Wetland delineation of Evergreen Beach real estate.

Abstract

A clear definition of what a wetland is has been difficult to obtain. Various interest groups and parties have definitions that are often geared towards their own ambitions with little regard to other people that may be impacted. The general public tends to think of a wetland as any area that has standing water for part of the year. Wetland delineation is the method through which wetland boundaries are determined. It is a topic subject to political, scientific, and economic interests. These interests are often times conflicting, and wetland boundaries are left suspect to specific agencies and independent parties to debate upon. These conflicts can result in various extremes, ranging from preservation to absolute destruction, with very few intermediate alternatives. Various interest groups interpret boundaries of wetlands differently. Developers tend to overestimate upland boundaries and underestimate wetland extent. They fail to appreciate the repercussions of development on a natural wetland system. Activities such as draining and filling greatly affect the hydrology and vegetation of these delicate ecosystems. Factions interested in protecting the ecological integrity of a wetland ecosystem are more likely to correctly determine or perhaps even exaggerate the magnitude of a wetland and its boundaries. The US Army Corps. of Engineers (COE) has defined a wetland as ""Those areas that are inundated or saturated by surface or ground water at a frequency and duration sufficient to support, and that under normal circumstances do support, a prevalence of vegetation typically adapted for life in saturated soil conditions. Wetlands generally include swamps, marshes, bogs, and similar areas"" (USCOE, 1987). This definition has become the federal standard through which all federally protected wetlands have been defined and is what the state of Michigan utilizes to delineate wetlands. This accumulation of water can advance to the formation of wetland hydrology, soils, and vegetation. As these hydrophytic plants die, organic material decomposes to form peat. Peat is at a lower hydraulic conductivity than the surrounding sandy soils and causes pooling. This, in turn, encourages wetland plants to grow up the side of the ridge slope. As these plants die, organic material continues to accumulate. This expansion of wetlands over mineral soil is called paludification (Moore et. al, 1974). The purpose of our study was to investigate delineation procedures and the difficulties associated with them. Our study site was a tract of land situated on Evergreen Beach, in Presque Isle County, T36N R34E sec.20. The tract we studied was one of many lots available for purchase/development and located within questionable wetland boundaries. More specifically the plot is between the shore of Lake Huron and a rich fen. We were interested in finding out the degree to which our plot could be considered wetland and the extent to which paludification has occurred on the ridge, located towards the middle of our plot. Our hypothesis was that paludification did occur and that the majority of our tract is wetland. If our delineation shows our plot to be a wetland and qualifies under state and federal regulations than it and surrounding areas should be protected.