1 00:00:00,560 --> 00:00:04,800 Speaker 1: Do Do Do. We'll have a book coming out and 2 00:00:04,920 --> 00:00:07,040 Speaker 1: we would love it if you bought it, That's right, 3 00:00:07,080 --> 00:00:09,840 Speaker 1: that'd be great. It's called Stuff you Should Know colon 4 00:00:11,320 --> 00:00:15,440 Speaker 1: and that's it, just colon, Okay. Uh, well, I think 5 00:00:15,440 --> 00:00:17,000 Speaker 1: there's a little bit more to it, and I'll be 6 00:00:17,040 --> 00:00:19,000 Speaker 1: the one to say it. Then. It's called an Incomplete 7 00:00:19,040 --> 00:00:22,680 Speaker 1: Compendium of mostly interesting Things and the title is just 8 00:00:22,760 --> 00:00:25,880 Speaker 1: a flat outlie because it's all interesting, Chuck, it is, 9 00:00:25,920 --> 00:00:27,960 Speaker 1: and it's a really fun book. We're really proud of it. 10 00:00:27,960 --> 00:00:32,200 Speaker 1: It's got great illustrations from our new friend Carlie Minardo. Uh. 11 00:00:32,200 --> 00:00:34,280 Speaker 1: It was co written with us with a great guy 12 00:00:34,360 --> 00:00:37,239 Speaker 1: named Nils Parker, and the team all came together to 13 00:00:37,280 --> 00:00:40,279 Speaker 1: produce something that we're just super super proud of. That's right. 14 00:00:40,440 --> 00:00:43,159 Speaker 1: So you can order it everywhere you buy books. Pre 15 00:00:43,320 --> 00:00:48,360 Speaker 1: order now and we appreciate you. Welcome to Stuff you 16 00:00:48,360 --> 00:00:57,520 Speaker 1: Should Know, a production of My Heart Radios How Stuff Works, Hey, 17 00:00:57,640 --> 00:01:01,800 Speaker 1: and welcome to the podcast. I'm Josh and there's Charles 18 00:01:01,920 --> 00:01:04,440 Speaker 1: and Jerry's over there, and this is Stuff you Should Know, 19 00:01:05,400 --> 00:01:13,760 Speaker 1: The Dripping Wet edition in these wet Lands. What I 20 00:01:13,840 --> 00:01:15,640 Speaker 1: knew that you would not get that is that a 21 00:01:15,720 --> 00:01:19,039 Speaker 1: Seeger reference. Oh gosh, why do you have to say 22 00:01:19,040 --> 00:01:23,240 Speaker 1: seeker when you always mean Springsteen? Was that Springsteen? It's 23 00:01:23,520 --> 00:01:29,360 Speaker 1: bad lands? Okay, baby, These wetlands are born to run. Sure, 24 00:01:30,080 --> 00:01:34,960 Speaker 1: run water. I don't. I don't like myself anymore. Run water. 25 00:01:35,080 --> 00:01:39,160 Speaker 1: That was a great save, Chuck. So we're talking wetlands. 26 00:01:39,160 --> 00:01:41,680 Speaker 1: I have to say, um, we have to give a 27 00:01:41,680 --> 00:01:46,040 Speaker 1: shout out to Tom Peterman, the foul Mouth wetland biologist 28 00:01:46,120 --> 00:01:48,600 Speaker 1: who keeps asking us to do this episode. How was 29 00:01:48,640 --> 00:01:52,080 Speaker 1: that where this came from? It was Tom peterman suggestion, 30 00:01:52,120 --> 00:01:55,200 Speaker 1: although I had already wanted to do it anyway. So yeah, 31 00:01:55,200 --> 00:01:57,600 Speaker 1: I mean, we love our scienist man. This one was 32 00:01:58,320 --> 00:02:02,200 Speaker 1: I was just smiling from ear to ear. Can you 33 00:02:02,240 --> 00:02:07,600 Speaker 1: imagine watching a Blacksmith Ford something in a wetland, in 34 00:02:07,640 --> 00:02:14,959 Speaker 1: a flooded woodland? Just Nirvana right there? Really, So we're 35 00:02:15,000 --> 00:02:18,440 Speaker 1: talking wetlands everybody, And um Dave Russ helped us put 36 00:02:18,440 --> 00:02:21,959 Speaker 1: this one together. And Dave likes to pop in jokes 37 00:02:22,000 --> 00:02:25,240 Speaker 1: every once in a while, and he said does He said, um, 38 00:02:25,320 --> 00:02:29,000 Speaker 1: what makes a wetland wet water? And then he says, 39 00:02:29,120 --> 00:02:33,320 Speaker 1: in all seriousness, that's basically that the water has to 40 00:02:33,400 --> 00:02:37,200 Speaker 1: be um largely present at least some parts of the 41 00:02:37,320 --> 00:02:40,200 Speaker 1: year in the soil in such amounts that you would 42 00:02:40,240 --> 00:02:42,440 Speaker 1: call something wet land. I mean, think of the name 43 00:02:42,560 --> 00:02:48,160 Speaker 1: wet land. It's about his earthy a term as science gets. Yeah, 44 00:02:48,240 --> 00:02:50,919 Speaker 1: and he um front loaded this with a few stats, 45 00:02:51,080 --> 00:02:52,560 Speaker 1: and I won't go through all of them, but I'll 46 00:02:52,560 --> 00:02:56,640 Speaker 1: go through a few that, uh kind of are instructive 47 00:02:56,639 --> 00:03:00,440 Speaker 1: as to why I love wetland so much. Uh. Years. One, 48 00:03:00,919 --> 00:03:03,399 Speaker 1: Although wetlands make up only five percent of the land 49 00:03:03,440 --> 00:03:06,239 Speaker 1: surface of the the United States, they are home to thirty 50 00:03:07,200 --> 00:03:11,360 Speaker 1: of our plant species. Yeah, not bad. One third of 51 00:03:11,400 --> 00:03:15,760 Speaker 1: America's threatened or endangered species species live only in wetlands. 52 00:03:16,200 --> 00:03:18,799 Speaker 1: I would propose that that's slightly misleading. I think they're 53 00:03:18,919 --> 00:03:22,600 Speaker 1: endangered because they live in wetlands, and wetlands are endangered, 54 00:03:22,639 --> 00:03:26,880 Speaker 1: as we'll see. Hmmmm, think about it, Chuck, I don't know. 55 00:03:26,960 --> 00:03:30,200 Speaker 1: I took it more as like they're all hiding out 56 00:03:30,200 --> 00:03:32,960 Speaker 1: in the wetlands because it's a terrible place to hide out. No, 57 00:03:33,120 --> 00:03:35,360 Speaker 1: it's not bad because it's got thirty one of the 58 00:03:35,360 --> 00:03:38,400 Speaker 1: plant species. I mean, it's a pretty rich, bio diverse 59 00:03:39,120 --> 00:03:42,080 Speaker 1: area to live in. If you're an endangered species for sure. 60 00:03:42,960 --> 00:03:48,200 Speaker 1: All right, well, we'll have to um hear from Thomas 61 00:03:48,240 --> 00:03:51,400 Speaker 1: Peterman the foul Mouth Wildlife for wetland biologists who can 62 00:03:51,480 --> 00:03:53,560 Speaker 1: let us not What does he say, like do f 63 00:03:53,760 --> 00:03:57,040 Speaker 1: and wet lands already? Yes, that kind of thing. Yeah, 64 00:03:57,880 --> 00:04:01,360 Speaker 1: I like this guy. I think that's an exact quote. Yeah, 65 00:04:01,360 --> 00:04:05,040 Speaker 1: he's my kind of dude. Uh So another stat that 66 00:04:05,080 --> 00:04:07,680 Speaker 1: I thought was pretty interesting that well, well just kind 67 00:04:07,680 --> 00:04:10,640 Speaker 1: of needs to form the basis or the undercurrent of 68 00:04:10,680 --> 00:04:13,920 Speaker 1: this whole episode, is that, so we keep talking about 69 00:04:13,960 --> 00:04:15,760 Speaker 1: the U S. There's wetlands found all over the world, 70 00:04:15,800 --> 00:04:18,880 Speaker 1: of different types of varieties and different climates and different 71 00:04:19,000 --> 00:04:22,760 Speaker 1: um different continents, every continent except the Antarctica. But in 72 00:04:22,800 --> 00:04:25,800 Speaker 1: the United States in particular, we have a long history 73 00:04:25,800 --> 00:04:30,400 Speaker 1: of filling in and draining wetlands for other purposes, so 74 00:04:30,480 --> 00:04:34,560 Speaker 1: much so that, um, let's see, I believe I don't 75 00:04:34,560 --> 00:04:37,279 Speaker 1: know how much we've lost, but in the sixteen hundreds, 76 00:04:37,279 --> 00:04:40,200 Speaker 1: the Lower forty eight States were covered with two hundred 77 00:04:40,240 --> 00:04:43,520 Speaker 1: and twenty million acres of wetlands, which is eleven percent 78 00:04:43,600 --> 00:04:46,280 Speaker 1: of the total surface area of the Lower forty eight States. 79 00:04:46,800 --> 00:04:49,360 Speaker 1: And I think starting in the fifties, we were doing 80 00:04:49,400 --> 00:04:52,039 Speaker 1: away with wetlands at a rate of about sixty thousand 81 00:04:52,120 --> 00:04:55,240 Speaker 1: of those acres per year. Yeah, and it's gotten better 82 00:04:55,279 --> 00:04:58,200 Speaker 1: since then. But yeah, in the boy up until the 83 00:04:58,200 --> 00:05:00,880 Speaker 1: Clean Water Act, it was just like, hey, you know, 84 00:05:00,920 --> 00:05:05,799 Speaker 1: it looks great. They're a resort with like three golf 85 00:05:05,800 --> 00:05:08,919 Speaker 1: courses and a bunch of tennis. That's been such a 86 00:05:09,080 --> 00:05:11,760 Speaker 1: driving force, Like it's it's like looking at land or 87 00:05:11,800 --> 00:05:15,440 Speaker 1: ecosystems are being like our humans making money off of it. No, well, 88 00:05:15,480 --> 00:05:17,960 Speaker 1: then drain it and repurpose it. Set it on fire 89 00:05:17,960 --> 00:05:21,040 Speaker 1: and repurpose it. Stop it from burning, and repurpose it. Like, 90 00:05:21,080 --> 00:05:22,960 Speaker 1: if we can't make money off of it, it can't 91 00:05:22,960 --> 00:05:26,680 Speaker 1: possibly be useful. And luckily, since the environmental movement really 92 00:05:26,720 --> 00:05:30,440 Speaker 1: started in the seventies, we've realized that that's not necessarily true. 93 00:05:30,520 --> 00:05:33,479 Speaker 1: That even if you are just a heartless dummy, there's 94 00:05:33,520 --> 00:05:37,000 Speaker 1: still a lot of benefits that humanity has given from 95 00:05:37,080 --> 00:05:42,479 Speaker 1: things like wetlands that seem problematic or nonproductive. You know. Yeah, 96 00:05:42,520 --> 00:05:45,480 Speaker 1: that was one of danger fields big lines in Caddyshack, 97 00:05:45,720 --> 00:05:51,479 Speaker 1: as al servit was golf courses and cemeteries the two 98 00:05:51,480 --> 00:05:55,440 Speaker 1: biggest waste of prime real estate. That's a good one. 99 00:05:55,680 --> 00:05:57,800 Speaker 1: So let's talk about wetlands. He said that they are 100 00:05:57,960 --> 00:06:00,960 Speaker 1: only some of them are only wet for short periods, 101 00:06:00,960 --> 00:06:03,840 Speaker 1: sometimes when there's snow, melts or just rain. Yeah, those 102 00:06:03,880 --> 00:06:06,600 Speaker 1: are called ephemeral wetlands, which is a cool term. It's 103 00:06:06,600 --> 00:06:09,760 Speaker 1: a great term. Some are wet all the time. And 104 00:06:10,160 --> 00:06:12,720 Speaker 1: the key parts of being a wet land or the 105 00:06:12,760 --> 00:06:17,960 Speaker 1: key characteristic is that it's either permanently or periodically flooded 106 00:06:18,080 --> 00:06:23,240 Speaker 1: or wet, and that the soil is got it's called 107 00:06:23,320 --> 00:06:26,920 Speaker 1: hydric soil and is dominated by anaerobic processes, meaning it 108 00:06:26,960 --> 00:06:30,640 Speaker 1: loves water and the plants there love water. But which 109 00:06:30,680 --> 00:06:33,159 Speaker 1: is weird because you used another word that shouldn't really 110 00:06:33,240 --> 00:06:36,359 Speaker 1: jibe with plants, and that's called anaerobic, which means there's 111 00:06:36,640 --> 00:06:40,159 Speaker 1: very little to no oxygen present um. And we'll explain 112 00:06:40,200 --> 00:06:42,640 Speaker 1: why later. But the fact that there are plants means 113 00:06:42,680 --> 00:06:45,320 Speaker 1: that those plants have adapted to the wetlands. Yes, and 114 00:06:45,320 --> 00:06:49,760 Speaker 1: its hydrophytic, and we'll talk about those plants later. It's 115 00:06:49,800 --> 00:06:52,520 Speaker 1: it's another Another thing I love about wetlands is just 116 00:06:52,640 --> 00:06:56,719 Speaker 1: that it really underscores the remarkable evolution that something will 117 00:06:56,720 --> 00:07:00,760 Speaker 1: go through to survive, very cool, very very awesome. Yep 118 00:07:00,839 --> 00:07:03,919 Speaker 1: so Um, there's also so but you hit upon something 119 00:07:03,960 --> 00:07:09,000 Speaker 1: like they're not necessarily wet year round, right, So there's 120 00:07:09,000 --> 00:07:12,720 Speaker 1: a whole bunch of different types of wetlands or wetland 121 00:07:12,760 --> 00:07:18,200 Speaker 1: environments that fill those that check those boxes. UM. One 122 00:07:18,240 --> 00:07:19,960 Speaker 1: of the ones that most people think of when they 123 00:07:19,960 --> 00:07:23,960 Speaker 1: think of wetlands or coastal wetlands, like marshes and a 124 00:07:24,080 --> 00:07:28,680 Speaker 1: marsh is basically like this area between inland and the ocean. 125 00:07:28,720 --> 00:07:32,000 Speaker 1: It's like a transition zone, a buffer zone. And because 126 00:07:32,080 --> 00:07:35,240 Speaker 1: it's because of its proximity to the ocean, UM, it's 127 00:07:35,320 --> 00:07:38,480 Speaker 1: usually salty or at least brackets, which is a mixture 128 00:07:38,520 --> 00:07:41,480 Speaker 1: of salt water and fresh water. And one of the 129 00:07:41,600 --> 00:07:43,720 Speaker 1: one of the ones that really come to mind if 130 00:07:43,720 --> 00:07:46,880 Speaker 1: you're thinking coastal wetlands, you're thinking marsh lands, and you're 131 00:07:46,880 --> 00:07:49,880 Speaker 1: thinking tidal marsh lands, probably especially if you're a Pat 132 00:07:49,920 --> 00:07:56,480 Speaker 1: Conroy fan. What was the name of her character that 133 00:07:56,520 --> 00:07:59,560 Speaker 1: he repeats over and over in a whisper. I think 134 00:07:59,600 --> 00:08:04,440 Speaker 1: I remember Umber Chuck. It was Bobby Jim, Bobby Jim. 135 00:08:04,480 --> 00:08:07,080 Speaker 1: This is one of those scream at the uh at 136 00:08:07,080 --> 00:08:09,440 Speaker 1: the pod player moments. Was it in. Was it in 137 00:08:09,440 --> 00:08:14,360 Speaker 1: the Prince of Tides? Yeah, Lowenstein? Was that it? You're 138 00:08:14,440 --> 00:08:16,800 Speaker 1: sure it wasn't Bobby Jim. I think it was Lowenstein. 139 00:08:17,160 --> 00:08:20,760 Speaker 1: Was it his oh his shrinks his shrink girlfriend's name, yeah, 140 00:08:20,800 --> 00:08:25,040 Speaker 1: Babs Okay, yeah, I don't remember. I think it was Lownstein. Alright, 141 00:08:25,080 --> 00:08:29,760 Speaker 1: So anyway, title Marsha's yes, Prince of Tides. They obviously 142 00:08:29,960 --> 00:08:32,160 Speaker 1: you're it's because they're title. They're gonna come in and 143 00:08:32,200 --> 00:08:35,200 Speaker 1: out with the high and low tide. And like you said, 144 00:08:35,200 --> 00:08:39,160 Speaker 1: they're generally saltwater, and the salt marshals are are very 145 00:08:39,240 --> 00:08:41,520 Speaker 1: nutrient rich, and they do have a lot of diversity, 146 00:08:42,040 --> 00:08:45,080 Speaker 1: but obviously only the kind of things that can tolerate 147 00:08:45,120 --> 00:08:47,720 Speaker 1: the salt um as far as plants and animals go, 148 00:08:48,200 --> 00:08:50,960 Speaker 1: which is a pretty short list really, because salt is 149 00:08:51,000 --> 00:08:55,720 Speaker 1: not conducive to life. Instead, there are some plants that 150 00:08:55,760 --> 00:08:58,720 Speaker 1: have figured out how to deal with salt um. But 151 00:08:58,920 --> 00:09:01,000 Speaker 1: most of the time when you're king at salt marshes, 152 00:09:01,000 --> 00:09:04,240 Speaker 1: you're looking you're the plant life is is basically grasses 153 00:09:04,320 --> 00:09:08,880 Speaker 1: of some sort. Um. There's also freshwater tidal marshes, which 154 00:09:09,440 --> 00:09:15,120 Speaker 1: um they are either connected to the saltwater marsh, but 155 00:09:15,160 --> 00:09:17,959 Speaker 1: they're far enough inland that the saltwater doesn't make its 156 00:09:18,000 --> 00:09:20,800 Speaker 1: way in there. Um, so it's a freshwater marsh, but 157 00:09:20,800 --> 00:09:23,760 Speaker 1: it's still is affected by the tides. And then I 158 00:09:23,800 --> 00:09:27,079 Speaker 1: had no idea about this, um, And I used to 159 00:09:27,120 --> 00:09:29,880 Speaker 1: vacation on Lake Erie. But apparently the Great Lakes are 160 00:09:29,920 --> 00:09:33,319 Speaker 1: so big that they have tides themselves. You didn't know that. 161 00:09:33,760 --> 00:09:36,080 Speaker 1: I had no idea. I even knew that. And I'm 162 00:09:36,120 --> 00:09:39,080 Speaker 1: a dumb dumb when it comes to the Great Lakes. Well, Chuck, 163 00:09:39,120 --> 00:09:42,080 Speaker 1: I think you got me beat big time in this case, 164 00:09:42,360 --> 00:09:44,360 Speaker 1: because I could know a million other things about the 165 00:09:44,360 --> 00:09:46,000 Speaker 1: Great Lakes. And if you knew that one thing and 166 00:09:46,040 --> 00:09:48,920 Speaker 1: I didn't, you have me beat. Yeah, I knew that. 167 00:09:49,080 --> 00:09:51,640 Speaker 1: And so that means that they do have those tidal 168 00:09:51,640 --> 00:09:56,640 Speaker 1: marshes the Florida Everglades or another good example, um, and boy, Florida. 169 00:09:56,800 --> 00:10:00,520 Speaker 1: Just there's a lot of different types of wetlands in Florida. Well, 170 00:10:00,520 --> 00:10:02,920 Speaker 1: there's a lot of coastline, a lot of coastline, and 171 00:10:02,960 --> 00:10:07,640 Speaker 1: a lot of interior. Um wetness. Yeah, we have a 172 00:10:07,679 --> 00:10:10,240 Speaker 1: lot of wetlands around our place in Florida, for sure. 173 00:10:10,480 --> 00:10:13,080 Speaker 1: And there's mangroves and all sorts of stuff that we'll 174 00:10:13,080 --> 00:10:15,839 Speaker 1: talk about. Well, we're at mangroves. I love those things. 175 00:10:16,640 --> 00:10:20,559 Speaker 1: So mangroves I think they at least deserve a short 176 00:10:20,679 --> 00:10:23,400 Speaker 1: stuff because they're one of the most amazing plants of 177 00:10:23,400 --> 00:10:27,319 Speaker 1: all time. But they're they're they're a type of coastal 178 00:10:27,920 --> 00:10:31,800 Speaker 1: um coastal wetland themselves, a mangrove forest, or if you've 179 00:10:31,840 --> 00:10:35,119 Speaker 1: never seen a mangrove forest, there are these kind of um. 180 00:10:35,240 --> 00:10:39,440 Speaker 1: They have a growth habit for their the shrubbery on 181 00:10:39,559 --> 00:10:42,840 Speaker 1: top of like the hair that umpa lumpa has in 182 00:10:42,880 --> 00:10:46,959 Speaker 1: the original, the original Willy Wonka, the good one. And 183 00:10:47,320 --> 00:10:52,640 Speaker 1: they're the trunks split out into these cool like long 184 00:10:53,440 --> 00:10:56,080 Speaker 1: roots and legs that stick up out of the water 185 00:10:56,760 --> 00:10:59,560 Speaker 1: and they form this huge tangle, this riot of like 186 00:10:59,679 --> 00:11:03,199 Speaker 1: sh a woody shrub um, and they do all sorts 187 00:11:03,200 --> 00:11:06,840 Speaker 1: of amazing things to help the aquatic life and us 188 00:11:06,920 --> 00:11:10,319 Speaker 1: humans as well up on land just by being present. Yeah, 189 00:11:10,360 --> 00:11:13,000 Speaker 1: they're really cool looking. Uh. And this is another good one, 190 00:11:13,040 --> 00:11:15,560 Speaker 1: sort of like the oregami that if you're able and 191 00:11:15,559 --> 00:11:17,839 Speaker 1: you're sitting still to look up a lot of these 192 00:11:17,880 --> 00:11:21,320 Speaker 1: things as you go, because these mangrove for us, it 193 00:11:21,440 --> 00:11:25,080 Speaker 1: looks like it looks like a shrub. That's like, I 194 00:11:25,160 --> 00:11:26,959 Speaker 1: really want to be a shrub, but i don't want 195 00:11:26,960 --> 00:11:30,080 Speaker 1: to get wet, so I'm just gonna dip my legs 196 00:11:30,080 --> 00:11:32,800 Speaker 1: in a little bit. Yeah, that's really great. It's just 197 00:11:33,000 --> 00:11:36,880 Speaker 1: very cool looking. And and again just the adaptability that 198 00:11:37,000 --> 00:11:39,480 Speaker 1: these mangroves really want to live where they live even 199 00:11:39,480 --> 00:11:42,200 Speaker 1: though it's not very suited for them, and they become 200 00:11:42,240 --> 00:11:46,079 Speaker 1: suited for it. Right, if you've been sleeping on mangroves, 201 00:11:46,320 --> 00:11:50,240 Speaker 1: Welcome to reality. Well it's a T shirt if I 202 00:11:50,280 --> 00:11:52,439 Speaker 1: ever heard one. Yeah, that's all. I could use a 203 00:11:52,480 --> 00:11:54,960 Speaker 1: little work, But there's there's the beginnings of one in there. 204 00:11:55,480 --> 00:11:58,000 Speaker 1: You also got your inland wet lands. These are not 205 00:11:58,080 --> 00:12:02,120 Speaker 1: coastal in this case. We're talking about swamps and marshes 206 00:12:02,360 --> 00:12:08,400 Speaker 1: and bogs and fens at e n and marshes uh. 207 00:12:08,480 --> 00:12:11,000 Speaker 1: A lot of these you'll find near rivers, near streams, 208 00:12:11,480 --> 00:12:14,920 Speaker 1: uh lowland depressions, and they might periodically fill up depending 209 00:12:14,960 --> 00:12:18,439 Speaker 1: on rain what's going on, or or different types of 210 00:12:18,440 --> 00:12:20,600 Speaker 1: flooding that might happen. And they can be a few 211 00:12:20,640 --> 00:12:23,280 Speaker 1: inches deep, they can be several feet deep. Yeah, they're 212 00:12:23,640 --> 00:12:28,679 Speaker 1: most of the non title. Inland marshes are ephemeral wetlands, 213 00:12:29,200 --> 00:12:31,800 Speaker 1: so they're dry a lot of the year. Um they 214 00:12:31,880 --> 00:12:35,160 Speaker 1: might fill up seasonally, they might fill up with the rains, 215 00:12:35,200 --> 00:12:37,800 Speaker 1: they might fill up with the nearby river flooding. It's 216 00:12:37,840 --> 00:12:41,680 Speaker 1: like my backyard, and they, oh, really is that right? Yeah, 217 00:12:41,720 --> 00:12:45,000 Speaker 1: it's it doesn't drain. Well, I've got a drainage problem. Okay, 218 00:12:45,040 --> 00:12:49,080 Speaker 1: to you, it's a problem to nature. It's wonderful because 219 00:12:49,480 --> 00:12:51,880 Speaker 1: we'd like things that drain really quickly and dry and 220 00:12:51,880 --> 00:12:54,000 Speaker 1: then we can walk on them and the grass is fine. 221 00:12:54,440 --> 00:12:56,839 Speaker 1: But there's a lot of like benefits to things that 222 00:12:56,920 --> 00:12:59,760 Speaker 1: take their time, like um uh, there's something called the 223 00:13:00,120 --> 00:13:04,120 Speaker 1: old pool, which is a kind of non tidal marsh, 224 00:13:04,360 --> 00:13:07,320 Speaker 1: an ephemeral wetland, and it's basically just like say a 225 00:13:07,480 --> 00:13:10,199 Speaker 1: stretch of woods that had that's a little bit depressed there, 226 00:13:10,240 --> 00:13:12,480 Speaker 1: so that when it rains or river floods, it fills 227 00:13:12,480 --> 00:13:16,120 Speaker 1: with water. And because the underlying bedrock or clay is 228 00:13:16,160 --> 00:13:18,160 Speaker 1: not very poorous, it takes a while for that water 229 00:13:18,240 --> 00:13:21,240 Speaker 1: to go through. But that water is also not going 230 00:13:21,320 --> 00:13:24,360 Speaker 1: further downstream, so it prevents flooding from being as bad 231 00:13:24,400 --> 00:13:26,280 Speaker 1: as it could because a lot of the water collects 232 00:13:26,320 --> 00:13:30,400 Speaker 1: and stays there, and it also slowly recharges the groundwater. 233 00:13:30,840 --> 00:13:34,800 Speaker 1: And because it does get dry, it can't sustain fish, 234 00:13:35,080 --> 00:13:37,640 Speaker 1: which makes it a really great nursery for things like 235 00:13:37,960 --> 00:13:42,480 Speaker 1: newts and salamanders and frogs um things that that fish 236 00:13:42,559 --> 00:13:44,839 Speaker 1: eat their eggs. But since there's no fish, this is 237 00:13:44,880 --> 00:13:46,760 Speaker 1: like a really great place for them to to get 238 00:13:46,760 --> 00:13:51,760 Speaker 1: a good foothole and a brand new life. Uh, you've 239 00:13:51,800 --> 00:13:55,480 Speaker 1: also got your prairie pot holes. Uh, this is when 240 00:13:55,520 --> 00:13:57,520 Speaker 1: you should definitely look up. These are usually in the 241 00:13:57,559 --> 00:14:01,960 Speaker 1: upper midwest of the United States that codas Minnesota, maybe Wisconsin, 242 00:14:02,679 --> 00:14:05,920 Speaker 1: and these are where glaciers, ancient glaciers left these big 243 00:14:06,080 --> 00:14:10,280 Speaker 1: depressions in the landscape and they fill up sometimes during rain, 244 00:14:10,440 --> 00:14:14,520 Speaker 1: during the spring, during snow melt. And they're not small 245 00:14:14,600 --> 00:14:16,680 Speaker 1: like our our prairie pothole. And I got a vision 246 00:14:16,679 --> 00:14:19,120 Speaker 1: in my head, but if you look it up online, 247 00:14:19,160 --> 00:14:22,320 Speaker 1: they're beautiful and just they're very large though, and they're 248 00:14:22,360 --> 00:14:26,280 Speaker 1: kind of interconnected, just these big round holes scattered through 249 00:14:26,280 --> 00:14:28,440 Speaker 1: like a big open area full of water. And these 250 00:14:28,480 --> 00:14:33,040 Speaker 1: are great for migrating birds because that could be a 251 00:14:33,080 --> 00:14:36,640 Speaker 1: stopover that they might not have had had those potholes 252 00:14:36,640 --> 00:14:39,840 Speaker 1: not been there, And when they're flying over the Dacota 253 00:14:39,840 --> 00:14:44,480 Speaker 1: as they say, look, I see Van Nostran's house, our 254 00:14:44,560 --> 00:14:48,000 Speaker 1: buddy van nostran Um. And then there's also we said 255 00:14:48,000 --> 00:14:51,680 Speaker 1: that that wetlands occur in all different kinds of climates. 256 00:14:51,680 --> 00:14:54,640 Speaker 1: They also occur in the desert. There's something called pla lakes, 257 00:14:54,680 --> 00:14:57,840 Speaker 1: which are these depressions that apparently no one has any 258 00:14:57,880 --> 00:14:59,800 Speaker 1: idea exactly how they formed. It could have been from 259 00:14:59,840 --> 00:15:02,080 Speaker 1: a ocean, it could have been from an ancient sinkhole. 260 00:15:02,440 --> 00:15:05,200 Speaker 1: But there are depressions that are deep enough that when 261 00:15:05,240 --> 00:15:08,440 Speaker 1: the seasonal rains come, the water is held in there. 262 00:15:08,800 --> 00:15:12,320 Speaker 1: And just like the prairie potholes, it's very useful for 263 00:15:12,520 --> 00:15:16,920 Speaker 1: migratory birds to stop over. At um can really plays 264 00:15:16,920 --> 00:15:19,840 Speaker 1: a huge role in this ecosystem where there's almost no water, 265 00:15:20,360 --> 00:15:22,360 Speaker 1: and now all of a sudden, there's water, and it's 266 00:15:22,360 --> 00:15:24,480 Speaker 1: in this nice little lake. So let's all go gather 267 00:15:24,600 --> 00:15:27,760 Speaker 1: there and have a social hour. But but but responsibly 268 00:15:27,800 --> 00:15:31,320 Speaker 1: six ft apart. That's right, I think we should take 269 00:15:31,360 --> 00:15:34,480 Speaker 1: a break and we will talk a little bit about 270 00:15:34,560 --> 00:15:57,600 Speaker 1: inland swamps right after this. Alright, so inland swamps we 271 00:15:57,680 --> 00:16:01,200 Speaker 1: promised to talk about that these are are, for my money, 272 00:16:01,280 --> 00:16:05,600 Speaker 1: some of the coolest areas in the country, because I 273 00:16:05,800 --> 00:16:07,400 Speaker 1: think I talked about it at some point. But I 274 00:16:07,400 --> 00:16:10,840 Speaker 1: took a very special fund trip many many years ago 275 00:16:10,880 --> 00:16:13,960 Speaker 1: to the Okefinokee Swamp and did one of those canoe 276 00:16:14,040 --> 00:16:17,080 Speaker 1: trips where you have to rent. You know, there's no 277 00:16:17,120 --> 00:16:19,720 Speaker 1: place to stop in the Okefinokee Swamp if you're like, 278 00:16:20,040 --> 00:16:22,480 Speaker 1: I think I'll camp here, it's like in the water. 279 00:16:23,600 --> 00:16:26,160 Speaker 1: So they had these camping pads built up. The essentially 280 00:16:26,200 --> 00:16:29,800 Speaker 1: just decks um that are like six ft above the water, 281 00:16:30,440 --> 00:16:32,680 Speaker 1: and you have to reserve those. They are not just 282 00:16:32,720 --> 00:16:35,920 Speaker 1: wide open for anyone um because there's nothing else out there, 283 00:16:35,920 --> 00:16:38,840 Speaker 1: so you have to reserve them for specific nights on 284 00:16:39,000 --> 00:16:43,600 Speaker 1: these specific pathways or you know, paddleways. And me and 285 00:16:43,640 --> 00:16:45,160 Speaker 1: a couple of buddies did it one year and we 286 00:16:45,200 --> 00:16:50,160 Speaker 1: canoed from from deck to deck and uh, it was amazing. 287 00:16:50,240 --> 00:16:52,560 Speaker 1: Like one of the coolest trips I've ever taken. That 288 00:16:52,760 --> 00:16:55,600 Speaker 1: is very cool was ned Baity with you. No, but 289 00:16:56,160 --> 00:16:58,520 Speaker 1: you do wake up surrounded by alligators. It's just a 290 00:16:58,520 --> 00:17:02,560 Speaker 1: little creepy. Yes, alligators are very creepy. Like you wake 291 00:17:02,640 --> 00:17:05,040 Speaker 1: up on that pad and and p off the dock 292 00:17:05,160 --> 00:17:07,919 Speaker 1: and they're growling at you. Yeah, and you do not 293 00:17:07,960 --> 00:17:09,960 Speaker 1: want to get too close because they can move faster 294 00:17:10,040 --> 00:17:12,480 Speaker 1: than you think. Yeah, they can. It was It was 295 00:17:12,480 --> 00:17:14,520 Speaker 1: a lot of fun though, but not for the faint 296 00:17:14,560 --> 00:17:16,320 Speaker 1: of heart, because you know, you don't realize until you 297 00:17:16,359 --> 00:17:18,800 Speaker 1: get out there a how bad the sun is gonna 298 00:17:18,840 --> 00:17:23,120 Speaker 1: beat you up because there's no shade, and be how 299 00:17:23,160 --> 00:17:26,440 Speaker 1: tough it is to paddle all day long without like, 300 00:17:27,000 --> 00:17:29,000 Speaker 1: you know, let me get out and stretch my legs. 301 00:17:29,760 --> 00:17:32,679 Speaker 1: I mean, there is no getting out. You just you 302 00:17:32,800 --> 00:17:34,960 Speaker 1: just go and go and go, and by the time 303 00:17:35,000 --> 00:17:38,199 Speaker 1: you finally reach that jankie deck, it is like, uh, 304 00:17:38,800 --> 00:17:41,720 Speaker 1: might as well be the Plaza Hotel, you know. Nice. 305 00:17:42,280 --> 00:17:43,760 Speaker 1: But what I'm talking about in the case of the 306 00:17:43,760 --> 00:17:46,480 Speaker 1: Oki Finocchi, I thought it was a forest's or a 307 00:17:46,480 --> 00:17:50,480 Speaker 1: bottom bottom land hardwood swamp, you think from reading this, 308 00:17:50,600 --> 00:17:55,719 Speaker 1: But apparently it's called a non riverine swamp forest and 309 00:17:55,760 --> 00:17:58,640 Speaker 1: that is a forested swamp that fills up from non 310 00:17:58,720 --> 00:18:02,960 Speaker 1: river sources basically the rain or groundwater, right right, So 311 00:18:03,520 --> 00:18:06,320 Speaker 1: the what would make a forested swamp like a bottom 312 00:18:06,400 --> 00:18:09,440 Speaker 1: land hardwood swamp is a proximity to a river that 313 00:18:09,480 --> 00:18:13,080 Speaker 1: floods its banks or that is just so so big 314 00:18:13,080 --> 00:18:15,600 Speaker 1: it kind of spills over into some of the surrounding land, 315 00:18:15,600 --> 00:18:17,880 Speaker 1: and that surrounding land is swamp. I want to look 316 00:18:17,960 --> 00:18:20,200 Speaker 1: that up, though I'm not quite sure Dave's right. So well, 317 00:18:20,280 --> 00:18:23,600 Speaker 1: it's okay. It's so it's either river fed or groundwater 318 00:18:23,640 --> 00:18:27,800 Speaker 1: fed or precipitation fed. And if you're talking bottom land 319 00:18:27,840 --> 00:18:32,240 Speaker 1: hardwood swamps, that's or a river fed swamp. There's usually 320 00:18:32,240 --> 00:18:36,200 Speaker 1: also a shrub swamp, which is a transition or buffer 321 00:18:36,320 --> 00:18:40,679 Speaker 1: zone between the forested swamp and you know, somebody's backyard, 322 00:18:41,119 --> 00:18:43,560 Speaker 1: which is it's just dominated by shrubs, but it's all 323 00:18:43,560 --> 00:18:46,159 Speaker 1: the same thing. It's all fresh water swamp. Yeah, I 324 00:18:46,160 --> 00:18:49,119 Speaker 1: think I bet you anything that. Okay, Finocchi has several 325 00:18:49,160 --> 00:18:51,879 Speaker 1: different types of these would be my guess, because they 326 00:18:51,920 --> 00:18:55,199 Speaker 1: were full on lakes that we paddled through. Yeah, um 327 00:18:55,280 --> 00:18:57,080 Speaker 1: so that would be my guess. And I also think 328 00:18:57,119 --> 00:18:58,760 Speaker 1: if I had a country band, they would we would 329 00:18:58,760 --> 00:19:02,280 Speaker 1: be the bottom land hardwood swamp rats. Oh that's a 330 00:19:02,280 --> 00:19:04,840 Speaker 1: good one. That sounds like an all star band, you know. 331 00:19:06,520 --> 00:19:09,000 Speaker 1: Um So, another kind of wetland that you're going to 332 00:19:09,080 --> 00:19:12,280 Speaker 1: find all over the place, especially in Europe, which when 333 00:19:12,320 --> 00:19:14,480 Speaker 1: I think of bogs and fens, I think of Europe, 334 00:19:14,480 --> 00:19:17,760 Speaker 1: but apparently there's plenty of them in the United States too. 335 00:19:18,200 --> 00:19:21,760 Speaker 1: But um, bogs and fens are kind of their own thing. 336 00:19:22,520 --> 00:19:25,480 Speaker 1: Bogs in particular are very unique as far as wetlands go, 337 00:19:25,640 --> 00:19:29,399 Speaker 1: because not only are they anaerobic, which by definition of 338 00:19:29,600 --> 00:19:35,560 Speaker 1: wetland is anaerobic soil, they're like very little nutrient and 339 00:19:35,800 --> 00:19:39,560 Speaker 1: very high acidity. I've I've heard like the kind of 340 00:19:39,600 --> 00:19:43,000 Speaker 1: acid that is put out by the peat that's created 341 00:19:43,400 --> 00:19:46,640 Speaker 1: in the bog has the same acidity roughly of vinegar. 342 00:19:47,400 --> 00:19:50,880 Speaker 1: It's like, a yeah, it's really really acidic stuff, and 343 00:19:50,960 --> 00:19:54,199 Speaker 1: yet some plants prefer it. Like you can grow cranberries 344 00:19:54,240 --> 00:19:58,200 Speaker 1: and blueberries in a bog. You can preserve a body 345 00:19:58,320 --> 00:20:00,840 Speaker 1: from the Iron Age forward and bog. Do we ever 346 00:20:00,840 --> 00:20:04,360 Speaker 1: recover that the bog bodies? I feel like we did. 347 00:20:04,359 --> 00:20:06,840 Speaker 1: Maybe it might have been one of our video things 348 00:20:06,880 --> 00:20:10,920 Speaker 1: on YouTube. Maybe mummies, because I think, if I remember correctly, 349 00:20:10,920 --> 00:20:14,200 Speaker 1: our mummy episode covered more than just Egyptian mummies and 350 00:20:14,359 --> 00:20:17,880 Speaker 1: be covered like Inco mummies, and I'm sure we did. 351 00:20:18,040 --> 00:20:20,639 Speaker 1: We saw some then when we went to uh on 352 00:20:20,680 --> 00:20:23,040 Speaker 1: our our UK trip, We've got to visit some of 353 00:20:23,040 --> 00:20:26,520 Speaker 1: those cats, like firsthand, like right there in that in 354 00:20:26,520 --> 00:20:29,399 Speaker 1: that glass, right, like you know I have to do 355 00:20:29,520 --> 00:20:32,520 Speaker 1: is smash it with a hammer and it's yours, yeah, 356 00:20:32,960 --> 00:20:34,800 Speaker 1: or at least whatever you can grab like a bog 357 00:20:34,880 --> 00:20:39,040 Speaker 1: ear right, it just crumbles and in your hand. But 358 00:20:39,119 --> 00:20:41,280 Speaker 1: I was like, I was like, okay, why why are 359 00:20:41,359 --> 00:20:45,199 Speaker 1: the bogs so great for preservation? Part of it, from 360 00:20:45,240 --> 00:20:48,040 Speaker 1: what I understand, is that acidity that the bodies are 361 00:20:48,040 --> 00:20:53,440 Speaker 1: actually pickled. But another part is the the um aerobic 362 00:20:53,840 --> 00:20:58,480 Speaker 1: life is so devoid there. There's just anaerobic bacteria and 363 00:20:58,520 --> 00:21:01,760 Speaker 1: they don't decompose nearly well as aerobic bacteria, so the 364 00:21:01,920 --> 00:21:05,640 Speaker 1: decomposition doesn't set in and the remains are pickled. So 365 00:21:06,520 --> 00:21:08,639 Speaker 1: like you can preserve a body in a really great 366 00:21:08,680 --> 00:21:12,960 Speaker 1: state for a very like toall End band, you could 367 00:21:13,080 --> 00:21:16,040 Speaker 1: his whiskers are still intact on his face. Yeah, Like 368 00:21:16,080 --> 00:21:18,800 Speaker 1: that was the level of preservation, and he was sacrificed 369 00:21:18,840 --> 00:21:22,080 Speaker 1: into a bog, which is a very specific kind of wetland. Yeah, 370 00:21:22,080 --> 00:21:24,320 Speaker 1: and a fin like I said, it's f e n 371 00:21:24,480 --> 00:21:27,440 Speaker 1: it's sort of like a bog, and that it is 372 00:21:27,680 --> 00:21:31,879 Speaker 1: a peat pet wetland. But they're a little bit different 373 00:21:31,880 --> 00:21:35,960 Speaker 1: than bogs. The water supply doesn't come primarily from rain, 374 00:21:36,640 --> 00:21:38,639 Speaker 1: and it comes from the ground, So it's not it's 375 00:21:38,680 --> 00:21:41,600 Speaker 1: gonna be less acidic because I don't think we mentioned mentioned. 376 00:21:41,600 --> 00:21:44,879 Speaker 1: I know it's um partially because of the peat, but um, 377 00:21:44,960 --> 00:21:48,040 Speaker 1: the acidity also comes from the fact that there's acid 378 00:21:48,040 --> 00:21:51,520 Speaker 1: and rain that gets filling up, that fills up these bogs, 379 00:21:52,240 --> 00:21:55,560 Speaker 1: but not the case in a fin now, because that 380 00:21:55,640 --> 00:21:58,919 Speaker 1: groundwater is able to kind of dilute it a little bit. 381 00:21:58,960 --> 00:22:01,120 Speaker 1: So they're much more New Trent rich than a ball 382 00:22:01,200 --> 00:22:03,920 Speaker 1: get so they're gonna have much a much wider diverse 383 00:22:04,680 --> 00:22:07,639 Speaker 1: range of plants and animal life. Yeah, and this I 384 00:22:07,680 --> 00:22:09,800 Speaker 1: love that. This next section from day was called other 385 00:22:09,840 --> 00:22:13,719 Speaker 1: fun types of wetlands. Yeah, mud flats, Yeah, you get 386 00:22:13,760 --> 00:22:16,520 Speaker 1: your mud flat. It's another good country band. Um. My 387 00:22:16,600 --> 00:22:19,879 Speaker 1: favorite are seeps. These are just gorgeous little pieces of nature. 388 00:22:19,920 --> 00:22:22,359 Speaker 1: If you ask me, um, it's if you have a 389 00:22:22,440 --> 00:22:25,119 Speaker 1: spring that comes up out of the ground. Uh, it 390 00:22:25,240 --> 00:22:28,320 Speaker 1: spills over into the ground. So the surrounding ground is wetland, 391 00:22:28,359 --> 00:22:31,480 Speaker 1: and it's called a seep. That's right. It's where gnomes 392 00:22:31,840 --> 00:22:36,080 Speaker 1: like go and shower. Yeah, and it's not uh like 393 00:22:36,080 --> 00:22:38,720 Speaker 1: you said, it's a spring, so it's not like a creek. No, 394 00:22:39,040 --> 00:22:42,080 Speaker 1: it's actually coming up from the ground. You ever drink 395 00:22:42,080 --> 00:22:46,440 Speaker 1: from a natural spring? I did when I was a kid, 396 00:22:46,520 --> 00:22:49,600 Speaker 1: and my mom fired the babysitter that like took a 397 00:22:49,680 --> 00:22:51,840 Speaker 1: drink from a spring. Yeah. Who she was like, what 398 00:22:51,880 --> 00:22:54,399 Speaker 1: are you doing? It was either spring or like a 399 00:22:54,480 --> 00:22:57,840 Speaker 1: river in Ohio, and either way very different things. It's 400 00:22:58,080 --> 00:23:00,800 Speaker 1: like a Kyaga river. Ever, then you're in bad. It 401 00:23:00,880 --> 00:23:03,359 Speaker 1: was on fire while we were drinking. But I mean, 402 00:23:03,400 --> 00:23:06,159 Speaker 1: we have creeks. If if you're listening, you've never been 403 00:23:06,200 --> 00:23:09,280 Speaker 1: to Atlanta, Atlanta has creeks all over the place. Like 404 00:23:09,359 --> 00:23:11,919 Speaker 1: all of the Intown neighborhoods just are riddled with creeks. 405 00:23:11,920 --> 00:23:14,399 Speaker 1: They're just sort of out of view. Um. But like, 406 00:23:14,480 --> 00:23:16,320 Speaker 1: we have a creek, you know, a hundred and twenty 407 00:23:16,359 --> 00:23:19,159 Speaker 1: ft from our house, which might have something to do 408 00:23:19,160 --> 00:23:22,679 Speaker 1: with our drainage, who knows. And it's spring fed. No, 409 00:23:22,920 --> 00:23:26,160 Speaker 1: it's just uh, you know, just a part of the 410 00:23:26,200 --> 00:23:29,160 Speaker 1: Atlanta probably all comes from the Chattahoochee at some point. 411 00:23:30,200 --> 00:23:33,359 Speaker 1: So chuck, if that creek behind your house started meandering 412 00:23:33,400 --> 00:23:37,040 Speaker 1: in a different direction and left a body of water 413 00:23:37,119 --> 00:23:40,200 Speaker 1: where it originally flowed, it would be an oxbow lake. 414 00:23:40,680 --> 00:23:43,679 Speaker 1: But if you were in Australia and you were calling 415 00:23:43,680 --> 00:23:46,440 Speaker 1: it it's proper Aboriginal name, you'd call it a billabong, 416 00:23:47,920 --> 00:23:49,480 Speaker 1: which I had no idea. What does that have to 417 00:23:49,480 --> 00:23:53,119 Speaker 1: do with surfing? Oh? I think they just probably co 418 00:23:53,280 --> 00:23:56,720 Speaker 1: opted the name and it became more associated with surf 419 00:23:56,800 --> 00:24:00,000 Speaker 1: and surf gear than then It's true. Meaning that doesn't 420 00:24:00,040 --> 00:24:02,919 Speaker 1: seem right now, let's take it back, But that's what 421 00:24:03,000 --> 00:24:06,320 Speaker 1: an oxbow lake is in Australia. Among the Aborigines, it 422 00:24:06,480 --> 00:24:10,720 Speaker 1: is a billabong, which is great. That was some like, 423 00:24:10,760 --> 00:24:15,200 Speaker 1: along with op was one of the prime uh T 424 00:24:15,359 --> 00:24:17,440 Speaker 1: shirts to have when you were a kid in the eighties. 425 00:24:17,640 --> 00:24:20,440 Speaker 1: Oh yeah, if you were cool. I had this amazing 426 00:24:20,560 --> 00:24:23,399 Speaker 1: ope long sleeve blue shirt that they wore with my 427 00:24:23,480 --> 00:24:27,640 Speaker 1: parachute pants were the best my British nights. Remember those 428 00:24:27,680 --> 00:24:32,200 Speaker 1: long sleeve OP shirts. Yeah, they're good, gorgeous, so chuck. 429 00:24:32,320 --> 00:24:35,240 Speaker 1: One of the things we've been talking about is um 430 00:24:35,480 --> 00:24:39,800 Speaker 1: the kind of the characteristics that make a wetland a wetland. 431 00:24:39,880 --> 00:24:43,080 Speaker 1: It's not just the fact that the soil table or 432 00:24:43,119 --> 00:24:48,240 Speaker 1: the ground is either flooded or almost completely flooded up 433 00:24:48,280 --> 00:24:51,960 Speaker 1: to the surface level UM with water. That's that's not 434 00:24:52,440 --> 00:24:56,480 Speaker 1: the entirety of it. Like, different wetlands are characterized by 435 00:24:56,480 --> 00:24:58,640 Speaker 1: by how that water gets to it. Like we said, 436 00:24:58,840 --> 00:25:01,200 Speaker 1: you know, some kinds of swam so are fed by groundwater, 437 00:25:01,320 --> 00:25:05,359 Speaker 1: others are fed by precipitation UM summer tidal. So there's 438 00:25:05,359 --> 00:25:08,399 Speaker 1: a whole group of scientists out there that are called 439 00:25:08,560 --> 00:25:12,360 Speaker 1: UM wetland hydrologists, and what they study is how that 440 00:25:12,400 --> 00:25:15,240 Speaker 1: water gets into a wetland to create a wetland, what 441 00:25:15,320 --> 00:25:18,200 Speaker 1: happens to it while it's there, and then where it goes, 442 00:25:18,680 --> 00:25:21,399 Speaker 1: and how all these things kind of interact to form 443 00:25:21,600 --> 00:25:25,320 Speaker 1: this very unique ecosystem. Yeah, and we talked early on 444 00:25:25,359 --> 00:25:27,960 Speaker 1: about the kyd of the kind of soil. Hydric soil 445 00:25:28,680 --> 00:25:31,920 Speaker 1: is saturated with water, and so if it's saturated with water, 446 00:25:32,320 --> 00:25:36,280 Speaker 1: it's not gonna have nearly as much oxygen and usually 447 00:25:36,440 --> 00:25:39,040 Speaker 1: oxygen and soil or in these little tiny air pockets, 448 00:25:39,320 --> 00:25:42,359 Speaker 1: remember we talked about it in our soil episode. Yeah, exactly, 449 00:25:42,840 --> 00:25:45,680 Speaker 1: And in the case of a wetland, then those air 450 00:25:45,720 --> 00:25:47,639 Speaker 1: pockets are going to be filled with water or just 451 00:25:47,680 --> 00:25:51,000 Speaker 1: collapsed all together, and then you've got your anaerobic condition. 452 00:25:51,560 --> 00:25:55,119 Speaker 1: But if your plant, you need CEO two and oxygen, 453 00:25:55,800 --> 00:25:58,240 Speaker 1: and you'll get a little bit of that from photosynthesis 454 00:25:58,280 --> 00:25:59,840 Speaker 1: in the leaves, but the roots are like, what about 455 00:25:59,840 --> 00:26:03,199 Speaker 1: me down here? I need oxygen too. And if it 456 00:26:03,320 --> 00:26:05,399 Speaker 1: was an aerobic soil like we talked about in the 457 00:26:05,480 --> 00:26:08,080 Speaker 1: In the Soil podcast, the roots can get it from 458 00:26:08,080 --> 00:26:11,359 Speaker 1: those air pockets. But in wetlands they have to really 459 00:26:11,400 --> 00:26:16,159 Speaker 1: really adapt to become hydrophytic or water loving plants and 460 00:26:16,640 --> 00:26:19,920 Speaker 1: some pretty amazing ways. So I just have to say 461 00:26:19,960 --> 00:26:23,080 Speaker 1: that this is like a lifelong mystery solved and solved 462 00:26:23,119 --> 00:26:26,760 Speaker 1: in like the simplest way possible. Like it's anaerobic because 463 00:26:26,800 --> 00:26:29,359 Speaker 1: there's water there instead of air. The air can't be 464 00:26:29,359 --> 00:26:33,680 Speaker 1: in there because the water is there, ipso facto anaerobic. 465 00:26:34,200 --> 00:26:37,399 Speaker 1: I just I just think that's brilliantly simple. Did you 466 00:26:37,480 --> 00:26:40,240 Speaker 1: get that intuitively? Because I never did. Always thought it 467 00:26:40,240 --> 00:26:42,760 Speaker 1: was something mysterious, like we're talking about a whole different 468 00:26:42,800 --> 00:26:46,199 Speaker 1: type of soil or something else. No, I think I 469 00:26:46,240 --> 00:26:49,439 Speaker 1: got it. Okay, Well it was if I've been around 470 00:26:49,440 --> 00:26:52,720 Speaker 1: for forty four years and wondered it until just now, Well, 471 00:26:52,760 --> 00:26:54,399 Speaker 1: I'm forty nine, so I might have warned that in 472 00:26:54,440 --> 00:26:57,640 Speaker 1: the last five years. So, um, the plants that we're 473 00:26:57,640 --> 00:27:00,240 Speaker 1: talking about, like, they like you said, the roots still 474 00:27:00,240 --> 00:27:02,679 Speaker 1: need oxygen. So they said, okay, well, I really like 475 00:27:02,800 --> 00:27:04,720 Speaker 1: it here. I like this wet land area. This is 476 00:27:04,760 --> 00:27:07,440 Speaker 1: pretty amazing place to live. I'm going to change so 477 00:27:07,480 --> 00:27:10,639 Speaker 1: that I can stay here. And some of the ways 478 00:27:10,680 --> 00:27:14,480 Speaker 1: that plants have have adapted. Um, well, one good example 479 00:27:14,520 --> 00:27:17,040 Speaker 1: is a cat tail. Right. Cat tails are pretty much 480 00:27:17,080 --> 00:27:20,960 Speaker 1: synonymous with marsh lands. Yeah, they're beautiful. They're that long, 481 00:27:21,160 --> 00:27:24,920 Speaker 1: thin stem with like a big fat thing on top, 482 00:27:25,040 --> 00:27:27,199 Speaker 1: like a hot dog that's ready to be roasted on 483 00:27:27,200 --> 00:27:29,360 Speaker 1: the fire. Yeah. I grew up with those. I don't 484 00:27:29,359 --> 00:27:31,320 Speaker 1: know if it was a Southern thing, but there. They 485 00:27:31,359 --> 00:27:34,320 Speaker 1: can be decorative items in the home. Uh. And I 486 00:27:34,359 --> 00:27:35,680 Speaker 1: grew up, I feel like, with a lot of cat 487 00:27:35,680 --> 00:27:39,760 Speaker 1: tails in vases and stuff. Okay, so um that in 488 00:27:39,760 --> 00:27:46,560 Speaker 1: in wasps nests. So cattails have this thing called um 489 00:27:46,840 --> 00:27:57,760 Speaker 1: airin ici Um No, I've got aeron nickima erin Akaima Erinakaima. 490 00:27:58,040 --> 00:28:01,000 Speaker 1: I think I got it. Anyway, they like these um 491 00:28:01,040 --> 00:28:04,399 Speaker 1: these channels that basically direct air from the leaves and 492 00:28:04,480 --> 00:28:06,600 Speaker 1: the stem and every other part of the cattailed down 493 00:28:06,640 --> 00:28:08,679 Speaker 1: to the roots. So's here you go roots, here's some 494 00:28:08,720 --> 00:28:13,120 Speaker 1: oxygen fresh from the leaf. Yeah, so that that cat 495 00:28:13,160 --> 00:28:15,200 Speaker 1: tail can have as much roots as it once down 496 00:28:15,280 --> 00:28:17,480 Speaker 1: in this an aerobic soil. It doesn't matter because it's 497 00:28:17,480 --> 00:28:21,119 Speaker 1: getting it's oxygen from the air through the leaves. Yeah. 498 00:28:21,200 --> 00:28:25,080 Speaker 1: One of my favorites is the speckled alder. Uh. You 499 00:28:25,200 --> 00:28:27,119 Speaker 1: just look up a picture of that, and they have 500 00:28:27,160 --> 00:28:31,240 Speaker 1: these enlarged pores called lenticels, and they allow for the 501 00:28:31,280 --> 00:28:35,520 Speaker 1: passage of oxygen directly into that wood. And if you 502 00:28:35,560 --> 00:28:38,000 Speaker 1: look up a picture and you see those, you go, oh, 503 00:28:38,160 --> 00:28:40,480 Speaker 1: that's what those are. That's what those are for. There. 504 00:28:40,480 --> 00:28:42,200 Speaker 1: They look like someone took a knife, and they're just 505 00:28:42,520 --> 00:28:45,480 Speaker 1: tiny little horizontal slits all up and down the alder, guess, 506 00:28:45,560 --> 00:28:50,160 Speaker 1: and it's it's their breathing basically. Yeah, that's creepy as heck, 507 00:28:50,200 --> 00:28:53,240 Speaker 1: but it's like really neat little mouths, little slitty mouths. 508 00:28:53,840 --> 00:28:57,640 Speaker 1: So um. The grasses that we talked about growing in 509 00:28:57,680 --> 00:29:01,800 Speaker 1: salt marshes um just like an iguana sneezes out excess 510 00:29:01,840 --> 00:29:05,160 Speaker 1: salts as part of digestion, Things like cord grass that 511 00:29:05,240 --> 00:29:08,840 Speaker 1: grow in these salt marshes. Um. They actually excrete salts 512 00:29:08,920 --> 00:29:12,440 Speaker 1: through their leaves, so they can sit there and take 513 00:29:12,480 --> 00:29:17,920 Speaker 1: all the nutrients they need from this sylinic environment um 514 00:29:18,040 --> 00:29:21,080 Speaker 1: and still not get overloaded with salt. It's just pretty 515 00:29:21,120 --> 00:29:23,720 Speaker 1: amazing that they can do that. Yeah. And then to me, 516 00:29:24,360 --> 00:29:26,800 Speaker 1: maybe the most amazing, and this is where the mangroves 517 00:29:26,840 --> 00:29:30,120 Speaker 1: kind of come back in. Although the mangroves apparently utilize 518 00:29:30,120 --> 00:29:33,680 Speaker 1: all these to stick around, but the bald cypress they 519 00:29:33,680 --> 00:29:37,480 Speaker 1: grow in those forested swamps where there's always water, and 520 00:29:37,560 --> 00:29:40,960 Speaker 1: they are deciduous conifers, and they grow this root structure 521 00:29:41,560 --> 00:29:43,760 Speaker 1: um that they call a knee. It's a new metaphor, 522 00:29:44,120 --> 00:29:46,760 Speaker 1: but like a knee on your leg is how it's spelled. 523 00:29:47,360 --> 00:29:49,200 Speaker 1: And they just sit above the water line and take 524 00:29:49,240 --> 00:29:53,080 Speaker 1: in oxygen. And that's what those I guess, mangroves, man creves. 525 00:29:55,320 --> 00:29:58,640 Speaker 1: There's a salt train joke in there somewhere. It struck 526 00:29:58,680 --> 00:30:02,160 Speaker 1: me as like a terrible jam band's name. Yeah, God, 527 00:30:02,160 --> 00:30:05,920 Speaker 1: you're right that that plays somewhere in Florida probably probably. 528 00:30:06,520 --> 00:30:09,800 Speaker 1: But the man grove uses, like I said, a lot 529 00:30:09,840 --> 00:30:12,720 Speaker 1: of these tricks, and I think certainly when you see 530 00:30:12,760 --> 00:30:17,760 Speaker 1: those roots, they're using those knees, Yeah, which is basically 531 00:30:17,800 --> 00:30:20,600 Speaker 1: it's a it's a it's a way to get oxygen 532 00:30:20,680 --> 00:30:24,320 Speaker 1: from the surrounding air down to the roots. The mangroves 533 00:30:24,360 --> 00:30:27,200 Speaker 1: do it. The bald cypresses do it. Mangroves have all 534 00:30:27,240 --> 00:30:30,920 Speaker 1: those adapt adaptations different species things. They can do things 535 00:30:30,960 --> 00:30:34,000 Speaker 1: like excrete salt. They can draw oxygen and from the environment. 536 00:30:34,200 --> 00:30:36,600 Speaker 1: They have channels where they can pump oxygen from one 537 00:30:36,600 --> 00:30:39,200 Speaker 1: part of the plant to the other. Um. The one 538 00:30:39,200 --> 00:30:42,000 Speaker 1: that gets me though, I'm just fascinated by box. So 539 00:30:42,080 --> 00:30:46,920 Speaker 1: we said that there it's an acidic um anaerobic, nutrient 540 00:30:47,040 --> 00:30:50,920 Speaker 1: depleted environment, and yet there's still plants that live there. 541 00:30:51,280 --> 00:30:53,760 Speaker 1: And one of those plants, one kind of plant is 542 00:30:53,880 --> 00:30:57,320 Speaker 1: carnivorous plants. They get their nutrients not from like the soil, 543 00:30:57,400 --> 00:31:00,680 Speaker 1: but from eating bugs. So they can just lived there 544 00:31:00,680 --> 00:31:03,200 Speaker 1: like a picture plant or a venus fly trap or 545 00:31:03,240 --> 00:31:06,560 Speaker 1: something like that. Yeah, those are nate nature. It wasn't 546 00:31:06,640 --> 00:31:09,280 Speaker 1: Venus fly trap one of the DJs on w k 547 00:31:09,400 --> 00:31:12,440 Speaker 1: r P. That's a great DJ name. Yeah, well he 548 00:31:12,520 --> 00:31:15,480 Speaker 1: was a great DJ. All right, So let's take our 549 00:31:15,480 --> 00:31:18,360 Speaker 1: final break and we'll talk about why wetlands are important 550 00:31:18,400 --> 00:31:20,120 Speaker 1: and what you can do to help them do their 551 00:31:20,160 --> 00:31:44,000 Speaker 1: thing right after this, Okay, Chuck, so um, just the 552 00:31:44,040 --> 00:31:47,360 Speaker 1: fact that wetlands are as amazing as they are means 553 00:31:47,400 --> 00:31:51,200 Speaker 1: that they should be saved. Um. But there's also like 554 00:31:51,240 --> 00:31:53,560 Speaker 1: a lot of benefits that we figured out. Like you 555 00:31:53,600 --> 00:31:56,200 Speaker 1: said that the fifties of the seventies were really rough 556 00:31:56,280 --> 00:31:59,840 Speaker 1: time for wetlands in the United States because we're filling 557 00:31:59,840 --> 00:32:02,480 Speaker 1: them in for crop land for real estate. Uh. And 558 00:32:02,560 --> 00:32:05,520 Speaker 1: even previous to that, we filled in a lot of 559 00:32:05,640 --> 00:32:08,600 Speaker 1: marshland in the US and built cities over from like 560 00:32:08,680 --> 00:32:12,400 Speaker 1: d C was built largely on marshland. Um. The fact 561 00:32:12,440 --> 00:32:17,080 Speaker 1: that mosquitoes tend to live in wetland areas uh, kind 562 00:32:17,080 --> 00:32:19,760 Speaker 1: of justified filling in a lot of the wetlands because 563 00:32:20,040 --> 00:32:22,200 Speaker 1: we were dealing with malaria at the time, so it 564 00:32:22,240 --> 00:32:23,840 Speaker 1: made a lot of sense. Get rid of the mosquito's 565 00:32:23,840 --> 00:32:25,960 Speaker 1: habitat you get rid of the mosquitoes. And it worked. 566 00:32:26,240 --> 00:32:28,280 Speaker 1: But we've paid a heavy price for it because over 567 00:32:28,320 --> 00:32:32,960 Speaker 1: time we've realized these wetlands provide some really important benefits 568 00:32:33,040 --> 00:32:36,680 Speaker 1: to to the local ecosystems and in turn humans who 569 00:32:36,760 --> 00:32:40,280 Speaker 1: live around them. Yeah, I mean helping flood conditions is 570 00:32:40,280 --> 00:32:43,640 Speaker 1: a big one. They are big, big natural sponges when 571 00:32:43,720 --> 00:32:46,840 Speaker 1: it comes down to it, and flooding would be way 572 00:32:46,880 --> 00:32:49,000 Speaker 1: way worse. And we still have floods obviously, but to 573 00:32:49,120 --> 00:32:52,080 Speaker 1: be way worse if we didn't have wetlands, they'd be 574 00:32:52,120 --> 00:32:55,360 Speaker 1: far more destructive if they weren't around to soak in 575 00:32:55,400 --> 00:32:58,360 Speaker 1: that excess water and then kind of slowly trickle it 576 00:32:58,400 --> 00:33:01,800 Speaker 1: to the water table below. Uh. And the same it 577 00:33:01,840 --> 00:33:05,600 Speaker 1: was obviously true of hurricanes and and big storm surges. 578 00:33:06,280 --> 00:33:10,320 Speaker 1: The wetlands basically operate as big storage tanks for water. Yeah. 579 00:33:10,360 --> 00:33:12,600 Speaker 1: I saw somewhere I can't find it now, but that like, 580 00:33:12,800 --> 00:33:15,440 Speaker 1: oh there it is an acre of wetlands can hold 581 00:33:15,520 --> 00:33:18,000 Speaker 1: up to about a million and a half gallons of 582 00:33:18,080 --> 00:33:21,400 Speaker 1: water just just one acre. So you've got to think 583 00:33:21,440 --> 00:33:24,600 Speaker 1: like that water is staying put there and it's not 584 00:33:24,760 --> 00:33:28,400 Speaker 1: flooding some human habitation instead, which is a good reason 585 00:33:28,400 --> 00:33:31,360 Speaker 1: to keep wetlands around just for that that buffer area, 586 00:33:31,640 --> 00:33:34,440 Speaker 1: or to slow down the surge like you were saying, Um, 587 00:33:34,480 --> 00:33:36,840 Speaker 1: I also saw that. We found out the same thing 588 00:33:36,920 --> 00:33:40,160 Speaker 1: goes for beaver dams that they build there like a 589 00:33:40,280 --> 00:33:42,840 Speaker 1: temporary artificial wetland and they provide a lot of the 590 00:33:42,880 --> 00:33:47,280 Speaker 1: same functions that natural or other I guess naturally occurring 591 00:33:47,360 --> 00:33:50,920 Speaker 1: or growing wetlands provide too. Um and I think we 592 00:33:50,960 --> 00:33:54,280 Speaker 1: should do a whole episode on beavers. Okay, totally way 593 00:33:54,320 --> 00:34:02,280 Speaker 1: into beavers. So water filtration is is an is it water? 594 00:34:02,280 --> 00:34:05,360 Speaker 1: I'm getting you back for the oregonic thing. So water 595 00:34:05,480 --> 00:34:10,239 Speaker 1: filtration is as another big service that wetlands provide. I 596 00:34:10,280 --> 00:34:12,719 Speaker 1: don't remember where we talked about this, but we talked 597 00:34:12,719 --> 00:34:16,440 Speaker 1: about it recently. Um where the water oh, I think 598 00:34:16,440 --> 00:34:19,440 Speaker 1: it was water treatment plants. The water is brought in 599 00:34:19,520 --> 00:34:21,640 Speaker 1: and it's got all the sediment and gunk and muck, 600 00:34:21,680 --> 00:34:25,240 Speaker 1: and it's cloudy and turbid, and then it slows down. 601 00:34:25,320 --> 00:34:27,840 Speaker 1: They slow it down like running it through some grates 602 00:34:27,920 --> 00:34:31,480 Speaker 1: or whatever, and as it slows down, the sediment that 603 00:34:31,640 --> 00:34:34,160 Speaker 1: is making the water turbin and polluted and everything has 604 00:34:34,160 --> 00:34:37,120 Speaker 1: a chance to settle the bottom. Well. Wetlands provide that 605 00:34:37,280 --> 00:34:40,400 Speaker 1: same function naturally, So when you have a bunch of 606 00:34:40,440 --> 00:34:45,800 Speaker 1: like polluted water basically come through there that it slows 607 00:34:45,840 --> 00:34:48,440 Speaker 1: down when it hits all those mangrove roots or tree 608 00:34:48,760 --> 00:34:51,400 Speaker 1: trunks or whatever it is, and it gives it a 609 00:34:51,480 --> 00:34:53,920 Speaker 1: chance for that seven sediment to fall to the bottom. 610 00:34:54,160 --> 00:34:56,880 Speaker 1: It's gets sucked up by the tree roots and stored 611 00:34:56,920 --> 00:35:00,759 Speaker 1: in the trees. Um or the microbial life can break 612 00:35:00,800 --> 00:35:03,239 Speaker 1: a lot of that stuff down too, And there's definitely 613 00:35:03,520 --> 00:35:07,320 Speaker 1: a limit to where you can very easily overload the 614 00:35:08,080 --> 00:35:10,920 Speaker 1: um wetlands ability to filter the water. But if you 615 00:35:11,440 --> 00:35:13,840 Speaker 1: if you gave it like a manageable supply, that is 616 00:35:13,880 --> 00:35:16,680 Speaker 1: a major service that it does. Is it cleans our water. 617 00:35:16,760 --> 00:35:20,719 Speaker 1: They call wetlands the kidneys of the earth. Yeah, And 618 00:35:20,760 --> 00:35:24,120 Speaker 1: they they've even done studies where they tried to, uh, 619 00:35:24,200 --> 00:35:27,640 Speaker 1: I guess, sort of monetize what an area of wetland 620 00:35:27,719 --> 00:35:30,080 Speaker 1: might do if it were a treatment plant. And there's 621 00:35:30,120 --> 00:35:34,160 Speaker 1: one in South Carolina called the Congaree bottom Land Hardwood Swamp. 622 00:35:35,280 --> 00:35:39,000 Speaker 1: These are just all country bands is They said that 623 00:35:39,000 --> 00:35:42,640 Speaker 1: that is basically um equivalent to about a five million 624 00:35:42,680 --> 00:35:46,600 Speaker 1: dollar water treatment plant just sitting there being a wetland 625 00:35:46,680 --> 00:35:50,919 Speaker 1: doing its thing. Thank you Nature. Pretty amazing. I saw 626 00:35:50,960 --> 00:35:54,520 Speaker 1: that beavers provide the the dams that that they build 627 00:35:54,600 --> 00:35:58,440 Speaker 1: that end up being temporary wetlands that somebody estimated it's 628 00:35:58,480 --> 00:36:01,040 Speaker 1: worth about a hundred grand if a human tried to 629 00:36:01,080 --> 00:36:04,000 Speaker 1: build an artificial one, which we do that if you 630 00:36:04,080 --> 00:36:07,319 Speaker 1: just let beavers do their thing, they will, UM, they 631 00:36:07,320 --> 00:36:10,680 Speaker 1: will do the same thing for free. That's right. You 632 00:36:10,719 --> 00:36:14,960 Speaker 1: don't have to pay a hundred grand Nope. UM. There's 633 00:36:15,000 --> 00:36:19,360 Speaker 1: also because there's so much going on UM in a wetland, 634 00:36:19,360 --> 00:36:22,080 Speaker 1: there's so much life, they kind of form like these 635 00:36:22,120 --> 00:36:25,719 Speaker 1: metropolis is for all sorts of different types of animals 636 00:36:25,719 --> 00:36:29,759 Speaker 1: on all the way up the food chain UM, including plants, animals, 637 00:36:30,000 --> 00:36:38,120 Speaker 1: microbial life, worms, fish, larger predators like dolphins and alligators, UM, 638 00:36:38,160 --> 00:36:42,919 Speaker 1: and all of them are sitting there providing food for us. 639 00:36:43,239 --> 00:36:47,839 Speaker 1: If you like gator tail, buddy, you better preserve those wetlands. Yeah, 640 00:36:47,840 --> 00:36:50,560 Speaker 1: it's UM. Dave points out here that the commercial fishing 641 00:36:50,560 --> 00:36:55,000 Speaker 1: industry in the US, the fish and shellfish harvested here 642 00:36:55,600 --> 00:36:58,120 Speaker 1: UM had fish that at least had a temporary home 643 00:36:58,120 --> 00:37:01,400 Speaker 1: in the wetlands, and that recordationally, if you're a recreational 644 00:37:02,040 --> 00:37:07,000 Speaker 1: fish person fisher person, then UH nine of the U 645 00:37:07,160 --> 00:37:11,240 Speaker 1: S fish catch UH is at least the breeding ground 646 00:37:11,880 --> 00:37:14,600 Speaker 1: lies in the wetlands for those fish. And the same 647 00:37:14,640 --> 00:37:18,239 Speaker 1: thing goes for birds too. They're they're enormously important habitats. 648 00:37:18,280 --> 00:37:22,440 Speaker 1: For birds, um, some permanent but also migratory too, because 649 00:37:22,680 --> 00:37:25,759 Speaker 1: if you're flying along and you're a bird, and you 650 00:37:25,840 --> 00:37:28,280 Speaker 1: are a water bird and you need a place to land, 651 00:37:28,400 --> 00:37:30,600 Speaker 1: not only you're looking for water, but you might really 652 00:37:30,719 --> 00:37:34,160 Speaker 1: enjoy a swamp because it offers protection from predators, it 653 00:37:34,239 --> 00:37:38,280 Speaker 1: offers import in the storm. It's just all around valuable 654 00:37:38,320 --> 00:37:42,399 Speaker 1: thing for birds too. Yeah. I mean, imagine flying from 655 00:37:42,440 --> 00:37:48,000 Speaker 1: Canada to Texas and you're going over Oklahoma and you're 656 00:37:48,000 --> 00:37:50,759 Speaker 1: a little tired. You look down, you see one of 657 00:37:50,800 --> 00:37:55,120 Speaker 1: those which ones where those the prairie ply is the 658 00:37:55,120 --> 00:37:59,759 Speaker 1: the know, the prairie pothole, prairie potholes. Oh man, what 659 00:37:59,880 --> 00:38:03,080 Speaker 1: a much sight. Aren't you describing a scene in Jonathan 660 00:38:03,160 --> 00:38:08,239 Speaker 1: Living sin Segal? Probably so. Uh So. The point is 661 00:38:08,280 --> 00:38:10,600 Speaker 1: we need to take care of our wetlands because they 662 00:38:10,680 --> 00:38:18,359 Speaker 1: are um a threatened, diverse, very useful um place all 663 00:38:18,360 --> 00:38:21,600 Speaker 1: over the world, especially here in the United States, and um, 664 00:38:21,719 --> 00:38:23,960 Speaker 1: if they are threatened and if things happen, there are 665 00:38:23,960 --> 00:38:26,480 Speaker 1: going to be all kinds of bad things, uh you know, 666 00:38:26,840 --> 00:38:31,560 Speaker 1: vegetative damage, um, the plant life just being maybe whitened out, 667 00:38:31,880 --> 00:38:35,880 Speaker 1: wiped out altogether, storm searches being way worse flooding being 668 00:38:35,920 --> 00:38:40,279 Speaker 1: way worse especially helps to see the value in them 669 00:38:40,280 --> 00:38:44,040 Speaker 1: if you consider them a buffer zone between us and 670 00:38:44,040 --> 00:38:47,960 Speaker 1: and the hardest ravages of nature. Yeah, and like you mentioned, pollution, 671 00:38:48,000 --> 00:38:51,120 Speaker 1: there is a limit, but they do absorb and mitigate 672 00:38:51,760 --> 00:38:54,960 Speaker 1: levels of water pollution, and um it just they just 673 00:38:55,000 --> 00:38:58,400 Speaker 1: can't take too much of us, you know, right exactly? 674 00:38:58,440 --> 00:39:02,239 Speaker 1: Which man, if they is anything that characterized humans in 675 00:39:02,280 --> 00:39:05,160 Speaker 1: the twentie and twenty one centuries, it's too much of us, 676 00:39:06,360 --> 00:39:09,080 Speaker 1: you know what I mean? What can we do though, well, 677 00:39:10,680 --> 00:39:12,839 Speaker 1: projects we can, We can definitely do that. You can 678 00:39:12,880 --> 00:39:15,040 Speaker 1: definitely do that. There's some good ones out there. Um. 679 00:39:15,440 --> 00:39:20,400 Speaker 1: I believe Ducks Unlimited is one of them, the Wetlands Initiative, 680 00:39:20,560 --> 00:39:25,640 Speaker 1: Natural Resources Defense Council, Wetlands International. Um. But apparently in 681 00:39:25,719 --> 00:39:29,560 Speaker 1: the United States something like se wetlands or I'm privately 682 00:39:29,600 --> 00:39:33,319 Speaker 1: owned property, and in the United States we have I mean, 683 00:39:33,480 --> 00:39:36,279 Speaker 1: private property is one of like the fundamental tenets of 684 00:39:36,360 --> 00:39:39,759 Speaker 1: American society. So if you say, I want to fill 685 00:39:39,800 --> 00:39:43,360 Speaker 1: in this wetland and kill off these beavers, you're allowed 686 00:39:43,400 --> 00:39:46,320 Speaker 1: to do that. Whether that's a good idea and whether 687 00:39:46,560 --> 00:39:50,560 Speaker 1: that's gonna affect other people, that's a different story. So 688 00:39:50,920 --> 00:39:54,040 Speaker 1: if you own private property with a wetland on it 689 00:39:54,280 --> 00:39:56,960 Speaker 1: and you're doing just fine with that wetland, leave the 690 00:39:56,960 --> 00:40:00,839 Speaker 1: wetland alone. It's very important. I guess this is where 691 00:40:00,880 --> 00:40:04,560 Speaker 1: it gets a little tricky in definitions, because in plenty 692 00:40:04,600 --> 00:40:09,799 Speaker 1: of places there are restrictions on building near water like this. 693 00:40:10,920 --> 00:40:14,879 Speaker 1: I guess I just don't know, Like, um, you can't 694 00:40:14,880 --> 00:40:17,200 Speaker 1: build in a flood zone. You can't. I mean, it 695 00:40:17,200 --> 00:40:19,960 Speaker 1: depends on where you are, but in Atlanta you can't. Uh. 696 00:40:20,000 --> 00:40:22,280 Speaker 1: And then with these all these creeks and streams in Atlanta, 697 00:40:22,320 --> 00:40:25,760 Speaker 1: they have what's called stream buffers um fifty ft seventy 698 00:40:26,360 --> 00:40:28,920 Speaker 1: hundred foot and I think, I think is the lowest. 699 00:40:29,520 --> 00:40:31,400 Speaker 1: And for these you have to get variance is to 700 00:40:31,440 --> 00:40:35,160 Speaker 1: do anything which your neighborhood has to approve. And I 701 00:40:35,200 --> 00:40:38,520 Speaker 1: talked to a guy that apparently anything over um, anything 702 00:40:38,600 --> 00:40:41,960 Speaker 1: under seventy five is pretty pretty tricky to get approved. 703 00:40:42,040 --> 00:40:44,279 Speaker 1: So I don't know if they're wetlands or not, but 704 00:40:44,360 --> 00:40:47,040 Speaker 1: there are restrictions on stuff like that. Okay. So that 705 00:40:47,080 --> 00:40:48,920 Speaker 1: brings up the next point of what you and I 706 00:40:49,000 --> 00:40:51,480 Speaker 1: and everybody else can do, which is vote for people 707 00:40:52,239 --> 00:40:55,320 Speaker 1: for to local elected office. Who part of their platform 708 00:40:55,400 --> 00:40:58,200 Speaker 1: is protecting wetlands. Yeah, like all of those buffer zones, 709 00:40:58,239 --> 00:41:01,200 Speaker 1: all those variances, and all those probably ambitions, those are 710 00:41:01,320 --> 00:41:04,719 Speaker 1: those came from Atlanta City councils over the years that 711 00:41:04,800 --> 00:41:08,640 Speaker 1: decided that wetlands needed protecting. You don't find those everywhere, 712 00:41:08,920 --> 00:41:11,520 Speaker 1: but once they get put in place, they usually don't 713 00:41:11,640 --> 00:41:16,080 Speaker 1: get repealed very easily. So if if you make preserving 714 00:41:16,080 --> 00:41:19,160 Speaker 1: wetlands part of like what you're voting for, that would 715 00:41:19,200 --> 00:41:22,880 Speaker 1: have an impact for sure. And whatever you're voting for, 716 00:41:23,040 --> 00:41:29,680 Speaker 1: just vote, Okay, vote, especially the presidential elections are always 717 00:41:29,680 --> 00:41:34,120 Speaker 1: the big sexy votes, but the local politics matters even 718 00:41:34,160 --> 00:41:37,200 Speaker 1: more almost sometimes. Yeah, I vote for all of it. 719 00:41:37,600 --> 00:41:42,279 Speaker 1: Taking interest in the in your society. Okay. Uh, well 720 00:41:42,320 --> 00:41:46,000 Speaker 1: you've got anything else about wetlands. I don't either. This 721 00:41:46,040 --> 00:41:48,600 Speaker 1: is a good one. I'm pretty happy with it. Uh 722 00:41:48,640 --> 00:41:54,600 Speaker 1: And since I said that, everybody, it's time for listener mail. Yeah. 723 00:41:54,640 --> 00:41:57,760 Speaker 1: I'm gonna call this the first uh s y five 724 00:41:57,840 --> 00:42:02,640 Speaker 1: k oh Yeah you see these? Yes man, Congratulations everybody 725 00:42:02,640 --> 00:42:06,120 Speaker 1: who took part. Yeah. So what happened was, uh some 726 00:42:06,239 --> 00:42:09,600 Speaker 1: stuff you should know. Listeners got together and put together 727 00:42:09,840 --> 00:42:12,960 Speaker 1: h five k stuff you should know five K and 728 00:42:13,000 --> 00:42:17,160 Speaker 1: we got periodic updates from Aaron Huey, Mizzle or Myzell. 729 00:42:17,200 --> 00:42:19,239 Speaker 1: I'm not sure you pronounce it. I'm going with miss 730 00:42:19,360 --> 00:42:23,080 Speaker 1: le Mozel. But this is um. This is the final 731 00:42:23,160 --> 00:42:26,359 Speaker 1: email about how it went. Hey, guys, want to let 732 00:42:26,360 --> 00:42:29,040 Speaker 1: you know that the s y five ks over. It 733 00:42:29,080 --> 00:42:31,040 Speaker 1: was so nice to look at everyone's pictures and hear 734 00:42:31,080 --> 00:42:32,920 Speaker 1: what episodes of stuff you should know they listened to 735 00:42:33,239 --> 00:42:35,279 Speaker 1: because that was the idea imagined. Some people might have 736 00:42:35,520 --> 00:42:38,439 Speaker 1: fudged that and listened to Mark Marrin or whatever. That's 737 00:42:38,480 --> 00:42:42,239 Speaker 1: not like they're disqualified. I think a lot of us 738 00:42:42,280 --> 00:42:44,359 Speaker 1: have suffered from a lack of human connection at this time, 739 00:42:44,760 --> 00:42:47,400 Speaker 1: and the silly little virtual event gave us something to 740 00:42:47,480 --> 00:42:49,880 Speaker 1: bond over. I don't think I would have tried this 741 00:42:50,000 --> 00:42:52,200 Speaker 1: with any other group of people. The stuff you should 742 00:42:52,200 --> 00:42:54,120 Speaker 1: know Army is wonderful and it speaks volumes in regard 743 00:42:54,120 --> 00:42:55,960 Speaker 1: to you, guys. Uh. The tone that you set in 744 00:42:55,960 --> 00:42:58,839 Speaker 1: your podcast interesting and funny, carries over into your fan 745 00:42:58,880 --> 00:43:02,680 Speaker 1: base and it's created a little lovely corner of the internet. Um. 746 00:43:02,800 --> 00:43:05,759 Speaker 1: I totally agree Aaron, And the same can be said 747 00:43:05,760 --> 00:43:08,400 Speaker 1: of the movie Crush Page. Very very good people, not 748 00:43:08,480 --> 00:43:12,360 Speaker 1: snipy or rude and going after each other on Facebook, 749 00:43:12,400 --> 00:43:15,040 Speaker 1: which is kind of what Facebook seems to be all about. 750 00:43:15,480 --> 00:43:19,800 Speaker 1: Oh yeah, it's like a garden paradise over there. And 751 00:43:19,840 --> 00:43:21,919 Speaker 1: the s Y s K Army page. Yeah that's great. 752 00:43:22,360 --> 00:43:24,880 Speaker 1: Uh Now, I'm not suggesting that you made these people wonderful, 753 00:43:24,880 --> 00:43:26,759 Speaker 1: but the average stuff you should Know Army member is 754 00:43:26,840 --> 00:43:29,400 Speaker 1: like that interesting, funny and willing to participate in a 755 00:43:29,480 --> 00:43:32,560 Speaker 1: virtual five K with a complete stranger, and they love 756 00:43:32,640 --> 00:43:35,640 Speaker 1: stroop waffles. I even bought thirteen stuff you should Know 757 00:43:35,680 --> 00:43:38,160 Speaker 1: stickers to send out to some people as prizes. It's 758 00:43:38,200 --> 00:43:39,759 Speaker 1: just a little thing, but everyone that I've been in 759 00:43:39,800 --> 00:43:42,680 Speaker 1: touch with has been exceedingly kind. This is what we 760 00:43:42,719 --> 00:43:45,520 Speaker 1: need right now, these small human connections. A podcast to 761 00:43:45,640 --> 00:43:49,040 Speaker 1: listen to and laugh with, a walk run, bear chase 762 00:43:49,440 --> 00:43:52,520 Speaker 1: to do virtually with a bunch of near strangers, and 763 00:43:52,640 --> 00:43:54,440 Speaker 1: stuff you should have sticker to pull in your fridge 764 00:43:54,480 --> 00:43:56,600 Speaker 1: or on your laptop. If you get a chance to 765 00:43:56,600 --> 00:43:58,080 Speaker 1: go to the event page and scroll through some of 766 00:43:58,080 --> 00:44:00,440 Speaker 1: the posts, they're delightful, like the woman who did our 767 00:44:00,480 --> 00:44:03,520 Speaker 1: five K at three months postpartum and crushed it, or 768 00:44:03,560 --> 00:44:05,720 Speaker 1: the dad who pushed his adorable daughter in a stroller 769 00:44:05,760 --> 00:44:08,360 Speaker 1: on the five K while listening to his favorite episode, 770 00:44:08,400 --> 00:44:11,640 Speaker 1: which was Spam. We had first timers. It was a 771 00:44:11,640 --> 00:44:14,200 Speaker 1: good one. We had first timers, people recovering from injury, 772 00:44:14,560 --> 00:44:16,640 Speaker 1: runners and walkers, so many smiles and Stuff you Should 773 00:44:16,680 --> 00:44:18,759 Speaker 1: Know t shirts sign off for now, but just writing 774 00:44:18,800 --> 00:44:21,319 Speaker 1: to tell you, is this a success? We might even 775 00:44:21,320 --> 00:44:24,239 Speaker 1: do it again with love And that is again from 776 00:44:24,239 --> 00:44:28,160 Speaker 1: Aaron Huey Mozzell and that is great. Aaron, thank you 777 00:44:28,200 --> 00:44:31,080 Speaker 1: for doing this and that really does speak to UH, 778 00:44:31,120 --> 00:44:34,919 Speaker 1: to the quality of our listeners in every single way, indubitably. Yeah, 779 00:44:34,920 --> 00:44:36,719 Speaker 1: thanks a lot, Aaron. It's good to hear from you, 780 00:44:37,239 --> 00:44:40,480 Speaker 1: UH and everybody who participated in the s y five K. 781 00:44:41,640 --> 00:44:48,040 Speaker 1: You are the champions, our friends, even if you listen 782 00:44:48,280 --> 00:44:54,960 Speaker 1: to Mark Maron. But maybe that what Chuck just said, 783 00:44:56,800 --> 00:44:59,080 Speaker 1: that's it. Okay. Well, if you want to get in 784 00:44:59,080 --> 00:45:01,719 Speaker 1: touch of this like a and did and do something interesting, 785 00:45:02,000 --> 00:45:04,600 Speaker 1: we want to hear about it. You can write to 786 00:45:04,719 --> 00:45:08,399 Speaker 1: us in an email to Stuff podcast at I heeart 787 00:45:08,480 --> 00:45:13,880 Speaker 1: Radio dot com m H. Stuff you Should Know is 788 00:45:13,880 --> 00:45:16,480 Speaker 1: a production of iHeart Radios How Stuff Works. For more 789 00:45:16,520 --> 00:45:19,000 Speaker 1: podcasts for My Heart Radio, visit the iHeart radio app 790 00:45:19,080 --> 00:45:21,680 Speaker 1: Apple podcasts are wherever you listen to your favorite shows. 791 00:45:24,840 --> 00:45:24,880 Speaker 1: H