e. Headwater Forests
b. Freshwater Marsh (beaver ponds) f. Bottomland Hardwood Forests
c. Savanna g. Carolina Bay (seasonal wetlands/vernal pools)
d. Pocosin h. Tidal Salt Marsh (often part of estuaries)


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Use the student page* to guide your research. Where in NC is this type of wetland found? What are its
abiotic factors (hydrology and hydric soil) that make it a wetland? What are its biotic factors
(hydrophytic plants and wildlife) that are specially adapted to this water-rich, oxygen-deprived, and
nutrient-poor environment? What benefits does this wetland provide to people and the environment?
How is this wetland unique? Does it have historical significance? Does it impact NCs economy? What
threatens it and how? Why should people care? What positive actions can they take to protect it?
*NOTE: Answer Keys sent to participating teachers as a quick answers-at-a-glance reference!

Functions of Wetlands
People are beginning to understand why
wetlands are worth protecting. Heres what
they do for me and you:

CLEAN WATER
Wetlands act like giant kidneys! Wetland plant
roots help purify water by trapping sediment
and filtering pollutants and excessive nutrients
from runoff. These pollutants can alter water
chemistry and prove toxic to plants and animals
Excessive nutrients cause algae blooms that, upon decomposing, deplete water of its dissolved oxygen.
Wetlands also recharge groundwater and increase the availability of water by absorbing and adding water
in wet seasons, then gradually releasing it during dry periods.

EROSION CONTROL
Wetlands are super sediment trappers! Wetland tree roots trap and hold soil in place, preventing erosion.
Sediment can darken and increase water temperatures which in turn, lowers dissolved oxygen levels, fills
lakes and rivers reducing their water-holding capacity, and smothers aquatic eggs and benthic species
which alters entire life cycles and food webs.

FLOOD CONTROL
Wetlands are flood and stormbusters! Wetlands act as sponges with one acre able to store 1-1.5 million
gallons of floodwater. They absorb excess water from heavy rains or stormwater runoff, let it spread
out over a broader area and slowly release water into rivers and streams. Unlike expensive levees & flood
control structures, this free eco-service prevents disastrous flooding that threatens life and property.

HABITAT & BIODIVERSITY
Wetlands are biodiversity hotspots! Wetlands provide food, water, shelter, and nurseries for many
wetland plants and animals. Although they cover only 5% of the land surface in the lower 48 states,
wetlands are home to 31% of plant species. Fish prefer permanently flooded habitats, while many
salamanders and frogs reproduce in wetlands that are only seasonally wet. Up to one-half of North
American bird species nest or feed in wetlands. 75% of commercially harvested fish are wetland-
dependent. Add shellfish like clams & oysters and that number jumps to 95%!

HUMAN NEEDS
Wetlands are people friendly! Wetlands address human needs by improving quality of life, health,
economic well-being, security, recreation, and enjoyment of natural beauty. Wetland-related ecotourism
activities such as hunting, bird-watching and photography add ~$60 billion each year to the U.S. economy.

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STEP 2: LEARN DEFINITIONS!
The 2
nd
step is to define new wetland words that you come across during your research. Use these scientific terms
on your poster to wow your teacher and the poster judges with your new wetland vocabulary!

Wetland = a landform having all 3 of these characteristics: evidence of water, hydric (wet) soils, and
hydrophytic (water-tolerant) vegetation. Important Note: Some wetlands do not necessarily have standing water
all year. They can appear bone-dry for months, but they still have the 3 characteristics listed above that classify
them as wetlands! Wetlands differ from ponds, lakes, and rivers because they are defined as areas having, at least
periodically, waterlogged soils or standing water. Types of NC wetlands to research: savanna, pocosin, mountain bog,
freshwater marsh, tidal salt marsh, headwater forest, bottomland hardwood forest, and Carolina bay (seasonal.)

Hydric Soil = a soil showing the effects of, and the presence of water. Saturated soils are oxygen-starved and
over many years, this forms hydric soils that are gray in color or mottled gray. Examples of North Carolina hydric
soils: Plummer sand, Rains fine sandy loam, Roanoke fine sandy loam, Swamp, Wehadkee silt loam, Wehadkee and Bibb
soils, and Worsham sandy loam.

Hydrophytic Vegetation = plants specially adapted to a water-saturated environment. There are more than
2,000 plant species that occur in North Carolina wetlands. Some examples of NC wetland tree species: bald cypress
with knees, tupelo gum, green ash, overcup oak, river birch, sycamore, and black willow. Surprisingly, trees like
Loblolly pine grow in wetlands too! Dont forget carnivorous plants like Venus Fly-Trap, Pitcher Plant and Sundew!

Hydrologic Cycle = the circulation of water from the sea, through the atmosphere, to the land, and then back to
sea by overland and underground routes, or directly back into the atmosphere by evaporation and transpiration. The
hydrologic cycle is a global life-support system that is driven by heat energy from the sun.

Sustainable Living = to use Earths precious, finite resources conscientiously to meet lifes current needs without
compromising the ability of future generations to meet theirs.

Watershed = the high land that sheds rain water and stormwater runoff downhill to the lowest point where it
collects in a lake, creek, stream, river, wetland, or ocean. Wetlands are important components of many watersheds!

STEP 3: PLAN A WINNING DESIGN!
The 3
rd
step is to design your poster, using the contest title and a thoughtful balance of picture & text.

Keep it simple! Choose one type of NC wetland--like a savanna, pocosin, mountain bog, freshwater
marsh, tidal salt marsh, headwater forest, bottomland hardwood forest, and Carolina bay
(seasonal/vernal pool.)--and illustrate 1-2 ways it provides benefits to keep plants, animals, people
and entire watersheds healthy!

Describe what people can do! Describe how people can conserve & protect existing wetlands
(most preferable action); restore altered wetlands (by planting native vegetation and plugging
ditches); and constructing new wetlands to absorb and filter stormwater runoff and recharge
groundwater (there is some debate whether constructed wetlands function as well as natural
wetlands).

Remember the poster contest rules! Use poster board thats no smaller than 22 x 28 or no
larger than 24 x 36. Make sure mounted materials stick up no more than 1/8-inch.

Review your work! Ask others to review your work for accuracy, spelling, and effectiveness.

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STEP 4: BE CREATIVE!
The 4
th
step is to have fun creating an original poster that conveys your knowledge of wetlands!

Artistically hand-draw, paint or arrange real photographs to portray your message on a poster board
no smaller than 22 x 28 and no larger than 24 x 36;

Hand-draw your own pictures as the Judges prefer original illustrations over computer-generated;

Incorporate humor by drawing your poster in comic strip fashion with your own cartoon characters
(if it looks like "Garfield" or "Snoopy", that's someone else's creation.) Yours will be better!

Add texture with materials like fabric, paper, ribbons, cotton balls, etc. but be sure that no mounted
materials stick out more than 1/8" from poster surface.

Incorporate moving parts: Invite the viewer to turn-the-circle, lift-up-the-flap, pull-down-the-tab, &
slide-the-door to see more information without the wordy text detracting from your artwork!

Use bright colors! Colors that pop" command attention! Get creative with gift wrap, foil, glitter, etc.

Use your imagination! Ask an Art teacher or a local artist for a helpful critique! Manifique!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
POSTER I.D Please complete and glue this label on the back of each poster entry. Thank you!

STUDENT'S NAME:________________________________________________GRADE: 5
th


SCHOOL:__________________________________________________________COUNTY: WAKE

TEACHER'S NAME:___________________________________________________________________

BEST THING I LEARNED FROM THIS POSTER CONTEST:____________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________



















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