January 2010
Volume 2 Issue 1
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The Cypress Knee
Inside this issue:
Wetland Management
Plan Update
Newsletter of the White Oak Bayou Wetland Management Plan
1
Wetland Ecology: Biodi- 1
versity
Plant of the Month:
Buttonbush
2
Community Forum
2
Cattail s, page 2.
Important Dates:
• January 25, 2010—
Joint Steering Committee and Technical
Advisory Committee
meeting. 6 pm Park
on the River.
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Wetland Management Plan Update
Current developments, meeting updates, and future plans
L
ast December, the guidance document for the Wetland Management Plan was
finalized, and is available on
the city of Maumelle’s website
(http://maumelle.dina.org—
look under “City Departments:
Planning and Zoning”).
The next phase of the project
is to bring together members
of the committees who will be
involved in the development of
the wetland management plan.
The Steering Committee will
be responsible for developing
the wetland management plan
itself. The Technical Advisory
Committee will provide scientific expertise during the assessment of the wetlands of
White Oak Bayou, as well as
additional guidance during the
development of the plan. In
addition to the two committees, there will be an Intergovernmental Team composed of
the city of Maumelle, the city
of North Little Rock, Pulaski
County, the U.S. Army Corps
of Engineers, and the U.S.
Environmental Protection
Agency. The members of this
team are the entities through
which the wetland management plan will be implemented
and regulated.
Over the next several months
the Steering Committee will be
forming a Mission Statement
and some overall goals and
objectives for the Wetland
Management Plan. Although
the Steering Committee will be
composed of a wide range of
individuals representing many
different interests, it is not allinclusive. In order to ensure
the management plan takes
into account the public’s voice,
there will be public meetings
and workshops to both inform
the public of the progress of
the Wetland Management Plan
and to gather public comments
on the development of the
plan. Future public meetings
will be announced in the newsletter and in other outlets.
While the Steering Committee
is busy forming the backbone
for the Wetland Management
Plan’s goals and objectives, the
Technical Advisory Committee
will be heading into the field to
assess the wetlands in the watershed for their ecological
function. Updates to follow in
subsequent newsletters!
Wetland Ecology: Biodiversity Part 1
Exploring the functions and values of wetlands in the ecosystem
O
ver the next few months
we’ll be exploring wetlands and
biodiversity. Biodiversity refers to the variation in the
number of different species
occurring on earth. Wetlands
in general are quite biologically
diverse. One reason is that
wetlands support both aquatic
and terrestrial organisms.
When one thinks of the organisms living in a wetland, the
first thing that pops into most
people’s minds is probably
some sort of vertebrate, such
as a white-tailed deer, snakes,
or perhaps a great blue heron.
But wetland diversity goes far
beyond the vertebrates. There
is a plethora of plants, fungi,
See Wetland Ecology, pg 2
Bracket fungi are important decomposers in wetland and terrestrial
ecosystems. Photo by Scott Owen.
Page 2
The Cypress Knee
Volume 2 Issue 1
Wetland Ecology, continued
bacteria, and invertebrates that
call wetlands their homes as
well. This month, we celebrate
the unseen “little critters” and
their roles in wetlands.
If you were to take a scoop of
soil in your hands, it would be
literally crawling with life without you realizing it. There are
dozens of species of fungi,
bacteria, microarthropods,
nematodes, earthworms, and
other invertebrates. So what is
the big deal if there is one species of fungus or 20?
Fungi play many roles in the
soil—some are decomposers
while others live symbiotically,
or, together in harmony, with
plant roots to help the plant
absorb water and nutrients
from the soil (mycorrhizae).
Fungi are important in wetlands because they, along with
bacteria, are the principal recyclers of carbon. Saprophytic
fungi decompose dead plants
and animals, making nutrients
available for other organisms in
the wetland. Other organisms
living in the soil aid in decomposition as well. Nematodes,
millipedes, and earthworms aid
bacteria and fungi in breaking
down dead organic matter so
that the nutrients contained
within can be recycled.
Often mycorrhizal fungi are
very specific to the host plant
with which they live, so that 5
different plant species may
require 5 or more different
species of mycorrhizal fungi in
order to survive. Typically,
their functional roles do not
overlap, which means fungi
that help decompose dead organisms are not the same species of fungi that aid plants in
nutrient uptake.
Wetland Trivia
Although wetlands make
up only about 5% of the
land surface in the lower
continental U.S., they are
home to nearly 1/3 of our
native plant species. Up to
1/2 of North American
birds nest or feed in wetlands.
Without the large diversity of
organisms living in the soil,
many important processes
would cease to exist. Next
month we’ll talk more about
invertebrates’ roles in wetlands.
Plant of the Month: Buttonbush
Featuring plants, animals and other critters in your area.
more commonly 6-8 feet tall,
and can form dense thickets.
Cephalanthus occidentalis
The shrub’s form is open, often with multiple, spreading
uttonbush, or globe
trunks. Buttonbush is easy to
flower as it is sometimes
recognize, with opposite leaves
known, is a common shrub
and dark trunks. It is a comalong White Oak Bayou.
mon colonizer in a wetland
Buttonbush is usually found
that has been disturbed or cregrowing in standing water, so it ated.
has an obligate wetland indiButtonbush has beautiful and
cator status. It grows to 15-20
showy white ball-shaped heads
feet in height, though it is
Scientific Name:
B
of tiny white flowers in the
summer. The flowers are used
by bees to make honey, and
the nectar is a favorite of butterflies and hummingbirds.
The seeds are called nutlets,
and are eaten by many bird
species, especially those living
near water, in the winter and
early spring. Deer browse the
young shoots and wood ducks
use buttonbush for hiding and
rearing young.
The fruit of buttonbush is made up of
dozens of tiny cylindrical seeds, or nutlets.
Photo by Sara Owen.
Community Forum
Showcasing the community’s photos, stories, and more
L
Students dissect a cattail to learn about
adaptations that allow it to grow in
water. Photo by Beth Orlen.
ast May, during American
Wetlands Month, students at
Maumelle Middle School celebrated Wetland Appreciation
Week. Activities included dissecting cattails, monitoring
water quality at the wetlands
behind the school, learning
about the water cycle, and a
photo and art contest. Barbara
Miller, an aquatic ecologist at
the Arkansas Department of
Environmental Quality, and
Scott and Sara Owen, of Wetland Consultants, Inc., organized and led students through
the activities.
It was such a success that big
plans are already being made
for next May’s activities. This
year’s plans include planting a
rain garden at the school.
Send us your ideas (and photographs and stories!) to [email protected].