Wetlands

•    Wetlands are ecosystems in which the soil is saturated with water for at least part of the year (during the growing season).
•    Wetlands are home for many well-adapted plants and animals.
•    Wetlands can come in many forms including ponds, swamps, bogs, marshes, lake or river edges, playas, or mudflats.
•    Water enters a wetland by inflow from tributaries or by precipitation.
•    Water can leave a wetland by evapotranspiration (which is the part of the water cycle that includes the movement of water to the air from soil, plants, and water surfaces), by the leaking of water into the soil, or by overflow of water around the edges.
•    Wetlands can benefit us:
o    Wetlands serve as nesting and nursery areas for many kinds of animals.
o    Wetland plants and animals can act like a filter to break down pollution or to trap sediment.
o    Wetlands plants can help to moderate temperatures and also to store carbon.
o    Wetlands can serve as flood control by absorbing water and slowing moving water.  

Utah’s Wetlands

•    75% of all of Utah’s wetlands, which equals about 400,000 acres, are part of the Great Salt Lake ecosystem.
•    In the West Desert Basin, there are about 39,660 acres of mapped wetlands, but there are probably more wetlands there that have not been mapped.
•    Utah’s wetlands provide a stopover home for many migrating birds including pelicans, avocets, grebes, ducks, plovers, bald eagles, and phalaropes.
•    In 1991, the Great Salt Lake wetlands were added to the Western Hemispheric Shorebird Reserve Network because they are such an important habitat for birds.
•    Some wetland plants that are native to Utah include: dogwood, bulrush, cattail, duckweed, pickleweed, reeds, and rushes
•    Some wetland vertebrate animals that are native to Utah include: muskrat, mink, beaver, river otter, garter snake, frogs and toads, the tiger salamander, fish
•    Some invertebrates (animals without backbones) that are common in Utah wetlands include: dragonflies and damselflies, leeches, mayflies, isopods, mosquitoes, snails, worms, water scorpions
o    Invertebrate animals are common in healthy wetlands. They serve as an important food source for larger animals like birds.
o    Many invertebrates common in wetlands live in the water only during early stages of their lifecycles and later emerge as flying, air-breathing adults.

Farmington Bay and Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area (FBWMA)

•    Farmington Bay is located in the Southeastern corner of the Great Salt Lake. The area of the bay is about 260 squared km.
•    Farmington Bay is separated from the rest of the Great Salt Lake by the causeway to Antelope Island and water is only exchanged through breaches in the causeway and culverts.
•    Brine shrimp are not abundant in Farmington Bay because of salinity levels that are lower than those found in other parts of the Great Salt Lake.
•    The major tributary into Farmington Bay is the Jordan River.
•    There is a very high level of phosphorous (an important element for plant and animal growth that, in excess, causes pollution) in the water of Farmington Bay because of water inflow from wastewater treatment plants.
•    Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area (FBWMA) was built in 1935 and is managed by the Department of Wildlife Resources (DWR) especially for waterfowl like ducks.
•    FBWMA contains more than 12,000 acres of wetlands.
•    At FBWMA, fresh water from the Jordan River is held back by canals and dikes. The water depth is kept very shallow (around 0-14 inches), which helps to spread out fresh water over a larger area of land.
•    Over 200 bird species have been recorded at FBWMA.
•    Most birds breed at Farmington Bay and fly south for the winter, but bald eagles spend the winter there.