conserving wetlands

#4
Some people think that wetlands are a waste of space, a breeding ground for mosquitoes and other pests, and should be drained for agricultural and urban developmental uses only. They are actually very important to the environment. Wetlands store excess water from storms and runoff; prevent floods, and they are homes to many fish, plants, and animals that are endangered and endemic (native).
There are many laws that have been passed to protect wetlands. Agencies and organizations are also working to protect the wetlands. For example, the “St. Johns River Water Management District uses its Environmental Resource Permitting (ERP)” to confirm that no new construction floods or pollutes the wetlands. If someone or some company wants to build they must have and ERP. The person who wants to have the permit has to provide reasonable information on why they should be able to build, they must guarantee they will follow the guide lines of the permit, and be positive that their building will not harm any wetlands.
There are also hundreds of things you and your family can do on your own to protect the wetlands. According to the EPA, everybody lives near a wetland, so everything that you do affects them. If you are going to be affecting them, you should do it in a positive way. These are just a few of the things you can do to help protect wetlands: When landscaping, plant grasses, flowers, trees, etc., that are native to your area. This will help these plants from decreasing, and they will also attract wildlife that are found in your area. When walking your dog make sure to pick up after them, do not let the waste runoff and contaminate wetlands. Conserving water in many ways will help protect wetlands, and an other positive to this is saving money. Lastly, you can try to use ‘green’ cleaning products that are not harmful to the environment because eventually these products will end up in wetlands. There are many people trying to conserve the wetlands and anything you can do on your own will help.