Welcome to the Pathway to Water Quality

Wetlands

Wetlands are now recognized as important features in the landscape that provide numerous beneficial services for people and for fish and wildlife.

Generally, wetlands are lands where saturation with water is the dominant factor determining the nature of soil development and the types of plant and animal communities living in the soil and on its surface . Wetlands vary widely because of regional and local differences in soils, topography, climate, hydrology, water chemistry, vegetation and other factors, including human disturbance. Indeed, wetlands are found from the tundra to the tropics and on every continent except Antarctica . . . even at the Pathway to Water Quality exhibit at the Indiana State Fairgrounds. >> What are wetlands?

Wetlands Hopscotch Activity is designed to increase the awareness for the need to protect our wetlands as a habitat for migrating waterfowl (birds), and shows the importance wetlands play in cleaning our water.

Objectives: as a result of this activity, participants will:

1. Become a bird migrating from Indiana to Florida. They should understand the hardship for the birds when there are less wetlands. Each hopscotch area represents one trip to or from Florida for the bird.
   
2. The activity demonstrates the dependence of wetlands for migrating birds.
   
3. Human actions can impact the wetlands.
4. Click here for the Wetlands Hopscotch Activity Sheet >>

Click here for Wetlands Resources >>

Click here for Wetlands Definitions >>

Walk the Path that Water Walks . . .
Where does all the water go after it rains? How does what people do on their land at home, on the farm and in the cities affect water and soil quality? Pathway to Water Quality can show you. PWQ is a model watershed that shows you how land "sheds" excess water and what than means to you.