You are here:
Wildlife habitat implications of agricultural drainage improvements and wetland restoration in the Upper Midwest, USA
Citation:
Mitchell, M., Ken Forshay, T. Newcomer-Johnson, B. Dyson, J. Christensen, AND Tim Canfield. Wildlife habitat implications of agricultural drainage improvements and wetland restoration in the Upper Midwest, USA. To be Presented at ORISE Meet the World Seminar, NA, November 05, 2021.
Impact/Purpose:
Iowa is responsible for a large portion of crops grown in the U.S., but has lost at least 90% of its historic wetland habitat while also exporting nutrients to the Gulf Coast where they contribute to harmful algal blooms. A group of Iowa stakeholders representing agricultural producers, land managers, and researchers identified the importance and relevance of a small watershed analysis of a collection of environmental benefits associated with wetlands installed to intercept and treat water leaving the agricultural watershed, in combination with improvements in the agricultural drainage system. In this presentation we will focus on the habitat implications of improving drainage and installing water quality wetlands, and will present results from InVEST habitat models for amphibians, grassland birds, and wild bee pollinators.
Description:
Wetlands designed to provide habitat and water quality benefits are an emerging restoration solution, particularly in agricultural areas like the Upper Midwest, USA where nutrients exported from agricultural systems contribute to downstream eutrophication. While their water quality benefits are relatively well-established, their ability to provide habitat within the wetland pool and in grassland habitat that typically surrounds them is not well-studied, especially relative to potential habitat changes as much of the region begins to upgrade its aging drainage infrastructure to improve crop yields. The presentation will feature results from habitat models for scenarios with drainage improvements and water quality wetlands.