Wetland Regulation, Delineation, Mitigation, and Restoration Flashcards

Comprehensive practice flashcards covering wetland policy, delineation techniques, ecosystem service categories, and modern restoration strategies based on lecture notes.

When were the Swamp Land Acts passed?

$1849$, $1850$, and $1860$

What was the purpose of the Swamp Land Acts?

To give $65$ million acres of wetlands to states to drain for agriculture and development

What act protected only navigable waters from obstruction in $1899$?

Rivers and Harbors Act

Which act requires wildlife conservation to receive equal consideration in water resource development?

Fish & Wildlife Coordination Act

Which agency must the USACE consult to minimize loss of wildlife resources under the Fish & Wildlife Coordination Act?

US Fish and Wildlife Service

Which $1965$ act allowed for the purchase of critical wetland habitats to be preserved as National Wildlife Refuges?

Land & Water Conservation Fund Act

What is the primary tool for wetland protection under the Modern Regulation era?

Clean Water Act Section 404

Under Section 404 of the Clean Water Act, from whom must you obtain a permit to dredge or fill in a wetland?

US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE)

Which agency has 'veto power' over Section 404 permits if the impact is believed to be too great?

EPA

What does WOTUS stand for?

Waters of the United States

In which Supreme Court case was the Migratory Bird Rule struck down?

SWANCC v USACE

Which case questioned whether the CWA covers non-navigable tributaries and their adjacent wetlands?

Rapanos v US (2006)

According to the $2023$ Sackett v. EPA ruling, what must a wetland have to be protected federally?

A continuous surface connection to a navigable water

What percentage of US wetlands lost federal protection following the Sackett v. EPA ruling?

$$63\%$$

What national policy goal was established in $1988$ under George H.W. Bush to ensure wetland area does not decrease?

No Net Loss Policy

What is the name of CT’s specific wetland law passed in $1972$?

Inland Wetlands & Watercourses Act

How does Connecticut define wetlands?

By soil type

What are the four soil types defined as wetlands in Connecticut?

Poorly drained, very poorly drained, alluvial, and floodplain

How many towns in CT have an inland volunteer commission for local wetland control?

$$169$$

What is the typical buffer distance for a CT town's Upland Review Area?

Often about $100\,ft$

What are the three steps in the Mitigation Hierarchy?

Avoid, Minimize, and Compensate

What is defined as the amount of wetland area that must be restored/created relative to the amount lost?

Mitigation Ratio

What is the system where developers purchase 'credits' from a large project to fulfill regulatory requirements?

Mitigation Banking

What does the acronym RIBITS stand for?

Regulatory In-Lieu Fee and Bank Information Tracking System

Which organization manages the In-Lieu Fee Program in Connecticut?

Audubon CT

What are the three mandatory federal criteria for Wetland Delineation?

Hydrophytic vegetation, hydric soils, and hydrology

What is the foundational manual used for all Section 404 delineations?

USACE 1987 Manual

What four strata must be sampled separately in hydrophytic vegetation assessment?

Tree, Sapling/Shrub, Herb, and Woody Vine

According to the $50/20$ Rule, which species are considered 'dominants'?

Species that exceed $50\%$ of total cover, plus any single species $\ge 20\%$

A stratum passes the hydrophytic test if what percentage of dominants are OBL, FACW, or FAC?

> 50\%

What is the indicator status and frequency for OBL plants?

Obligate; > 99\%

What is the indicator status and frequency for FACW plants?

Facultative Wetland; $67-99\%$

What is the indicator status and frequency for FAC plants?

Facultative; $33-66\%$

What is the indicator status and frequency for UPL plants?

Upland; < 1\%

What value must the Prevalence Index be to pass as hydrophytic vegetation?

$$\le 3$$

What test confirms hydrophytic vegetation if all dominant species are OBL or FACW?

Rapid Test

What percentage of individuals of a FACU species must show morphological adaptations to pass that test?

> 50\%

Once O2 is gone in saturated soils, which two elements do microbes use for respiration?

Iron and manganese

What chart is used to identify soil color objectively?

Munsell Color Chart

What is the typical hydric soil chroma with mottles?

A chroma of $2$ or less

What is the typical hydric soil chroma without mottles?

A chroma of $1$ or less

What soil matrix indicator is blue, green, or neutral grey and indicates permanent saturation?

Gleying

What are the bright orange spots where iron has reduced in small air pockets called?

Mottles (Redox concentrations)

What are orange halos around living root channels called?

Rhizopheric deposition

At what depth is soil typically sampled to assess hydric indicators?

$$8-12\,inches$$

What is the '$12in$ Rule' in wetland hydrology?

Looking for evidence of water within the top $12\,inches$ of soil during the growing season

Name three primary indicators of wetland hydrology.

Surface water, High water table, and Saturation

How many secondary indicators are needed if no primary hydrology indicators are present?

$$2$$

Which secondary hydrology indicator involves 'chimneys' in the mud?

Crayfish Burrows

What hydrology test compares the number of OBL/FACW plants to FACU/UPL plants?

FAC-neutral test

List the steps of the Ecosystem Service Cascade.

Biophysical structure $\rightarrow$ function $\rightarrow$ service $\rightarrow$ benefit $\rightarrow$ value

What are the four pillars of ecosystem services?

Supporting, Provisioning, Regulating, and Cultural

Which supporting service refers to the creation of biomass through photosynthesis?

Primary Productivity

What is the term for the long-term accumulation of organic matter in anaerobic conditions?

Peat (Soil Formation)

What fraction of the world's population depends on rice for food?

$$2/3$$

How do wetlands mitigate flooding?

They act as sponges, increasing residence time and flattening the flood peak

How do coastal wetlands provide storm surge protection?

They provide friction that reduces wave height and energy

What process removes heavy metals from slow-moving water in wetlands?

Sedimentation

What is the biological process where microbes convert nitrate into nitrogen gas?

Denitrification

What are 'hot spots' for denitrification?

Areas where oxygenated water meets anaerobic zones, such as root zones

Wetlands sequester carbon for thousands of years, making them massive what?

Carbon sinks

Through what two mechanisms do wetlands trap phosphorus?

Sedimentation and adsorption to clay/particles

What gas is released as a byproduct of anaerobic conditions in wetlands?

Methane

Wetlands helping surface water move back into groundwater systems is called what?

Aquifer Recharge

Recreation and Aesthetics are examples of which type of ecosystem service?

Cultural Services

Which ecosystems have the highest estimated value in dollars per hectare per year?

Freshwater wetlands and estuaries

Asking 'how much would it cost to build a treatment plant' defines what valuation method?

Replacement Costs

What type of valuation is based on property damages prevented by a wetland?

Avoided Cost Valuation

What is the difference between wetland restoration and creation?

Restoration returns a degraded wetland to its natural state, while creation converts a non-wetland into one

Why is a 'control' site essential in restoration experiments?

To provide a baseline to ensure changes are due to restoration rather than natural variability

Whose $2000$ paper identified key constraints that prevent restoration from meeting targets?

Zedler

What did Zedler identify as a limitation to returning biodiversity on restored sites?

Depleted seed banks

Zedler noted that soil organic matter and nitrogen accumulate slowly, often taking how long?

Decades or centuries

What was Zedler’s concern regarding the length of monitoring windows?

They are often too short, typically only $5\,yrs$

Which researcher demonstrated in $2020$ that large-scale active seeding can overcome seed bank limitations?

Orth

According to Orth ($2020$), carbon and nitrogen sequestration can approach natural levels within how many decades?

Two decades

Restoring a 'foundation species' can maximize both species richness and what other vital service?

Water quality improvement

What is the primary aim of cranberry bog restoration?

Recover native biodiversity and promote nitrogen removal

What method involves plugging drainage ditches to raise the water table?

Ditch Filling

What is created in microtopography restoration to mimic natural swamp complexity?

Pit and mound structures

What is often the primary limiting factor for denitrification in restored cranberry bogs?

Nitrate availability

Which areas in restored bogs show significantly higher denitrification potential?

Groundwater seeps

What greenhouse gas might be produced during incomplete denitrification?

Nitrous oxide

Why is sediment added to coastal marshes in thin layers?

To increase elevation capital as sea level rise outpaces natural buildup

What is the typical depth for thin layer sediment placement?

$$5-20\,cm$$

What is a risk of applying sediment deeper than $20\,cm$?

Existing plants may not grow through it, requiring active replanting

What negative effect can finer textured soils have on marshes?

They may encourage crab burrowing, which destabilizes the marsh

What can help prevent the colonization of Phragmites after sediment addition?

Higher density native plantings

What is the most common management tool for invasive species in wetlands?

Physical removal or herbicide applications

Why are physical removal or herbicides often ineffective for invasives?

They do not address underlying causes like altered hydrology or high nutrient loading

The mentality that restoration is finished once earth moving is done is called what?

One and Done

How should success in wetland restoration be measured beyond vegetation percentage?

By functional outcomes like nitrogen removal or carbon storage

What is Adaptive Management?

Using monitoring data to inform future actions like adjusting water levels

Which Justice defined the 'significant nexus' test?

Justice Kennedy

How are inland wetlands in CT defined differently than at the federal level?

CT uses soil drainage class; the federal level uses the 3-pillar approach

Who holds the authority for decisions on inland wetland permits in CT?

Local municipal (town) level commissions

What is the term for a soil matrix with orange spots in air pockets?

Redox concentrations

What are the three ecological processes Zedler argued are often ignored in restoration?

Landscape context, reference systems, and hydrological regimes

Algal mats and drift lines are indicators of what wetland parameter?

Wetland Hydrology

What is the specific regional supplement used for delineating wetlands in Connecticut?

The Regional Supplement to the Corps of Engineers Wetland Delineation Manual: Northcentral and Northeast Region