Gathered round Martha’s Pond in New Jersey’s iconic Pine Barrens, students in Claude Epstein’s environmental science class were instructed to put down their notebooks and simply observe. Under a big blue sky, amid verdant grasses and patches of lily pads intertwined through soggy ground and ra mbling streams, the students lost track of time and space. “We couldn’t tell where in the world we were,” remembers Epstein, who has since retired. “No indications of time, human activity, nothing to tell us we were in the 21st century. And this was in New Jersey!” Epstein founded the environmental studies department at Stockton University and dedicated his life to hydrology – the study of water. From astounding rivers to scenic coastline, there are many different types of water features around New Jersey. But what often gets overlooked are our precious freshwater wetlands; marshes, swamps, bogs, and fens that make up so much of our landscape. There is an irrefutable relationship between land conservation and water. When we protect land, we’re also protecting our water systems and ensuring a balanced, sustainable environment – preserving the fabric of life on earth. New Jersey has lost over half of its original freshwater and saltwater wetlands. Until the later part of the 20th century, it was common practice to drain or fill wetlands in order to create land that was suitable for development and agriculture, and freshwater wetlands were often used as garbage dumps. By the mid-1970s, 20 percent of New Jersey’s wetlands had been destroyed, with losses as high as 72 percent in Hunterdon County and 50 percent in parts of the Passaic River basin. Although wetlands gained some protections when the federal Clean Water Act was passed in 1972, many freshwater wetlands fell through the cracks because of the way the law was crafted. In 1983, concerned citizens and conservation groups, working with Assemblywoman Maureen Ogden and other legislators, initiated a campaign to enact a freshwater wetlands protection law. They rallied for four years while lawmakers debated and stalled, until Governor Tom Kean took the remarkable step of issuing a moratorium, or halt, on building in wetlands in New Jersey. The measure essentially forced the state legislature to act. Seventeen days later, the New Jersey Senate and Assembly unanimously passed the New Jersey Freshwater Wetlands Protection Act of 1987. With the governor’s signature, New Jersey adopted some of the strongest wetlands protections in the country, even stronger than federal regulations. Now, most of the state’s more than 600,000 acres of freshwater wetlands (and nearly 300,000 acres of saltwater wetlands) are protected to some degree under federal and state laws. But they are still vulnerable – threatened by climate change, contamination, and human-induced destruction that occurs despite regulations. Remaining wetlands are vital to water quality, flood control, and rare flora and fauna. Of the 15 species on the federal threatened and endangered list in New Jersey, about half depend directly on wetlands, including bog turtles and blue-spotted salamanders. Freshwater wetlands are havens of biodiversity and play a critical role in supporting and stabilizing our ecosystems. They provide essential breeding habitat for fish, birds, and a multitude of other species. But they are often underappreciated and misunderstood. “A lack of environmental awareness is the real enemy of protecting natural wetlands because they don’t always seem like natural environments,” says Epstein. The idea that wet areas are a problem to be remedied persists in some ways to this day. Many homes were built on wetlands before protections were in place, leaving people with periodic or persistent flooding. But many don’t realize the chain of events that led to the problem. “People have wet basements because their house was built in a floodplain or right in a stream.” This can make people view wetlands as a nuisance or something to be fixed. But freshwater wetlands protect us and our communities. They are carbon sinks, taking carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere. They soak up runoff from heavy rains and snow melts, providing natural flood control. They also release stored flood waters during droughts, and help protect our drinking water by filtering out chemicals, pollutants, and sediments that would otherwise clog and contaminate our waters. Local economies benefit from freshwater wetlands as well. Hunters and anglers, birders, and other outdoor enthusiasts spend millions of dollars every year in New Jersey’s soggy paradise. It is essential that we continue to protect freshwater wetlands and the incredible benefits they provide. That means holding fast to our landmark Freshwater Wetlands Protection law and regulations, and working to ensure sufficient resources are allocated to implement and enforce them. Individuals can also help keep these vital lands healthy by using fewer chemicals and opting for organic alternatives to fertilizers and pesticides in homes and yards. This helps reduce runoff of excess nutrients that end up in wetlands and lead to harmful algal blooms and other disruptions to the ecosystem. Organizations dedicated to protecting water quality in communities throughout the state are always looking for volunteers to do water testing in rivers, streams, and wetlands so we can monitor how protection efforts are going. If we allow New Jersey’s wetlands to continue to decline, our health – and the environment around us – will also diminish. But if we do our part and insist that the government uphold its end of the bargain, we can keep our remaining freshwater wetlands healthy and flourishing and continue to reap tremendous benefits for generations to come. For more information about New Jersey’s wetlands, please visit The Watershed Institute at https://thewatershed.org/value-of-new-jerseys-freshwater-resources/. To learn about preserving New Jersey’s land and natural resources, visit the New Jersey Conservation Foundation website at www.njconservation.org or contact me at info@njconservation.org. ...read more read less