has been found that water velocity is doubled by channelization, while 



£ 



the silt load is tripled. 2 



In conclusion, Wharton ( 1970) estimates the value of the 2300-acre 

 Alcovy River Swamp ecosystem from the standpoint of water quality at 

 $1,000,000 annuallv. 



a 

 m 



Education and Recreation g 



Wetlands are outdoor educational exhibits and scientific laborato- CO 



ries. They serve as the resource base for scientific research and also as 

 museums for teaching the dynamics and ecological role of these 

 ecosystems. At the Connecticut Arboretum in New London, the per- 

 manently preserved wetlands have been studied by Connecticut Col- 

 lege students. A red maple swamp, actually a bog, with its underlying 

 20 ft of peat, presented a challenging problem to an undergraduate 

 student as she unravelled the 13,000 years of post-glacial history 

 revealed by the pollen preserved in the peat. At the Thames Science 

 Center, closely affiliated with the Connecticut Arboretum, thousands 

 of school children annually are given first-hand field experience and 

 are being taught the value of wetlands. The Arboretum Guided Tour 

 (Emery 1967), used by the teachers, makes this point about the wet- 

 land along the route: "The swamp below this dam is roughly an acre in 

 size. If flooded to a depth of one foot it would hold 330,000 gallons of 

 water. Thus whenever a swamp is filled or drained, another large quan- 

 tity of water is lost from the underground water supply and made to 

 run off more quickly to aggravate flooding problems downstream." In 

 these ecological settings one can also emphasize the basic ecological 

 principles operative in natural ecosystems — energy flow, recycling, 

 diversity, and limited carrying capacity. These concepts can also be 

 directly related to man and the environmental problems created by 

 failing to recognize their applicability in human ecology. 



Wetlands also provide many recreational outlets, such as fishing, 

 hunting, bird-watching, and hiking. Twenty million Americans go fish- 

 ing, two million hunt waterfowl. Thousands hunt the wetlands with 

 binoculars and cameras, where an unparalleled diversity of waterfowl 

 and spectacular marsh birds gives pleasure and inspiration. On Staten 

 Island a unique fenway system has been proposed for incorporating the 

 wetlands as part of the open-space pattern. This represents a sound 

 ecological use of resources and the recreation potential is very great. 

 Such a mosaic o\' open space should be incorporated as an essential 

 part of any community development plan, as it serves an important so- 

 cial function and greatly enhances the quality of the environment 

 (Hoffman 1963: Thomson 1970: USDI 1962). 



Literature cited 



Alexander. M. C, N. Hotchkiss, and W. S. Bourn. 1953. Classifica- 

 tion of wetlands of the United States. Spec. Sci. Rep. Wildlife No. 20. 



