It’s all in the name: “wetlands”—areas that are wet all or part of the time, have soils derived from wet, low-oxygen conditions, and host vegetation that thrives in these water and soil conditions.

However, it’s not always straightforward. While wetlands are usually wet, they might not be year-round. Constantly wet swamps are wetlands, but so are prairies, which are wet most of the time but appear dry during the summer. Sometimes, the water lies just below the surface, hidden from view.

Wetlands differ due to variations in vegetation, soils, landscape, and climate. They can have surface water, plants, trees, shrubs, open meadows, shorelines, or a combination.

As transitions between open water and solid land, wetlands perform vital environmental and economic functions. They are the most biologically diverse and productive of all ecosystems. Acting as “nurseries” for aquatic life, they provide habitats for hundreds of plants and animals. Wetlands also recharge groundwater used for drinking water and agriculture.

Acting as sponges, they absorb flood water from major rain events and reduce lake wave action. As “nature’s kidneys,” they filter water and runoff from parking lots, home lawns, and farmland.

The abundant wetlands of our lake region face severe threats. Seawalls, by eliminating natural shorelines, are intensifying wave action, leading to significant erosion; some wetland shorelines have receded as much as 70 feet over the past few decades. Furthermore, commercial development is diminishing the crucial inland wetlands that help absorb and filter our water.

Wetlands age, much like humans do. When they age, sediment builds up, and non-native plants can overwhelm them. As a result, they cannot support as much wildlife diversity and lose their filtering capacity. Scientists have known for decades that aging wetlands hold fewer contaminants and can even release excess nutrients into lakes. These sediments and nutrients can often result in toxic algae blooms or sediment plumes.

Where are the wetlands in our watershed?

The Wawasee Watershed has many recognizable wetlands. Two marsh wetlands readily seen from Lake Wawasee are Conklin Bay and Johnson Bay. The Zimmerman Preserve is located at the Eastern edge of the Johnson Bay Wetland. 

Another marsh wetland, Mudd Lake, sits between Syracuse Lake and Lake Wawasee, visible from our Between the Lakes Preserve. Syracuse Lake Wetlands is located on the east side of Syracuse Lake. 

Turkey Creek Wetlands are along the Turkey Creek Tributary, which flows into the east end of Lake Wawasee. These wetlands are located on or directly adjacent to the lake. However, as we continue deeper into the Lake Wawasee Watershed we see over a thousand acres of wetlands and protected properties held in conservancy by WACF ensuring their future.

Drone footage of Turkey Creek Wetlands.