Celebrate – And Protect – Wetlands
The Boquet River enters Lake Champlain just south of Willsboro Bay, NY. The floodplain forests that unfold on either side of the river protect water quality, provide corridors for wildlife movement, and store flood waters. Photo by Lauren Sopher. © Lake Champlain Committee.
May is American Wetlands Month! Join us in celebrating our wetland wonders, from swamps and shores to floodplain forests and fens. Check out the LCC Facebook page where we’ve been posting about a different Lake Champlain watershed wetland every week.
The Lake Champlain Basin’s more than 300,000 acres of wetlands are a vital part of the ecosystem. They filter sediments, pollutants and nutrients to cleanse the water, control flooding, stabilize shorelines and provide critical habitat and food for fish and wildlife. Despite their great ecological and recreational value, wetlands continue to be drained, filled and polluted at an alarming rate. We have lost as much as 50% of the Basin’s wetland areas to development and draining since colonial settlement. While there have been significant efforts in recent decades to restore and protect wetland areas, they are still under attack. The Trump Administration has been rolling back many critical environmental rules including protections for over 50% of the nation’s wetlands. LCC is part of state, regional and national efforts to safeguard these critical habitat areas and advocate for a net gain in wetlands.
