[What is a wetland?]
What exactly is a wetland? Well, a wetland is an area of land that is either permanently or sporadically wet with shallow water or contains soil that is permanently or sporadically saturated. The combined area of the land and water supports a natural ecosystem of plants and animals that are adapted to wet conditions. Wetlands are part of the Natural Water System of Texas—a collection of aquifers, springs, rivers and streams, lakes and reservoirs, wetlands, bays and estuaries all ultimately leading to the Gulf of Mexico. This interactive system is sustainable only if viewed as a whole in which all of the parts are preserved and protected. A watershed is an area of land that transports water to the lowest point in the landscape— often a lake, river, or stream. Every piece of land, then, is part of a watershed and wetlands are essential to its health for reasons you are about to discover. Scientists are even finding that wetlands help moderate global climate by storing carbon in their plants and soil. So, thanks to wetlands, this wetlands walk has many exciting things to teach us, including how we affect the health of our water, and more importantly what we can do to protect it. Enjoy! (recorded water drop)

[Wetlands are nature’s nurseries]
Wetlands are often called nature’s nurseries because many species of wildlife, including insects, fish, amphibians and birds require wetland habitat during their lifetime, especially when they are very young. You can enjoy watching many fish, birds, and other aquatic species throughout the year, but remember that these wetlands are their habitat, and you’re a guest in their home. An endangered species is in danger of extinction throughout most of its territory. A threatened species is likely to become endangered in the near future. Native plants are indigenous, or natural, to one or more vegetational regions and are adapted to local conditions. Here you can see cattails, yellow pond or cow lilies, cabomba, and bald cypress trees. Exotic plants, such as elephant ears, water lettuce, hydrilla, and water hyacinth are not native to Texas and may compete with native plants, altering the habitat and food sources of native animals. (recorded water drop)

[Wetlands Are Buffers]
(recorded storm) Wetlands Are Buffers. Wetlands provide protection to surrounding ecosystems through physical and chemical buffering. During rainfall events, wetlands create a physical buffer and slow the speed, or velocity, of stormwater runoff. Acting as sponges, wetlands absorb much of the runoff and sediment into their soils and plants. The immediate decrease in the velocity of the water protects the streambank from erosion and the sponge effect decreases flood impacts to downstream communities. During times of drought, wetlands are important refuges for wildlife. Coastal wetlands protect inland areas by creating a physical buffer from strong winds and storm surges. (recorded sound of traffic and train) Wetlands are also chemical buffers, protecting the water systems from pollution. As stormwater enters a creek or river, it is often filled with non-point source pollution, or NPS, such as fertilizers, herbicides, pesticides, oil and grease, and heavy metals from human activities on the land. These polluted waters flow through the wetland before they ever enter the river. This slows down the flow allowing solid pollutant particles to settle into the wetland soils where they are absorbed or stored. As the water moves through the wetland, plants can absorb some kinds of dissolved pollution into their tissue. As a result, water leaving the wetland is much cleaner than the water that entered. (recorded stream) (recorded water drop)

[People Impact Wetlands]
(recorded sounds of construction) People Impact Wetlands. While many wetlands in the United States are protected under the Clean Water Act, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, we continue to lose approximately 70,000 to 90,000 acres of wetlands on non-federal, rural lands each year (EPA). This loss occurs from the dredging or filling of wetlands to make way for development. If this occurs, mitigation, which is the creation of a new wetland, or restoration of a previously-degraded wetland, may be required of the developer. However, these mitigated wetlands may not function as well as a lost wetland and often take time to become established before functioning at their full potential. As developments encroach upon wetland areas they bring noise and light pollution and allow the opportunity for exotic or invasive plants to move into the wetland. Noise and light pollution scare away birds and other animals living in the wetland and impact reproduction and migration patterns. Breaks in the vegetation along the edge of wetlands where they meet development provide places for exotic and invasive plant species to move in, disrupting the wetland’s natural vegetative community. One of the biggest impacts to wetlands are disruptions to water flow from development and channelization of waterways. The amount of water and the timing of water flowing into the wetland are crucial to its survival. Changes in either of these can undermine the integrity of the wetland system as a whole. Finally, nonpoint source pollution from urban and agricultural activities entering the watershed can, over time, cause a buildup in toxins in wetland soils and plants. These toxins can poison animals and plants in the wetlands. Thus, while wetlands buffer pollution impacts on aquatic systems, we need to reduce the overall amount of pollution entering our waters. (recorded water drop)

[Listen to the plants]
(recorded light wind in the leaves) Listen to the Plants. Notice the changes in the plant communities. The plants you have seen in the wetlands so far are representative of aquatic plant communities. They include plants that are completely submerged underwater, that emerge out of the water, cattails, and floating, lilies. You see a gradual shift from aquatic plant communities to terrestrial plant communities as the elevation in land increases. However, the terrestrial plants that you see are still wetland plants as they are dependent on soaked soil and regular availability of water. These systems are called “hydric”. Plants in the hydric system are important indicators of the water regime. In order to determine the boundaries of a wetland, scientists not only measure the amount of standing water, but also do an inventory of the plants. Hydric systems do not always have standing water, thus, an alternate way to tell if this area is part of the wetland is by the waterloving plants that are present. Plants are a very important part of wetland systems and often are overlooked by the casual visitor. Wildlife use the dead trees, called “snags,” as homes and rely on the underbrush for protection and food. Indians depended on plants for many of their everyday items. Wax myrtle was used to make candles, cattails were weaved into baskets and ropes, and fern sprouts were cooked and eaten. (recorded light wind in the leaves) (recorded water drop)

[Quiet Observation]
(recorded lone cricket) Quiet Observation. Enjoy a quiet moment in this area; listen and look at what is around you. You may be surprised at what appears when given the time. Reflect on what you can do to protect the wetland or natural area in your neighborhood. Here are some things you can do. Understand the benefits of wetlands and recognize how we affect them. Encourage planners, developers, and government officials to preserve natural wetlands. Prevent wastes, (recorded dog bark) leaves, and debris from entering storm drains. Dispose of used oil, oil filters, antifreeze, paints, and other household chemicals properly. Use native plants and natural fertilizers at home and avoid planting exotic plants. Conserve water. Recognize and support private landowners who are involved in preserving wetlands, and Adopt-a-wetland through the Environmental Protection Agency. Remember, the Natural Water System of Texas is an interactive system which is sustainable only if viewed as a whole in which all of the parts are preserved and protected. Be mindful of your actions… the quality of Texas water is in your hands. (sound of running water in a creek)

That’s our tour for today. On behalf of Texas State University-San Marcos, Texas Watch and Texas Parks and Wildlife, Thanks for visiting today, I’m Cecilia Nasti.

(recorded wetland chorus) Welcome to the Aquarena Center Wetlands Walk! Your tour is presented in six zones. Look for the zone numbers as you proceed through the wetland. When you hear the water drop (recorded water drop), stop your player and proceed to the next zone.
Zone One. What exactly is a wetland? Well, a wetland is an area of land that is either permanently or sporadically wet with shallow water or contains soil that is permanently or sporadically saturated. The combined area of the land and water supports a natural ecosystem of plants and animals that are adapted to wet conditions. Wetlands are part of the Natural Water System of Texas—a collection of aquifers, springs, rivers and streams, lakes and reservoirs, wetlands, bays and estuaries all ultimately leading to the Gulf of Mexico. This interactive system is sustainable only if viewed as a whole in which all of the parts are preserved and protected. This wetland at Aquarena Center is located in the Sink Creek Watershed. A watershed is an area of land that transports water to the lowest point in the landscape— often a lake, river, or stream. Every piece of land, then, is part of a watershed and wetlands are essential to its health for reasons you are about to discover. Scientists are even finding that wetlands help moderate global climate by storing carbon in their plants and soil. So, thanks to wetlands, this wetlands walk has many exciting things to teach us, including how we affect the health of our water, and more importantly what we can do to protect it. Enjoy! (recorded water drop)

(recorded baby birds) Zone Two. Wetlands are often called nature’s nurseries because many species of wildlife, including insects, fish, amphibians and birds require wetland habitat during their lifetime, especially when they are very young. You can enjoy watching many fish, birds, and other aquatic species throughout the year, but remember that these wetlands are their habitat, and you’re a guest in their home. An endangered species is in danger of extinction throughout most of its territory. A threatened species is likely to become endangered in the near future. Although the Fountain Darter, San Marcos Salamander, Texas Blind Salamander, and Texas Wild Rice are not typically found in this area of Spring Lake, these threatened and endangered species of the Edwards Aquifer and San Marcos River are directly impacted by the health of the wetlands. Native plants are indigenous, or natural, to one or more vegetational regions and are adapted to local conditions. Here you can see cattails, yellow pond or cow lilies, cabomba, and bald cypress trees. Exotic plants, such as elephant ears, water lettuce, hydrilla, and water hyacinth are not native to Texas and may compete with native plants, altering the habitat and food sources of native animals. Other aquatic species of Spring Lake include the musk turtle, common snapping turtle, spiny softshell turtle, Texas river cooter turtle, red eared slider turtle, and the very elusive American Eel. The floating wetlands boardwalk allows you to view aquatic and migratory birds, as well as other species, up close and personal in their natural environment. (recorded water drop)

(recorded storm) Zone Three. Wetlands Are Buffers. Wetlands provide protection to surrounding ecosystems through physical and chemical buffering. During rainfall events, wetlands create a physical buffer and slow the speed, or velocity, of stormwater runoff. Acting as sponges, wetlands absorb much of the runoff and sediment into their soils and plants. The immediate decrease in the velocity of the water protects the streambank from erosion and the sponge effect decreases flood impacts to downstream communities. During times of drought, wetlands are important refuges for wildlife. Coastal wetlands protect inland areas by creating a physical buffer from strong winds and storm surges. (recorded sound of traffic and train) Wetlands are also chemical buffers, protecting the water systems from pollution. As stormwater enters a creek or river, it is often filled with non-point source pollution, or NPS, such as fertilizers, herbicides, pesticides, oil and grease, and heavy metals from human activities on the land. These polluted waters flow through the wetland before they ever enter the river. This slows down the flow allowing solid pollutant particles to settle into the wetland soils where they are absorbed or stored. As the water moves through the wetland, plants can absorb some kinds of dissolved pollution into their tissue. As a result, water leaving the wetland is much cleaner than the water that entered. To the left of zone three, is the mouth of Sink Creek. With every rain, this creek brings water that may contain pollutants from all of the activities that are carried out in this watershed. This wetland helps to filter out those pollutants before the water reaches Spring Lake. (recorded stream) (recorded water drop)

(recorded sounds of construction) Zone Four. People Impact Wetlands. While many wetlands in the United States are protected under the Clean Water Act, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, we continue to lose approximately 70,000 to 90,000 acres of wetlands on non-federal, rural lands each year (EPA). This loss occurs from the dredging or filling of wetlands to make way for development. If this occurs, mitigation, which is the creation of a new wetland, or restoration of a previously-degraded wetland, may be required of the developer. However, these mitigated wetlands may not function as well as a lost wetland and often take time to become established before functioning at their full potential. As developments encroach upon wetland areas they bring noise and light pollution and allow the opportunity for exotic or invasive plants to move into the wetland. Noise and light pollution scare away birds and other animals living in the wetland and impact reproduction and migration patterns. Breaks in the vegetation along the edge of wetlands where they meet development provide places for exotic and invasive plant species to move in, disrupting the wetland’s natural vegetative community. One of the biggest impacts to wetlands are disruptions to water flow from development and channelization of waterways. The amount of water and the timing of water flowing into the wetland are crucial to its survival. Changes in either of these can undermine the integrity of the wetland system as a whole. Finally, nonpoint source pollution from urban and agricultural activities entering the watershed can, over time, cause a buildup in toxins in wetland soils and plants. These toxins can poison animals and plants in the wetlands. Thus, while wetlands buffer pollution impacts on aquatic systems, we need to reduce the overall amount of pollution entering our waters. (recorded water drop)

(recorded light wind in the leaves) Zone Five. Listen to the Plants. As you loop your way through this section of the boardwalk, notice the changes in the plant communities. The plants you have seen in the wetlands so far are representative of aquatic plant communities. They include plants that are completely submerged underwater, such as cabomba, that emerge out of the water, cattails, and floating, cow lilies. In this section, you see a gradual shift from aquatic plant communities to terrestrial plant communities as the elevation in land increases. However, the terrestrial plants that you see are still wetland plants as they are dependent on soaked soil and regular availability of water. These systems are called “hydric”. Plants in the hydric system are important indicators of the water regime. In order to determine the boundaries of a wetland, scientists not only measure the amount of standing water, but also do an inventory of the plants. Hydric systems do not always have standing water, thus, an alternate way to tell if this area is part of the wetland is by the waterloving plants that are present. Plants are a very important part of wetland systems and often are overlooked by the casual visitor. Wildlife use the dead trees, called “snags,” as homes and rely on the underbrush for protection and food. Indians depended on plants for many of their everyday items. Wax myrtle was used to make candles, cattails were weaved into baskets and ropes, and fern sprouts were cooked and eaten. Look for these species along the boardwalk! (recorded light wind in the leaves) (recorded water drop)

(recorded lone cricket) Zone Six. Quiet Observation. Before you leave, enjoy a quiet moment in this area; listen and look at what is around you. How many different plants can you count? You may be surprised at what appears when given the time. Reflect on what you can do to protect the wetland or natural area in your neighborhood. Here are some things you can do. Understand the benefits of wetlands and recognize how we affect them. Encourage planners, developers, and government officials to preserve natural wetlands. Prevent wastes, (recorded dog bark) leaves, and debris from entering storm drains. Dispose of used oil, oil filters, antifreeze, paints, and other household chemicals properly. Use native plants and natural fertilizers at home and avoid planting exotic plants. Conserve water. Recognize and support private landowners who are involved in preserving wetlands, and Adopt-a-wetland through the Environmental Protection Agency. Remember, the Natural Water System of Texas is an interactive system which is sustainable only if viewed as a whole in which all of the parts are preserved and protected. Be mindful of your actions… the quality of Texas water is in your hands. (sound of running water in a creek) (recorded water drop)

That’s our tour for today. On behalf of Texas State University-San Marcos, Texas Watch and Texas Parks and Wildlife, Thanks for visiting today, I’m Cecilia Nasti.

You will hear a variety of sounds anytime you visit a wetland…anytime of day…anytime of year. However, since you will probably not hear them all on this visit, we’ve compiled sounds of common wetland birds, insects, frogs and a reptile. After listening to this presentation, try to identify the natural sounds around you. Wetlands are among the most productive and diverse ecosystems in the world. The creatures that live in the wetlands harmonize in a complex food web where each is dependent on another for survival. Commonly sighted fishes at the Aquarena Wetlands include a variety of sunfish, spotted gar, bass, and tilapia. From about April through June you may see large holes in the aquatic vegetation where tilapia nest and spawn. November through January is a great time to spot osprey, ducks, vultures and many other migratory birds. Anytime of the year is a good time to see the commonly sighted great blue heron, great egret, belted kingfisher, and red shouldered hawk. On special occasions you may also see or hear a yellow-crowned night-heron and other waders, Carolina chickadee, Carolina wren, summer tanager, or yellow-billed cuckoo. Did you know over 110 species of birds have been recorded here?! You may notice a black bird with an injured left wing— this is our resident double-crested cormorant, Lefty. Because of his wing, Lefty cannot fly very far and stays here all year long, but he is an avid fisher and some say he has a girlfriend who visits him on her migration south every winter. Springtime…the time of the year when birds create their nesting territories. During this time of year you often hear the “tea-kettle-tea-kettle-tea-kettle” of Carolina wrens…(call of the Carolina wren)… and warblers, like the “wichity-wichity-wichity-wich” of the common yellowthroats…(call of the common yellow-throat) and the konk-la-reee of red-winged blackbirds…(call of the red-winged black-bird). Other birds commonly heard in wetlands include the metallic rattle of the belted-kingfisher…(call of the belted-kingfisher)…green herons…(call of the green heron) red-shouldered hawks…(call of the red-shouldered hawk) and killdeer…(call of the killdeer). Wetlands provide homes to reptiles and amphibians. Most commonly sighted is the green anole lizard. Occasionally a water snake is spotted. Turtles include red–eared sliders, Texas river cooters, smaller common musk turtles (or stinkpots), common snapping turtles, and spiny softshell turtles. A very observant visitor may see green tree frogs clinging to a tree, cattail or pole …(call of green tree frogs)…or hear the calls of the cricket frog, which sounds like marbles being clicked together. They will often answer if you tap two rocks together…(call of cricket frogs)…Other common frogs include bull frogs…(call of bull frogs). You may hear leopard frogs in cooler weather, or late at night, like the Rio Grande leopard frog…(call of a Rio Grande leopard frog)… In many parts of Texas after a good rain, listen for Gulf Coast toads (call of Gulf Coast toad). Some common wetland singing insects are crickets…(call of crickets)…katydids…(single call of katydid)…(mass call of katydids)…and cicadas…(call of cicadas). Other amazing wetland sounds come from bellowing alligators…(bellowing alligators)…See you later, alligator, and thanks for listening.

That’s our tour for today…with support from Texas State University-San Marcos and Texas Watch. For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

(Natural sound of surf)

This is the best part of the project, my favorite part, just helping out the babies a little bit more.

Jaime Peña is kneeling on the beach, just a few feet from the Gulf of Mexico. Before him is a plastic tray filled with Kemp’s Ridley sea turtle hatchlings, newborn turtles just four inches long. One by one, Peña places the hatchlings on the sand and watches them crawl into the sea.

As operations director for the project, I deal a lot with governments and permits and this and that, but this makes everything worthwhile and more.

Peña is a conservation biologist with the Gladys Porter Zoo in Brownsville. He’s been with the sea turtle project since 1994 and is now the U.S. operations director for all the turtle recovery camps in Mexico.

In 1995, Dr. Patrick Birchfield, the U.S. field group coordinator, asked me to come for two months to Rancho Nuevo and I said sure, why not, you know, packed my stuff, I’m going to stay there at the beach for two months. But then I saw a nesting female, and like you say, it clicked. I immediately fell in love and right there and then was the moment that I realized that I wanted to do this for the rest of my life.

We are at Tepehuajes (TEH-PEH-WAH-HAYS), the northernmost turtle camp within the 125-kilometer stretch of beach where 90 percent of the world’s Ridley turtle population nests. Rancho Nuevo, just south of here, is ground zero for Ridley nesting. It was here in 1947 that Andres Herrera shot film that rocked the wildlife science world, showing an arribada or arrival of an estimated 40,000 female turtles on a single day. In the years that followed, however, human poachers and natural predators took an alarming toll on the Ridley. Nesting numbers steadily dropped to a record low of only 702 turtles in 1985, the dark days when many scientists believed nothing could stop the turtle’s headlong plunge toward extinction. Lately, things have improved, a lot, but it’s been no accident.

Natural sound: “Hay, esos tortugas…”

For three decades now, each spring and summer, scientists, graduate students and volunteers come to live in the turtle camps. They patrol the beaches, looking for tracks in the sand, signs of a nesting female. They carefully dig up the eggs and rebury them inside protected corrals, where they’re safe from poachers and predators. The work is hot, the conditions remote and primitive. But it’s paid off. This year, more than 100 Ridley turtles came to nest on Texas beaches, twice last year’s number, vindicating decades of work by U.S. scientists to establish a second nesting location in Texas. But Mexico remains the primary home for the species, where a record 12,000 Ridleys nested this year.

The turtle reaches sexual maturity at 10 years of age, so basically I’m seeing my daughters come back and nest. But I can only imagine how people like Jaime Ortiz, the camp coordinator here at Tepehaujes, feels. He has been doing this since 1978. And back in those days if you had a thousand turtles a year that was a lot. And we’re talking about 3,000 turtles in one day back on May 11. So it’s an incredible feeling to be part of this.

Although the U.S. has provided money and manpower, the Ridley recovery is happening on Mexican soil, where Mexican scientists and students play key roles. Octaviano Perez Tolentino supervises turtle recovery camps for the Mexican State of Tamaulipas.

TOLENTINO INTERVIEW BEGINS IN SPANISH, THEN ENGLISH TRANSLATOR AUDIO COMES UP: Tonight is a big event because all camps that are involved with the Kemp’s Ridley sea turtle will release many, many turtles and he’s hoping that in 15 years these turtles will return to the same area to begin the nesting process.

The turtle camps needed more All Terrain Vehicles to patrol beaches and better facilities where workers could stay, things the governments couldn’t always provide. Help came from an unexpected source in 1995, when a new partner emerged on the scene.

It was a biologist out of Brownsville, Texas with the Gladys Porter Zoo that made a presentation to our seafood industry at one of our association meetings. And he explained to us how important it was to keep a balance in nature, and that if you lose a specie, it has an affect on another specie. And if we want to maintain a good shrimp stock out in the Gulf, we’ve got to maintain a healthy environment for all the animals out there.

Les Hodgson is co-owner of Marco Sales, a Brownsville shrimp wholesaler. Shrimpers had been blamed as one reason for the Kemp’s Ridley turtle’s decline, and in the 1990s they were required to start using Turtle Excluder Devices, holes in shrimp trawls that allow sea turtles to escape and avoid drowning. Hodgson began a crusade to get U.S. shrimpers into the Ridley recovery project. He approached Wild American Shrimp, the marketing group that represents shrimpers in eight U.S. states along the Gulf and Atlantic. A fluent Spanish-speaker, he also got Mexican shrimpers involved.

Together, the Mexican industry bought the property here, the U.S. industry bought the material for this camp at Tepahuajes, and between the fisherman from both countries we spent two months down here building the 12-bed facility for the biologists that run this camp.

The shrimpers also worked with environmental conservation groups to lobby the U.S. government for continued funding in years when lean federal budgets threatened the project.

What we’re talking about is the health of our marine environment in our Gulf of Mexico, and it’s to our benefit in the shrimp industry not to lose another specie out of the Gulf. This was the animal that was most critically endangered. Many of the biologists said there was no way to bring it back, that we’d already lost another specie. So we feel very good about the fact that this one is heading in the right direction.

Heading in the right direction, but not all the way home. The recovery plan calls for a total of 10,000 nesting females to “downlist” the specie from endangered to threatened. If current trends continue, Peña says the project could hit that mark by 2012.

We cannot look at a 2,000-turtle arribatta on May 11 as okay, that’s it, we got it, the turtle’s recovered, let’s pack it up and go home. This is the one yard line–we cannot stop right now. But I think this is the example to follow in conservation, not only for sea turtles, but for any endangered species. If you can have federal governments, state governments, local governments, fisheries industries, universities and NGOs from both countries working together, that is the key for conservation success, that is the word: cooperation.

From Tepehaujes on the Mexican Gulf coast, this is Tom Harvey reporting.