Wetlands are areas that vary along a gradient from permanently flooded to sporadically soaked soil that supports “hyrophytic” plants.  A large amount of emergent plant life exemplifies one particular type of wetland called a marsh (Carter 1999).

     Soft-stemmed plants (e.g., cattails) that grow in and out of the water distinguish marshes.  Nutrients are ample and the pH is typically neutral resulting in a large quantity of plant and animal life (EPA 2001).
 
     Wetlands offer a habitat for an extensive variety of plants, invertebrates, fish, and larger animals.  The plants and animals found in wetlands comprise both those that are able to live on dry land and in the water and those that can live only in a wet ecosystem (Wilcox 2001).

     Plants growing in wetlands are able to live in soils poor in oxygen for at least part of the growing season.  Wetlands make accessible feeding, nesting, and wintering areas for migrating waterfowl and provide fish with spawning, feeding, cover, and nursery locale.  The USFWS estimates that up to 43% of threatened and endangered species rely directly or indirectly on wetlands for their survival (NEPA 2001).

    Factors to consider in analyzing the health of a wetland include vegetation quality, water quality, and wildlife habitats.  The simple goal of protecting a wetland involves minimizing the human induced changes affecting the natural forces that shape and sustain a wetland, such as hydrology, climate, biogeochemical fluxes, fire, and species movement (Water Shedss 2001).