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HUG16015-Parks, Trails, and Open Space DRAFT Chapter 14 08/16/17 Open Water Wetlands Open water wetlands consist of wet meadows, fens, and emergent marshes. Wet meadows, rich fens, and poor fens are found in relatively flat areas that are poorly drained. These communities consist mostly of sedges and grasses. They differ from each other in that wet meadows occur on peat or muck that is generally less than two feet deep, rich fens occur on peat that is usually more than two feet deep, and poor fens have a layer of sphagnum moss across the top of the peat. Wet meadows and fens were historically present throughout much of the region. However, several of these areas were drained and converted to other uses. Many of the remaining wet meadows and fens are threatened by drainage systems and roads, increases in sediments and nutrients from adjacent land uses, and invasion by cattails or purple loosestrife. Wet meadows and fens provide habitat for rare plant species such as twisted yellow- eyed grass and marginated rush. They also provide habitat for rare animal species including American bitterns, sandhill cranes and Blanding's turtles. Emergent marshes and cattail marshes occur in deeper water than wet meadows and fens. These areas often have standing water in them throughout the growing season. Cattails are present in both emergent marshes and cattail marshes. However, emergent marshes contain more diverse plant species, whereas cattail marshes are dominated by cattails. Cattail marshes are more common today than they were historically. Unfortunately, many of today's cattail marshes were created by dikes and impoundments and they have a low diversity of wetland plant species. Emergent marshes and cattail marshes provide habitat for rare plant species such as waterwillow and walter's barnyard grass. They also provide habitat for rare animals including american bitterns, common moorhens, sandhill cranes, snapping turtles and Blanding's turtles. Shrub Wetlands Shrub wetlands are shallow wetlands dominated by tall shrubs. Generally, shrub wetlands are too wet to support trees and they do not have deep enough water to support the vegetation found in marshes. Most shrub wetlands in the region have patches or are almost completed covered by shrubs that are six to ten feet tall. The most common shrubs include speckled alder, slender willow, red-osier dogwood, and poison sumac. Saplings and a few mature trees of tamarack, paper birch, quaking aspen and black ash are sometimes present. Threats to remaining shrub wetlands include fluctuations in water level caused by drainage systems and roads, increases of sedimentation and nutrients from adjacent land uses, and invasion of buckthorn and purple loosestrife. Rare animal species that may inhabit shrub wetlands include woodland and Blanding's turtles.