Chapter 11: Headwaters and Watersheds. In this chapter I read about the watersheds and headwater streams which support our rivers that in turn flow out into our oceans. Headwater steams are unique in their habitat for aquatic life and are also the most active sites for processing the organic matter from the watershed such as falling leaves. They naturally help break down material into fish food and reduce down stream transport which might choke streambeds. "Despite their biological importance, headwater streams are among the most threatened aquatic environments in the United States. Immediate threats to headwater streams by development include channelization, piping, and even complete elimination through agricultural irrigation, urbanization, ground- water withdrawal, and mining practices" (190). These threats to the headwater steams can cause more issues that one would think. One problem is that it destroys the habitat of the aquatic animals. Salamanders, as the example given in the chapter, are the first to respond to the harmful changes in their environment which includes pollutants and higher temperatures. Deforestation causes the salamanders to lose their coverage which rises the temperature of the water and when companies build over the streams for housing or farm land use, the pesticides and pollutants from humans kill off these poor animals. They also become easy prey targets out in the open human spaces and their population is declining world wide. Animals are a good indicator of when something is going wrong with our environment, especially the water. It is our job as the people who control majority of these factors to fix things. Deforestation, pollution, and pesticides, would exists without humans and their creations which is why we need to help our environment because it can only do so much to help itself. Not only do the animals struggle when the environment changes, but we make it harder for ourselves. When homes and such are built over these water sources which collect our rain water there is no longer a place for the rain water to go (especially if the city doesn't have a good sewage/drainage system), so now towns become flooded with all this water because the concrete can not replace the absorption of the soil and flow into the streams.
Wetlands and vernal pools are another feature to the watershed besides the headwaters lakes and rivers. Wetlands are basically the lining along the watershed and rivers. They filter waterborne contaminates such as phosphorus and toxic chemicals, act as a habitat for many wildlife, and lessen the impacts of flooding. "Yet despite the benefits provided by wetlands, the United States loses approximately sixty thousand acres of wetlands every year" (199). Species of the wetlands and vernal pools are becoming endangered and many have already gone through extinction. Amphibians are at a great risk and 4 species are listed as endangered by NJDEP. I love frogs and in New Jersey I would see them everywhere. My aunt and uncle live near wetlands and they have lots of patched of forestry around their neighborhood and I would catch frogs as a kid. Sometimes the poor little guys would find their way into the pool and I would save them because the chlorine would sometimes kill them if I didn't fish them out. One time we found a huge bullfrog and took him back to the wetlands near by. The point is that I love frogs and its a shame to see that "nearly 168 species are believed to have gone extinct and at least 2,469 (39 percent) have populations that are declining" (201). We truly need to do a better job at protecting our wildlife species and our environment because slowly, but surly we are killing it.
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Gabriella Brycea Junior at Seton Hall University studying Elementary and Special education with Environmental Studies. Archives
April 2018
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