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Wetlands & Ecology
The area around First Bridge Kayak is one of the most environmentally rich areas on the east coast.- The Great Bay Wildlife Management Area & Rutgers University Field Station
- Why are wetlands important to wildlife?
- What is a wetland?
- Why are wetlands important to people?
- Are marshes, swamps, and bogs the same?
- Your question is not here? Please let us know
This area is perhaps one of the most productive and prestine estuary ecosystems along the east coast. It is comprised of over five thousand square acres of protected contiguous saltmarsh owned by the State of New Jersey Fish & Wildlife which offers public accessibility. It is the nursery ground and habitat to thousands of species of plants, fish and wildlife. In fact, Rutgers University, has occupied the old Coast Guard Station at the very outermost reaches of Great Bay Boulevard. Here many studies and research is performed on everything from grasses, fish species, as well as oceanic and topograpghical imigery to name a few. There are also four marinas located within the Wildlife Area. First Bridge Marina & Kayaks just happens to be the first marina you come to over the bridge and into what we commonly refer to as the "Gateway to a Paddlers Paradise".
Rutgers Marine Field Station - Top
2.
Why are wetlands important to wildlife?
Wetlands provide homes for many kinds of plants and animals. Frogs, dragonflies, mosquitos, and many other creatures lay their eggs and spend the first stages of their lives in the water. They provide food for fish. And the fish provide food for many of the birds and mammals that live in wetlands.
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3.
What is a wetland?
A wetland is offen described as an area of land mass that is saturated with water the majority of the time. They are continually fed by streams, groundwater, runoff and rain. Wetlands include tidal saltmarsh, freshwater marshes, swamps, mangroves and bogs.
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4.
Why are wetlands important to people?
Besides providing homes for wildlife, wetlands absorb flood waters and help prevent land from washing away. They filter sewage and other pollutants from water. Andwater from wetlands helps maintain the water table-the underground water supply that many cities rely on. Finally, wetlands are beautiful-and that makes them valuable, too.
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5.
Are marshes, swamps, and bogs the same?
No. Marshes usually form near ponds and lakes. Reeds, grasses, and other soft-stemmed plants grow there. Trees and woody-stemmed shrubs grow in swamps. Sometimes the growth is so thick that it's hard to walk through a swamp.
Bogs begin as shallow ponds that slowly fill with rotting leaves. Then mosses and other plants spread out from the shore across the surface of the bog, forming a thick mat.
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