Transcript Mature Forest Wetlands

The Hundred Acre Wood
(a.k.a. Chuckanut Ridge)
Local Photo Source: Responsible Development! 100 Acre Wood
Slide Show (2007).
Freshwater Fairy Shrimp
Photo Source: Encyclopedia Britannica Online, Eubranchipus vernalis (2007).
Along the Interurban Trail
Near Chuckanut Drive
Sources: Bellingham Planning Division, South neighborhood Land Use Map (2004);
Fairhaven Highlands Site Map (2005).
Forest Wetland

A marsh or bog where the ground is
full of water year-round.
Wetland Functions

Flood water storage
and filtration

Wildlife and plant
diversity

Fish and wildlife
habitat
Source: Washington State Department of Natural Resources, Wetland Field
Guides, Managing Wetlands on State Forest Lands in Washington (2002).
Mature Forest Wetland Features
High-quality, keystone
habitat; scores 70 or more
on wetlands rating scale

One-quarter acre or
larger wetland; stands of at
least two species of slowgrowing, native trees

Largest trees 80-200
years old or have trunks
averaging 21 inches in
diameter

Source: Washington State Department of Natural Resources, Mature
Forest Wetland, Western Washington Wetland Rating System (2004).
Spawning, Fawning, Breeding & Nesting
Coho & Chum Salmon,
Sea-run Cutthroat Trout

Black-tailed
Deer
Red-legged
Frog
Pileated
Woodpecker
Key species in the Hundred Acre Wood.
Sources: Ann Eissinger, City of Bellingham Wildlife and Habitat
Assessment (1995); Washington State Department of Wildlife,
Management Recommendations for Priority Species (1997).
Keystone Habitat

Large forest
wetland

80-100 years
old

Supports
specific plant &
animal life

Part of larger
wildlife corridor
Source: Dr. John McLaughlin, Ph.D. Educational Values of Preserving
Chuckanut Ridge: Benefits to Western Washington University (2006).
Vernal Pool

Temporary

Various
sizes

No fish
Source: The Vernal Pool Association, The Vernal Pool (2007).
Vernal Pool Life Cycle
Seasonal rains
flood forest floor.
Vernal pools appear
and provide homes for distinct
water-dependent creatures.
Vernal
pools evaporate
and dormant eggs hatch in the
following rainy season.
Vernal Pool Fairy Shrimp



Crustacean (shell on outside)
Tiny, fairylike bodies
Short lifespan
Photo Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Region 1. Recovery Plan for
Ecosystems of California and Southern Oregon (2005).
Female Fairy Shrimp

Holds fertilized eggs

Drops egg sack

Eggs lay dormant in
dry season

Eggs hatch in wet
season
Photo Source: The Vernal Pool Association, Obligate Vernal Pool
Species (1990).
Indicator Species
Crustacean:
Freshwater Fairy Shrimp

Bird:
Western Tanager
Amphibian:
Long-toed Salamander
The presence or absence and condition of these
“obligates” indicates what kind of ecosystem it is
and how well it is functioning.
Source: Ann Eissinger, Nahkeeta Northwest Wildlife Resource Services,
Personal Interviews (2007).
Testing Shrimp Eggs for Toxins

Toxicologists
analyze the
adverse effects of
chemicals on living
organisms and
determine how
likely they are to
occur.
Brine Shrimp Eggs Hatching
Photo Source: http://www.eeob.iastate.edu/faculty/DrewesC/htdocs/Artemph.jpg
Lubbock, Texas (1996) Cotton Field

Scientists found Roundup and 3
other common pesticides killed fairy
shrimp within 48 hours of exposure.
Source: The Texas Journal of Science, Pesticide usage on the Southern
High Plains and acute toxicity of four chemicals to the fairy shrimp
Thamnocephalus platyurus (1996).
Hundred Acre Wood Wetlands
Source: Bellingham Planning Department, Fairhaven Highlands
Wetlands Delineation Map (2005).
Incredible Shrinking Wetlands

Bellingham is one of many urban areas around
Puget Sound estimated to have lost 70-100% of
its natural wetlands footprint during the last two
centuries.
Source: U.S. Geological Survey, Water-Supply Paper 2425 (1996).
Shrimp, Vernal Pools & Toxins
What we can do in Bellingham City Limits:






Washington Natural Heritage Program Forest Wetland Designation
Shoreline Master Plan Priority Habitat Baseline Inventory
Critical Areas Ordinance Habitat of Local Significance Amendment
Parks and Open Space Plan Fairhaven Park Expansion, Keystone
Open Space Priority
Parks Impact Fee Natural Parkland Priority Allocation
Greenways III Levy Southside Priority Acquisition Allocation
A Parting Thought …

Why should we be concerned about a crustacean
that is less than an inch long, and will never be
abundant enough to serve on top of a pizza?
Source: Larry Serpa, Region 7 Area Ecologist, The Nature Conservancy (2006).
In the Words of Larry Serpa, Ecologist
The Nature Conservancy:

Freshwater fairy
shrimp occupy a role
no other wetlands
creature can fill.
“When you rip an important
strand out of a food web,
there’s no way to know
how much damage will be
done.”
Source: The California Freshwater Shrimp: A ghost-like crustacean we can’t
afford to lose (2006), http//www.frankmgreco.com.

The shrimp’s presence or absence can tell us a lot
about the health of our wetlands.
“They are mute witnesses to the condition and history of the
(wetlands) they inhabit. Continually bathed by the water, they
must face whatever flows toward them. Pollution, siltation,
introduced species, and other factors will affect them to some
extent.”

If freshwater fairy shrimp disappear, we can be
sure something detrimental has happened to the
environment.
“We will have lost much more than just the shrimp.”