Mountain Passage, The Earth′s Waterways: The Wetlands, A Wayƒarer′s Story & Photo Gallery

a Mountain Passage, The Earth′s Waterways: The Wetlands, A Wayƒarer′s Story & Photo Gallery

The Journal

The Wayƒarers

The Selƒ

The Journey

The Burden

The Mountain

The Ancients
The Earth

Geochronology
Continents

       Africa
       Antarctica
       Asia
       Europe
       North America

Geographical
Geological

           Arches
           Blue Holes
           Canyons
           Caves
           Caves
           Craters
           Deserts
           Forests
           Hot Springs
           Mountains
           Parks
           Rock Spires
           Viewpoints
           Volcanoes
           Waterways

             Lakes
             Rivers
             Seas
             Springs
             Waterfalls
             Wetlands

Oceania
South America

Oceans

   The Life
   The Modern Man
   The Nonpareils
   The Steps
   The Way

The Appendix

THE EARTH GALLERY

The North American Continent

The Geological Wonders: The Waterways: The Wetlands

The Wetlands

The wetlands throughout North America are considered to be crucial habitats for migratory birds as well as many other forms of wildlife, as as so determined, have been protected by the North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA), an act that provides grants for public and private partnerships to conserve and restore these essential habitats, which benefit not only migratory waterfowl, numerous other wildlife but also result in improving water quality, flood control and even providing recreation.

Wetland Types

North American wetlands are diverse ecosystems where land meets water, and includes such types of wetlands as: bogs, fens, marshes, and swamps, all of which provide crucial habitat and ecosystem services.

In the modern world, many of these crucial ecosystems are being threatened by climate change and development, which have resulted in the creation of the North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA) which provides grants to North American organizations to protect, restore and enhance wetland habitats. Examples include the Everglades National Park, the Atchafalaya Basin in Louisiana, and the wet tundra of Alaska.

Marshes are a wetland that is dominated by herbaceous plants (grasses, rushes and/or reeds) rather than by woody plants, which is what differentiates them from other wetlands. Marches are often a low-lying and seasonally waterlogged terrain, which, as non-tidal wetlands, can often be found at the edges of lakes and streams, where they form a transition between the aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. Most freshwater marches tend to be alkaline and are found in poorly drained depressions, along rivers, or in shallow lake boundaries.

Marches provide habitats for many kinds of animal species including: amphibian, fish, invertebrates, aquatic mammals and waterfowl. Also, marshes provide for a variety of plant and insect species.

Swamps Swamps are found earth-wide, very greatly in size, and are wetlands which are dominated by trees and shrubs, which is considered to be a transitions zone because both land and water play a role in creating this wetland environment. The water of a swamp may be either fresh water, brackish water (slightly salty [3% or less salt]) or seawater (more than 3% salt).

Freshwater swamps occur along rivers or lakes and are critically dependent upon seasonal rainwater flooding to maintain natural water level fluctuations.

Saltwater swamps are found along tropical and sub-tropical coastlines, some of which have hammocks (dry-land protrusions) which are covered by aquatic vegetation and/or those that tolerates periodic water inundation and/or soil water saturation.

Examples include: Atchafalaya Basin, Okefenokee Swamp, Everglades, Big Cypress Swamp, Great Dismall Swamp, and the Conagaree Bottomlands

Bogs A bog is a specific type of wetland that accumulating spongy peat moss, which is partially decayed plant matter, often from sphagnum moss. The nutrient level is acidic and has nutrient poor water. The water source is ombrotrophic (only from rain and or snow) and has plant life that has adapted to such acidic, low nutrient content, including mosses, some carnivorous plants and possible stunted trees.

Bogs are common in North America, particularly in cold, temperate, and boreal regions, and usually contain large peatlands.

Fens A fen is a peat-accumulation wetland found in the glaciated regions of North America, where they are continuously fed by ground water rather than only precipitation. The groundwater is less acidic, often alkaline, and rich in minerals, including calcium carbonates and/or magnesium bicarbonates. These fens support a great diversity of plant and animal species and are often recognized by their water saturated, spongy ground.

There are several name type fens including: basin fens, northern fens, patterned fens, prairie fens, poor fens, and sloping fens

Coastal Wetlands are low-lying areas of land near the coast that is saturated with fresh, brackish, or salt water, either permanently or seasonally. These areas include salt marshes, mangrove swamps, and fresh marshes, and they are vital for ecosystems because they provide habitat for numerous species, filter water, and protect shorelines from storm surges and flooding.

Coastal wetlands are found along the Atlantic, Pacific, and Gulf coasts, which wetlands that are drained into by the surrounding land areas and can be influenced by tides and estuaries.

The Waterfowl Flyways

The Central Flyway is only one of several bird migration routes in North American. The Central Flyway is that flyway (seen in lavendar) that generally follows the Great Plains within the United States and Canada. The main end points of the flyway include the Canadian Prairies in the north and the region surrounding the Gulf of Mexico in the south. The migration route tends to narrow considerably in the Platte River and Missouri River valleys of central and eastern Nebraska, which most likely accounts for the high number of bird species found there. Routes used by birds to migrate are typically established because there are no mountains or large hills blocking the flyway over its entire distance, and along that flyway there are frequent good sources of water, food, and cover.

Some birds even use this flyway to migrate from the Arctic Ocean to Patagonia near the Antarctic Ocean.

The Earth′s Waterways: The Wetlands The Migratory Birds Flyways Map

(m0maps-nam-flywaymap) The NAM Migratory Birds Flyways Map

The Earth′s Wetlands Index

North America

Canada

Alberta

British Columbia

Manitoba

Wapusk National Park

Hudson Lowlands: 57.785245022669365, -93.22066272193882

New Brunswick

Newfoundland & Labrador

Northwest Territories

Nova Scotia

Nunavut

Ontario

Akimiski Island Bird Sancturary

Polar Bear Provincial Park

Hudson Lowlans: 54.75452419600227, -83.01289966976736

Prince Edward Island

Quebec

Saskatchewan

Yukon Territory

United States

Alabama

Alaska

Kenai National Wildlife Refuge

Visitor Center: 60.4647943, -151.0736589

Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge

Arizona

Havasu NWR

Visitor Center: 34.8371099, -114.6203022

Arkansas

White River NWR

34.3574855, -91.1209768

California

Merced NWR

37.1859352, -120.6202682

San Pable Bay NWR

Saratoga Springs, Death Valley National Park

35.6822909, -116.4222068

San Francisco Bay National Estuarine Reserve

38.01166660889302, -122.48843340047624

Tule Lake National Wildlife Refuge

Vernal Pools

36.9720513, -119.7168434

Permanently Closed

Colorado

Connecticut

Delaware

Prime Hook NWR

Visitors Center: 38.8299330, -75.2485604

District of Columbia

Florida

Big Cypress Swamp National Preserve

Visitor Center: 25.8572462, -81.0330625

Biscayne National Park

25.49991175529158, -80.18376573053438

Visitor Center: 25.4643110, -80.3353969

Everglades National Park

Visitor Center: 25.3825502, -80.6097445

Okefenokee Swamp

See Georgia.

Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge

Visitor Center: 28.641702169696394, -80.73565835281728

Georgia

Cumberland Island National Seashore

30.8465645, -81.4480507

Okefenokee Swamp NWR

Visitor Center: 30.7386229, -82.1401742

Hawaii

Idaho

Illinois

Indiana

Great Kankakee River Marsh

41.16231897498516, -87.51023765364171

Iowa

Kansas

Cheyenne Bottoms

38.469444, -98.655833

Kentucky

Louisiana

Atchafalaya NWR

30.433893492019614, -91.64577818746997

Atchafalaya Delta Wildlife Management Area and Game Preserve

29.465632888641586, -91.40846036562976

Bayou Sauvage Urban National Wildlife Refuge

30.079694007526488, -89.86084427751629

Bayou Teche NWR

Visitor Center: 29.784955725692054, -91.52126033075116

Biloxi State Wildlife Management Area

29.950172895004414, -89.52961451878878

Cat Island NWR

30.78029163906636, -91.48651415966846

Delta NWR

29.219267763619847, -89.17517576468124

Pass A Loutre State Wildlife Management Area

29.090705120204646, -89.13255105457901

Pearl River Wildlife Management Area

30.30495800811185, -89.67220565999318

Sabine NWR

Visitor Center: 29.86625580803302, -93.4559540976223

Maine

Maryland

Massachusetts

Michigan

Minnesota

Mississippi

Missouri

Montana

Nebraska

Nebraska Sandhills Scenic Byway

Visitor Center: 41.39959944525701, -99.61372539377716

Nevada

New Hampshire

New Jersey

New Mexico

New York

North Carolina

Alligator River NWR

Great Dismal Swamp NWR

36.5914919, -76.4881651

Mattamuskeet NWR

View Deck: 35.486245820447074, -76.21381101016787

Pea Island NWR

Visitor Center: 35.71651953406151, -75.49363828314893

Pocosin Lakes NWR

35.91548448832479, -76.2535276626964

North Dakota

Ohio

Cedar Point NWR (Great Black Swamp)

Ottawa NWR (Great Black Swamp)

41.607331264400955, -83.21019044033129

Oklahoma

Oregon

Klamath Marsh NWR

42.968106875169894, -121.57940907359094

Pennsylvania

Rhode Island

South Carolina

Congaree National Park

33.830134040997834, -80.8231501695718

South Dakota

Tennessee

Texas

Aransas NWR

Visitor Center: 28.308106276137806, -96.8044242042207

Brazorial NWR

29.145348590006424, -95.29221168304959

Lauguna Atascosa NWR

26.229099370201855, -97.34737582158803

McFaddin NWR (Sea Rim State Park)

29.66950377992588, -94.07408917176302

Padre Island National Seashore

Malaquite Visitor Center: 27.4245118, -97.2993640

San Bernard NWR

28.91411446035027, -95.5781372599822

Santa Ana NWR

Visitor Center: 26.082578874981987, -98.13540465184924

Texas Point NWR

29.7085153500268, -93.9208452350589

Utah

Vermont

Virginia

Great Dismal Swamp NWR

Pier 36.59148054061306, -76.4881762496612

Washington

West Virginia

Wisconsin

Wyoming

Mexico

Aguascalientes

Baja California

Baja California Sur

Campeche

Laguna de Términos

18.6036997, -91.5411700

Chiapas

Chihuahua

Coahuila

Colima

DF, Mexico City

Durango

Guanajuanto

Guerrero

Hidalgo

Jalisco

Mêxico State

Michoacán

Morelos

Nayarit

Nuevo Leon

Oaxaca

Puebla

Queretaro

Quintana Roo

San Luis Potosi

Sinaloa

Sonora

Tabasco

Tamaulipas

Tlaxcala

Veracruz

Yucatan

Zacatecas

Caribbean

Central America

Costa Rica

Palo Verde National Park

Entrance: 10.3963366, -85.3240040

To continue to next section, click on down arrow.

Thank you for visiting The Wayƒarers Journal.

See Ya above the Treeline!

This Page Last Updated: 31 December 2025

To continue to the next Episode Level page, Click here

The Wayƒarers Journal © ::: Come Join the Journey ™

by Thom Buras

Come Join the Journey ™