Earth Day 2022: Preserving our Wetlands

First established in 1970, Earth Day officially marks the anniversary of the start of the environmental movement, and over the years have evolved to become a day to raise awareness for important environmental issues as well as honor and support the planet we all call home.

Our little piece of Earth in Mississippi is comprised of many diverse habitats, and arguably the most important habitat can be found right here in Coastal Mississippi – coastal wetlands. Coastal wetlands are a protected habitat, thanks to the Coastal Wetlands Protection Law passed in 1973. But what exactly is a wetland and why should we care about protecting them?

A wetland, which can be found throughout Mississippi’s three coastal counties, can be tidal marshes, swamps, bayous, beaches, wet pine savannas, contact springs and other aquatic habitats. Examples of local wetlands include Bellefontaine Marsh Preserve, Sandhill Crane National Wildlife Refuge and Gulf Islands National Seashore, which contains all of the above named habitat types. Of the three coastal counties in Mississippi, Jackson County contains more preserved land than anywhere on the coast. Preservation of coastal wetlands is critical for the health of the environment and for the protection of important infrastructure in our everyday life. Here are three reasons why.

1.       Wetlands provide flood protection. Think of a wetland as nature’s sponge. Wetlands hold water – from rain, groundwater and flood waters. Wetlands slow the spread of flood waters and slowly redistribute them over a floodplain. Water can also be stored in vegetation found in wetlands. When water can be naturally stored and flooding prevented, it keeps our daily infrastructure from buckling.

2.       Wetlands are the preferred habitat for several endangered species. You may have never heard of a gopher tortoise or the dusky gopher frog, but they are just a couple of endangered or protected species found in Mississippi’s wetland habitats. Other species include the Mississippi Sandhill Crane.

3.       Wetlands are a carbon sink. A carbon sink is a reservoir that accumulates and stores carbon from the atmosphere. Carbon sinks help regulate greenhouse gases. Without greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, Earth would be too cold to sustain life. Too many, and the temperature would reach around 400 degrees, (just slightly hotter than a Mississippi summer!). Carbon sinks are a strategy for nature’s long game, and coastal wetlands are a major contributor to the longevity and health of our planet.

In keeping with BMA’s mission of “working to build a better Gulf Coast,” BMA’s environmental department touches nearly every project we manage. From mitigation banking to designing around wetlands and minimizing unnecessary impact, sometimes building something better means to simply leave it be.

Patrick Mooney, GIT, BMA Environmental Geologist contributed to this article.