Churchmans Marsh.
Protect and Preserve Christina River Watershed Wetlands
The Christina River Watershed has fresh water wetlands, found in marshy and swampy areas along the river and streams, around ponds, in marshes, and in other locations. Wetlands are extremely vital because they control flooding, act as a filter to remove pollutants from waterways and runoff, and provide habitat and spawning areas for many types of fish, wildlife, and plants. The water quality that the wetlands support is also important to recreational uses of the Christina River and streams, e.g. fishing and boating.
Unfortunately, in the past the value of wetlands to water quality was not appreciated. Many disappeared and many were degraded due to development, building of roadways, improper logging and timber harvesting. Now, however there is a resurgence of interest in protection, restoration, and replacement of the watershed’s wetlands.
Landowners can do the following:
- Remove invasive species from your wetlands. Examples include: phragmites, Japanese honeysuckle, Asian bittersweet, purple loosestrife, and multaflora rose
- Replace invasive species with suitable native wetland plant species. Examples include: arrowhead species, blue flag, pickerelweed, and American water willow.
- Keep trash and hazardous wastes from your property from reaching the wetlands.
- Care for the trees and other plant species in forested freshwater wetlands.
- Assistance is available to landowners through:
Volunteers can check with the Christina Conservancy (christinaconservancyinc@gmail.com) for any events that are focused on wetland areas such as Bioblitzes and “Out With Invasives” events.