Analysis of wetland plant communities and environmental conditions: A wetland restoration project in Seney National Wildlife Refuge

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposed a restoration project for wetlands in Michigan that were impacted by a series of drainage ditches and pools located in a large undeveloped peatland at Seney National Wildlife Refuge (SNWR). This study examined the nature and extent of degradation to the Marsh Creek wetland caused by alteration of the natural hydrology and provided baseline data for the restoration project.; Wetlands bordering Marsh Creek were quantitatively sampled to characterize the wetland plant communities, ground-water hydrology, and water quality. Geospatial technologies were used to gather, manipulate, and output supplemental data.; Ecological (e.g., plant species richness and floristic quality indices) and hydrologic (e.g., ground-water discharge) differences were observed in the wetlands upstream and downstream from the C-3 Pool. Redirecting some of the water in the C-3 Pool down the historic Marsh Creek channel would restore surface flow in the creek and affect wetland plant communities.