Eastern South Dakota Wetlands - United States Fish and ... · Diverse and extensive wetland...

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ISBN 0-9658936-2-6

Cover photo by South Dakota Tourism

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Copies may be obtained from :Department of Wildlife and Fisheries SciencesSouth Dakota State University, Box 2140BBrookings, SD 77007

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Rex R, . JohnsonDepartment of Wildlife' and Fisheries Sciences

South Dakota State Universiy, Box 21401?, Brookings, SD 57007

Kenneth F. HiggiilsAssistant Leader, South Dakota Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, USGS-BRD,

South Dakota State University, Box 214013, Brookings, SD 57007

Niichstel L. KjellsernDepartment of)Xlildlife-, and Fisheries Sciences

South Dakota State University, Box 214013, Brookings, SD 5700-11

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Charles R. Elliott:National Wetlands Inventory, U.S . Fish and Wildlife Service

Denver Federal Center, Denver, CO 80225

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This publication may be cited as.Johnson, R.R ., K.F . Higgins, M.L . Kjellsen, and C.R. Elliott . 1997

Eastern South Dakota wetlands .Brookings: South Dakota State University. 28 pp .

AcknowledgmentsMany people contributed their time, expertise, and labor tocompiling this review of eastern South Dakota's wetlandresources . The cooperation of the South Dakota Departmentof Game, Fish & Parks (SDGF&P) staff, particularly GeorgeVandel, Dave Hamm, and Ron Fowler, was invaluable . SouthDakota State University (SDSU) employees Mike Estey, ToddHoernemann, Dennis Hansen, Kevin Hop, Eugene Beckwith,Mike Broschart, Pete Bergmann, Mark Dorhout, John Bien,Lisa Sausville ; Terri Symens ; and others helped throughoutthis project. The considerable assistance of U.S . Fish andWildlife Service (USFWS) employees Lewis Cowardin, RonReynolds, Dan Cohan, and Carl Madsen, as well as LindaShaffer and Herman Robinson of the National WetlandsInventory, is gratefully acknowledged . We are especiallygrateful to Mary Brashier, Terry Molengraaf, and DennisLundgren of SDSU for editing, designing, and printing thisreport .

SDGF&P funded digitization of National Wetland Inventorymaps and data analysis (Federal Aid in Wildlife RestorationProject No . W-114-R) through the South Dakota CooperativeFish and Wildlife Research Unit in cooperation with theUSFWS, National Biological Service, 1; .S . Geological Survey-Biological Resources Division, SDGF&P, SDSU, and theWildlife Management Institute . Publication of this report wasfunded by SDGF&P and Region VIII of the U.S .Environmental Protection Agency .

Photo Credits.Photographs in this report were provided by staff of SandLake National Wildlife Refuge, the USFWS Wildlife HabitatOffice, Brookings, S.D ., Northern Prairie Science Center,Jamestown, N.D ., SDGF&P, SDSU, South Dakota Departmentof Tourism . Natural Resources Conservation Service, and theauthors .

Early spring at the northern end of the Prairie Coteau in Marshall County, a landscape with r ~,i ay semipermanent wetlands

Diverse and extensive wetland resources have alwa,.y"sbeen familiar parts of the landscape to farmers, hunters,and residents of eastern South Dakota .

The journals and oral histories of adventurers, trappers,and natives and immigrants reveal how wetlandsshaped the wildlife and the people who lured on andmodified the land to meet their own needs .

The history of South Dakota wetlands parallels the historyand interactions of people and wetlands elsewhere inNorth America and the world . This interaction can bestbe characterized as constant conflict . Driven primarilyby economics, farmers the world over expended tree-ten-dous energy to "reclaim" and "rehabilitate" wet soilsand wetlands . Their efforts alerted wildlife biologists,who sounded clear alarms in the 1950s about the lossof wetlands and about what that loss implied for thefuture of waterfowl and hunting . Eventually, farmersbecame aware that drainage districts, their costs, aniatheir failures were adversely affecting farm families asoften as they helped them .

This report deals with the present . It outlines the trueabundance and characteristics of eastern South Dakotawetlands, whether still pristine, modified, or constructedby man. It provides a clear statement of the kinds and

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numbers of wetlands and why they are important . Itis a foundation for reasoned dialog about the future ofwetlands .

The past decade has seen unprecedented public debateabout wetlands, with issues of property rights and anti-government sentiment woven in . Underlying this heatedpublic dialog is the knowledge that wetlands havetremendou,,.; values, ranging from financial returns toflood control and wildlife habitat. These values becomereal and mc-asurable in South Dakota . If wetlands areeliminated and the land no longer can absorb excesssnowmelt car precipitation, the water overruns the landhere and then goes downstream to flood someone else .Constant drainage can kill the golden goose of economicreturns from hunting and other recreation . Landownersand biologists are now trying to undo harmful wetlandmodificatiora_s of the past .

The future of many of these wetlands is still to be playedout in eastern South Dakota and elsewhere . That futurestill holds t1Il_e key to the majestic flights of waterfowlthrough future wet and dry cycle-s . Almost a millionwater bodies of all kinds are present in eastern SouthDakota ; this, report is a powerful reminder of theirdominant role in the lives of people and wildlife .

EasternSouth DakotaWetland~~M ost of eastern South Dakota lies in the

glaciated prairie pothole region ofNorth America, and the landscape is dotted bywetlands sometimes numbering over 100 persquare mile . An early settler recalled that as lateas 1903 :

. . . . low knolls are separated by saucer-like depressions, in which empoundedwater often stands the year around . . . .in the main rainwater which falls uponthe uplands has to escape by seepageor evaporation. Little ponds and marsh-es are found in almost innumerableplaces scattered all over the county . (2)

The prairie pothole region of eastern South Dakota isthe area covered most recently by glaciers and iswhere wetlands occur at the highest density.

Prairie Pothole Region

Transition Parklands

® Lake Agassiz Plain

Left: Franklin's gull

South Dakota Tourism

Whether called ponds, marshes, potholes,sloughs, swamps, or low spots, wetlands havebecrr the subject of more legislative hearings, let-ters to editors, community debates, and disagree-me--its among neighbors than any other featureof the landscape . Factual information is neededbefore citizens can make informed decisionsabout the role of vvetlands in South Dakota inthe next century.

Thii report summarizes the abundance and char-acte-istics of eastern South Dakota wetlands-thepotholes, impoundments, natural lakes, rivers,anc. other water bodies mapped by the National'We'lands Inventory (NWI). Earlier wetlandinventories often underestimated wetlandacreage because they focused on specific typesof wetlands, for example, only those valuable forduck production or only those deep enough tohold. water for a certain length of time .

The NWI mapped wetlands without regard tospecific functions or size . Therefore, this reportis eased on the most comprehensive inventory ofeastern South Dakota wetlands ever conducted .

When controversy erupts over wetlands, espe-cially in agricultural regions like eastern SouthDakota, sides are usually drawn over issues ofproperty rights, economics, and wetland values .Sor ie people, farmers who have a direct eco-nomic stake in how wetlands on their propertyare used, believe the most appropriate use isdrainage followed by crop production . Othersrally to preserve wetlands, but their argumentsoften are based on less quantifiable values .

Du-ing the early settlement period, wetlandsI'Ve--e generally regarded as wastelands andimpediments to agriculture and travel . Yet eventhen, wetland benefits were recognized .

Eastern South Dakota WETLANDS

The site of the first settlement in KingsburyCounty was chosen because of nearby wetlands .A pioneer recalled that :

As we came from near New Ulm, Minn .,and finding lots of sloughs lyingbetween Lake Badger and Lake Thistad,and [as] these sloughs were coveredwith muskrat houses, [we] decided tolocate here and build these dugouts andspent the winter here trapping . (4)

Agricultural drainage of eastern South Dakota'swetlands began in the late 1800s.

One of thefirst cooperative drainage ditches was dug in1886 by a group of Clay County farmers . A yearlater, construction of a similar ditch was blockedin court by farmers who objected to the ditchcrossing their lands.

Over the years, attempts have been made to drain millions ofacres ofwetlands

Drainage increased after WWII in conjunctionwith high crop prices and more mechanizedfarming. For many years, the U.S . Departmentof Agriculture (USDA) provided technical andfinancial assistance to help farmers drain wet-lands .

As concerns increased about the effects of wet-land drainage on wildlife, the U.S . Fish andWildlife Service (USFWS) began payinglandowners to preserve wetlands . Easementsare a one-time payment to landowners whoagree not to drain, burn, fill, or level their wet-lands . The USFWS also purchased wetlands out-right . As of 1997, revenue from federal duckstamp sales had purchased about 700 WaterfowlProduction Areas (WPAs) and perpetual ease-ments on about 25% of remaining eastern SouthDakota wetlands, all from willing sellers .

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Confusion about the importance of wetlands isunderstandable . For years, one department ofthe government paid for wetland drainage whileanother paid to prevent it .

Today, we know much more about how wetlandshelp maintain a healthy environment for humansand wildlife, and both agricultural and nonagri-cultural interests are beginning to appreciate therole wetlands play in the eastern South Dakotalandscape .

That role often is divided into three criticalsegments :

(1) benefits to wildlife,(2) benefits to humans, and(3) contributions to the normal movements

of water throughout the landscape,known as hydrology .

Contributions of wetlands to . . .

. . . WildlifeYear-round food andshelter for many species`Vesting sites for waterfm~JiWinter habitat for pheasants,deer, and other wildlifeHabitat for endanagered speciesSto,over sites formigrating birds

C(Ittctctct geese ~rracl other crilcll~fe vise tivtl"IJtcls ill croplaiacl


. . . Humans" Surface and ground-water supply

" Hunting, trapping, fishing" Birding, photographing,

sightseeing, canoeing" Forage production

. . . HSIdrology" Pollutant and sediment removal" Stabilized stream flow" Groundv~later recharge" Flood r'orttrol

Muskrats create openings in wetland vegetation that benefit ot'?er wildlife

Damselflies

8

Wetlands and wildlifeWhen explorers and settlers first crossed thewet prairies of eastern South Dakota theywere greeted by clouds of waterfowl that haddepended on the region for breeding andmigration for more than 10,000 years.

The most productive duck nestinggrounds of all - an area that oftenproduced twenty or more broods tothe square mile - were the glaciatedgrasslands of the northern Great Plains,studded with potholes, sloughs, andshallow marshes that made ideal habi-tat for mallards, pintails, canvasbacks,and other ducks of more than a dozenspecies . . . . The spring and autumnmigrations of the waterfowl wereawe-inspiring sites to the first explorerswho saw them . From the . . . prairiesloughs and potholes still unseen bywhite men, swans, geese and ducks . . .streamed southward each fall to con-centrate by the millions on the bays,marshes, and rivers of the South. (5)

W'esteriI grebe' ,~ Iles/ oll ,`l0GlliIlg PISl~1Or11lS 111 l; : rge s. 11l1IJeri1lclYlei11 LLvllallds

Despite extensive wetland drainage and lossof upland nesting, cover, the prairie potholeregion of eastern South Dakota remains one ofthe most productive waterfowl breeding areasof North America. It is the combination ofsmall and shallow wetlands with larger anddeeper wetlands that makes eastern SouthDakota so attractive to breeding ducks .

Temporary and seasonal wetlands, most lessthan half an acre in size, thaw quickly in thespring . Pairs of dabbling ducks-species suchas mallards, pintails, and blue-winged teal-will seek seclusion from other members oftheir species when they are preparing to nest .They find this privacy on small wetlands .These small wetlands also provide a richsource of aquatic insects, snails, and otherinvertebrates. Hens need this protein-andcalcium-rich food to produce eggs .

A series of wet years on the prairies, whensmall, shallow wetlands hold water throughoutthe breeding season, can result in continentalduck population explosions .


1 0

Deeper wetlands, that thaw later and holdwater throughout the summer in most years,attract different ducks . These deeper wet-lands provide breeding habitat for divingducks such as canvasbacks and redheads .

Later in the season, many dabbling ducks willlead their broods to these deeper wetlands .And in the fall, migrating ducks and geeseinterrupt their southward journey to rest andfeed on these wetlands, making eastern SouthDakota a waterfowl management area ofinternational importance and a paradise forwaterfowl hunters.

Besides ducks, over 100 fish, 80 bird, 25mammal, 17 amphibian, and 10 reptile speciesdepend on eastern South Dakota wetlands .Some upland wildlife, such as ring-neckedpheasants and white-tailed deer, use wetlandsduring the winter to survive prolonged coldand blizzards . Winter wind velocities in wet-lands may be 95% less than in nearby shelter-belts, making wetlands valuable winter coverfor many resident wildlife species .

Blue-winged teal,leed oll int, ertebrates in shallow wetlands

Yellow-headed blOckbird

Wetlands, important w;nter habitatfbr resident wildlife

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Wetlands provide habitat for more than 200 species of wildlife that live in or migrate through eastern SouthDakota . Some species are listed below (a number in ( ) indicates the number of species or subspecies) .

Bird

Fish

Piping plover

Whooping crane

Western painted turtle

Plains spadefoot toad

Chorus rog (2)

Tiger sa amander (3)

Mudpuppy

Sturgeon (2)

Herring (2)

Stoneroller

Brassy minnow

Suckermouth minnow

Buffalo (3)

Black bullhead

Stonecat

Burbot

White bass

Bluegill

Black crappie

Sauger

Chinook salmon

Rainbow smelt

Central inudminnow

Snapping turtle

Softshell turtle (2)

Canadian toad

Great Plains toad

Leopard frog (2)

Paddlefish

Gizzard shad

Carp (3)

Plains minnow

Bluntnose minnow

River carpsucker

Shorthead redhorse

Yellow bullhead

Tadpole madtorn

Banded killifish

Rock bass

Smallmouth bass

Darters (3)

Yellow perch

Brown trout

Northern pike

Least tern

Blanding's turtle

False map turtle

Garter snake (3)

American toad

Cricket frog

Wood frog

Gar (2)

Goldeye

European rudd

Chubs (6)

Fathead minnow

Quillback

Northern hog sucker

Brown bullhead

Flathead catfish

Plains topmlnnow

Green sunfish

Largemouth bass

Logperch

Freshwater drum

Rainbow trout

Muskellunge

Osprey

False map turtle

Bald eagle

Topeka shiner


Pintail

Green-winged teal

Greater scaup

Ruddy duck

Tundra swan

Ring-necked pheasant

Horned grebe

Pied-billed grebe

Snowy egret

Great blue heron

American bittern

American coot

Forster's tern

Herring gull

Killdeer

Lesser yellowlegs

Willet

Ruddy turnstone

Western sandpiper

Baird's sandpiper

Spotted sandpiper

Wilson's phalarope

White pelican

Belted kingfisher

Willow flycatcher

Raccoon

Long-tailed weasel

Short-tailed shrew

Water shrew

Prairie vole

Grasshopper mouse

Blanding's turtle

Northern water snake

Woodhouse's toad

Gray tree frog

Bullfrog

American eel

Mooneye

West silvery minnow

Shiners (13)

Dace (4)

Suckers (3)

Blue catfish

Channel catfish

Trout-perch

Brook stickleback

Orangespotted sunflish

White crappie

Walleye

Coho salmon

Lake whitefish

Grass pickerel

Mallarc Gadwall Blue-winged teal

Wood duck Shoveler Wigeon

Redhead Canvasback Lesser scaup

Bufflehead Ring-necked duck Common goldeneye

Hooded merganser Common merganser Canada goose (4)

White-fronted goose Snow goose Ross's goose

Osprey Northern harrier Bald eagle

Eared grebe Red-necked grebe Western grebe

Black-crowned night heron Little blue heron Cattle egret

Great egret Yellow-crowned night heron Green-backed hero i

Least bittern Sera White-faced ibis

Sandhlll crane Whooping crane Virginia rail

Black tern Common tern Least tern

Ring-billed gull Franklin's gull Caspian tern

Black-bellied plover Semipalmated plover Bonaparte's gull

Greater yellowlegs Solitary sandpiper Piping plover

Marbled godwit Hudsonian godwit Spotted sandpiper

Commoi snipe Sanderling American avocet

Least sandpiper White-rumped sandpiper Semipalmated sandpiper

Pectoral sandpiper Short-billed dowltcher Dunlin

Stilt sandpiper Marsh wren Long-billed dowltcher

Red-necked phalarope Red-winged blackbird Sedge wren

Double--,rested cormorant Le Conte's sparrow Yellow-headed blackbird

Bank swallow Savannah sparrow Swamp sparrow

Commoi yellowthroat Rough-winged swallow Common grackle

Muskrat Beaver Mink

White-tE iled deer Coyote Red fox

Least weasel Stripped skunk Cottontail

Masked shrew Pygmy shrew Arctic shrew

Southern bog lemming Western harvest mouse Medow vole

Meadow jumping mouse Deer mouse Southern red-backed vole

White-footed mouse

Wetlands and peopleSurveys show that about 99% of South Dakotansenjoy wildlife-related recreation .

On average, about 99,000 South Dakotans huntannually, and another 48,000 nonresidents cometo the state to hunt each year. Over one fourthhunt ducks and geese .

South Dakotans spend over S80 million onhunting each year, and nonresidents contributeanother $25 million to the state's economy inhunting-related travel expenses . A recent nationalsurvey showed that wildlife-related recreationcontributed over 5231,000,000 to South Dakota'seconomy in a single year .

Throughout the cold months, when furs areprime, trapping is an important source of incomefor many South Dakota families . Main furbearerstrapped in wetlands include muskrats, mink,raccoons, and beaver . Foxes and coyotes alsoinhabit wetlands during the winter .

South Dakota trappers and predator huntersrecently took over $500,000 in furs during a singleseason . The average annual harvest is over30,000 muskrats, 22,000 raccoons, and 3,000 mink .

An increasing number of people also enjoy"nonconsumptive" wildlife recreation . About

Bait minnows harvestedfrom wetlands

Left. Labrador retriever with a green-winged teal

228,000 South Dakotans over age 16-or 43% ofthe population--view, photograph, and feedwildlife . To do that, they spend about $40 mil-lion per year for equipment, feed, and travel .

Some landowners sell hay from wetlands to sup-plement their incomes, or they harvest wetlandhay to feed to their own livestock, particularlyduring drought: years .

Wetland hay is valuable . Yields may be morethan twice as high as typical upland grassstands, and forage quality is often comparable tonative and tame grass, but lower than alfalfa .Wetlands on eastern South Dakota farms mayproduce from .2 to 12 tons of hay/acre .Wetlands can be managed for forage productionwithout losing their other values .

Wholesale and retail sales of minnows in SouthDakota total about $2 million each year. Inneighboring Minnesota, the retail value of fatheadminnows in some years is over $12 million . Manyof these are captured in South Dakota . Fatheadminnows are sold throughout the U.S . under thename "South Dakota Toughies" because of theirability to withstand long-distance travel to baitdealers .


Grazing wetlands benefits both agriculture acrd some wildlife

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Wetlands andwater :movementWetlands play an important role in the naturalmovement of water both above and belowground . When water from melting snow or rainruns into a wetland, it is stored there until itevaporates or soaks into the ground . Becausewetlands release water slowly, one of the bestknown hydrologic benefits of wetlands is floodcontrol.

Wetlands usually lie within deeper depressionsthat are only filled during very wet years. If awetland is drained, water from the depressionmay have nowhere to collect and will spill intostreams and spread over low-lying properties .

About 16,500 wetlands out of 50,200 (33%) inthe Vermillion River watershed in southeasternSouth Dakota flow into artificial drainage ditches.Restoring these drained wetlands could store an

Metlands store water and may help reditceflooding

amount of water roughly equal to half the annualflow on the flood-prone Vermillion River in awet year.

The water in wetlands that soaks into the soilrecharges ground water supplies, providing waterfor farm and home use. In fact, in the clay-richsoil areas in eastern South Dakota, the only sig-nificant source of ground water recharge may bewetlands . Ground water also may move upward,maintaining soil moisture during dry periods,thereby protecting crops, lawns, and other vege-tation during drought .

Wetlands have other hydrologic functions, suchas stabilizing stream flows and reducing pollutantsentering rivers and lakes . About 239 South Dakotacities and towns use created wetlands for sec-ondary or tertiary sewage treatment .

Temporary

Bedrock

Seasonal

Hydrology of the prairie pothole region .

Semipermanent

Permanent Lake

F,aster~~ Soutb Dakota WETLANDS

Saturated Wetlandor Spring

River

The NationalWetlands InventoryAn increasing awareness of the benefits providedby wetlands prompted Congress to mandate thatthe USFWS conduct a comprehensive inventoryof the nation's wetlands . The result was theNational Wetlands Inventory (NWI), which beganin 1978 . The classification system (Cowardin et al .1979) adopted by the NWI defines wetlands as

. . . lands transitional between terrestrialand aquatic systems where the watertable is usually at or near the surface orthe land is covered by shallow water . . . (1)

The definition goes on to say in technical termsthat wetlands are areas that are ponded with sur-face water or saturated long enough during thegrowing season to develop wetland soils andwetland plant communities.

Wetlands are delineated and classified by theNWI on color infrared aerial photographs takenin years when most wetlands are ponded, whichallows for the highest possible accuracy in delin-eating the typical distribution of wetlands . Fieldand laboratory quality control procedures ensurethat NWI maps are as accurate as possible .

Elements of the Cowardin et al . (1) classification system .

Boundaries within potholes were eliminated for thisreport . This pothole would be classified as semiper-manent because of the deep center ringed by cattails .

However, wetlands are a dynamic resource ; theamount of water that they contain increases anddecreases as precipitation and evaporation con-ditions change . NWI maps are a "snapshot intime" intended to depict the distribution of wet-lands under typical conditions .

For detailed information on NWI classification ormapping systems, consult Cowardin et al. (1) orNWI users' guides like NWIMaps Made Easy (6) .Johnson and Higgins (3) published a technicalsummary of eastern South Dakota wetlands asclassified by the NWI.

For this report, a computer was used to modifyNWI digital data to create maps showing theperimeter of potholes, lakes, impoundments,and excavated wetlands, classified by the mostpermanently ponded area they contain. Riverchannels were also included . The data are notdirectly comparable to estimates from originalNWI maps because of these modifications.

NWI wetlands were generalized for this report.

NWI ModifiedWetlands Wetlands

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'k.1cmporary uvtlam-l in a crop fich.l

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Temporarywetlands pond water for brief peri-ods during the growing season . The water table(the ground water surface) is usually well belowthe soil surface when the wetland is not ponded .

When temporaries are not tilled, they commonlycontain a mixture of upland and wetlandspecies, including wetland grasses, such ascreeping foxtail, blue joint, and reed canarygrass, and other species, including dock, finesedges, and some smartweeds .

Seasonal wetlands are usually ponded forextended periods (commonly through June orlater) during the growing season . When notponded, the water table is usually at or near theground surface.

Foxtail bark y, a common native grass in temporary wetlands

Vegetation in seasonals is often robust sedges,whitetop, spike rushes, rushes, arrowhead, plain-tain, smartweeds, cattails, and bulrushes.

Every midwestern duck hunter is familiar withsemipermanent wetlands . They take theirname from the fact that they hold water through-out the year in most years, although they maydry up during prolonged droughts .

In South Dakota, the most common plant speciesin semipermanents are cattails, bulrushes, andfloating or submersed vegetation like duckweed,bladderwort, coontail, or water milfoil.

As their name implies, permanent wetlandstypically hold water throughout every year,although included in this group are some pot-holes and lakes that may dry up during extremedrought.

Only submersed plants like those listed for semi-permanents are common, although emergentplants such as cattails or bulrushes may growaround the shoreline .

Rivers may contain water throughout the yearor for brief periods following snow melt or rain .Rivers flow within channels which lack trees,cattails, or similar emergent vegetation .

Watcrplcoitaira, ct common ernergerrt plant in seasonal rr c~tl~rrtcls

Gary Creek Per :name ; :t irc


yr ced. ci coii-non eirxrgentplant inscrrzipermanent wetlands

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High doisilic>s (!/ Icniporar)' ct1ad seasonal ia-'tlanrls^ occur in the central pair of'eastern South Dakota

20

Overview ofWetlandResourcesThere are 947,652 wetlands-potholes, dugouts,reservoirs, and natural lakes-in eastern SouthDakota . These wetlands occupy a total of2,137,929 acres . Rivers and streams account foranother 69,300 acres . These estimates representthe number and area of wetlands under"typical" conditions .

Wetlands cover about 9.8% of the total landscapeof eastern South Dakota . Extremes are LincolnCounty (4 .6%) and Sanborn County (15.6%) .

Most eastern South Dakota wetlands are small ;about 60% are less than half an acre, and almost75% are smaller than an acre .

About 83% of temporaries, 55% of seasonals,and 21% of semipermanents are smaller than 1acre . In fact, less than 5% of all wetlands arelarger than 5 acres .

Legislation and government programs thatprotect only wetlands larger than 1 acre putmost eastern South Dakota wetlands at risk ofbeing drained. About 465,500 wetlands-abouthalf of all eastern South Dakota wetlands-arejeopardized by proposals to eliminate protectionfor frequently farmed wetlands and wetlandssmaller than 1 acre .

Percent of total county area in wetlands .

Number of wetlands by water regime .

0 4-6

6-8

M 8-10

®10-12

" 12-16

90.2% Uplands9.8% Wetlands

520,379 334,699 23,997 1,457

Temporary

" Semipermanent

" Seasonal

" Permanent

Size structure of eastern South Dakota wetlands .

557,192 (590/6)

1,348(0%)


0 <0 .5 acre;

5.0-10.0 acres

0.5-1 .0 acre

S 10.0-100 acres

1 .0-2 .0 acres

/>100 acres

2.0-5 .0 acres

Wetland distribution ineastern South DakotaEastern South Dakota wetlands were formed byretreating glaciers, so wetlands tend to be mostcommon in areas covered by the last glaciers .The landscape of eastern South Dakota is geo-logically too young for rivers and streams to bewell developed. About 80% of the landscape inmany areas of eastern South Dakota drained intowetlands before European settlement .

Eastern South Dakota counties, permanent wetlands, and rivers.

Rivers

% Permanent wetlands

MCPHERSON

Watershed size and terrain, average annual pre-cipitation and evaporation, soil type, and groundwater interactions all determine a wetland'swater permanence (water regime).

High-relief landscapes with deep depressions,sometimes called knob-and-kettle terrain (as inparts of Marshall County), often contain manysemipermanent wetlands . Shallow temporaryand seasonal wetlands are usually most abun-dant in low-relief terrain like that in Beadle,Spink, and Brown counties .

Natural wetlands

The 520,379 temporary wetlands in easternSouth Dakota cover just over 390,000 acres .They are the most common type of wetland inthe region, making up 55% of the total numberof wetlands .

Temporaries are most common in Beadle, Brown,Spink, and Hand counties where their combinednumber is over 146,000 . Temporaries are leastcommon outside the area covered by the lastglaciers, such as in Buffalo and Union countieswhere they total only about 4,300 .

Number of temporary wetlandsllomi2 .

El <30 basins

`" 30-75 basins0 75-130 basins

" 130-210 basins

" >210 basins

About 77%, or 399,000 temporary wetlands, arein cropland . Location, coupled with ease ofdrainage, makes them vulnerable to loss .

A total of 334,699 seasonal wetlands in easternSouth Dakota cover over 553,500 acres. They areabundant in scattered localities, but are particu-larly common in an 80 mile-wide band that runsdiagonally from Eureka in McPherson Countysoutheastward to Salem in McCook County .

Edmunds County alone contains 22,225 seasonalwetlands . The fewest seasonnas-only 998-arefound in Union County.

Number of seasonal wetlandsll omit .

0 <20 basins

20-55 basins

55-110 basins

110-180 basins

" >180 basins


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23

Scmipermanent wetland in summer

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Semipermanents, with their typical mix ofcattails and open water, are what first comes tomind when many people picture "wetlands."Actually, semipermanents are uncommon-theynumber only 23,997 and occupy about 377,600acres . All together, they make up only about2.5% of all wetlands in eastern South Dakota .

Semipermanents are most often found in a fewareas of northeastern South Dakota including thecounties of Marshall, Day, Roberts, Grant, andDeuel. The number of semipermanents in thesecounties total 11,828-almost half the total numberof all semipermanents in eastern South Dakota .The smallest number of semipermanents, 22,occurs in Hughes County .

Permanent wetlands are the least common typeof natural wetlands ; there are only 603 east ofthe Missouri River . However, these wetlands arelarge and cover over 194,000 acres .

Number of semipermanent wetlands110mi2.

E] <12 basins12-20 basins20-30 basins>30 basins

The highest density of large permanent wetlands(lakes) occurs along the west side of the Big SiouxRiver from Day County south to Lake County .Lake Poinsett in Brookings and Hamlin counties,at 10,100 acres is the largest natural permanentwetland in South Dakota .

Sometimes large semipermanent wetlands fill upand function as lakes, but the water eventuallyrecedes and they once again become dominatedby cattails or similar vegetation, something thatrarely happens to lakes . Lake Thompson inKingsbury County is a good example. It hasrepeatedly filled up and then dried up in the past .In the mid-1980s and 1990s Lake Thompsonswelled to nearly 20,000 acres, making it thelargest natural "lake-like " body of water in thestate . Although the changes are usually not asdramatic, small wetlands also are very dynamic .

Rivers cover about 69,300 acres of-, easternSouth Dakota . The major rivers in eastern SouthDakota are the Big Sioux, Vermillion, James, andMissouri .

Creation of the Missouri River reser-voirs destroyed much of the riverine habitat ineastern South Dakota by changing those riverreaches to impoundments . Some free flowing

The Yellowbank Riv(-,° in Grant County

reaches still exist, bordering Charles Mix, BonHomme, Yankton, Clay, and Union counties, buteven in these ~ireas the natural hydrology hasbeen greatly altered because dams control theflow of water.

Rivers in the glaciated prairie pothole region tendto be narrow with weakly developed channels .Consequently they tend to be flood-prone whensnow melts quickly or after heavy rains.

The Big Sioux River was once nick-named the"Silvery Sioux." In 1838, Joseph Nicolletdescribed the Big Sioux near Brookings as "astream of clear, swift-running water" flowingover a "pebbly bottom ." Only rivers that flowmainly through_ pastureland-like the YellowbankRiver in Grant County-still fit this description .

Healthy riverine habitats often have high biodi-versity . Although flowing freshwater comprisesonly about 1/1 millionth of all the water onearth, 50% of a.11 animal species inhabit creeks,streams, and rivers .

In fact, one of the best waysto evaluate the health of a river is to sample itsinvertebrates .


25

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Created wetlandsCreated wetlands are usually constructed in oneof two ways : by excavating a hole or channel orby blocking the natural flow of water with adam, thereby creating an impoundment .

The only types of excavated wetland discussedin this report are dugouts-rectangular holesdug to intercept surface runoff or to expose thewater table. Generally dugouts are constructedto provide water for livestock . A total of 56,827dugouts are scattered across eastern South Dakota,of which 35,086 (62%) were excavated in 22,530natural wetlands . The remaining 21,741 dugoutswere constructed outside of natural wetlands orin stream channels .

Although dugouts may occasionally enhancenatural wetlands by providing a deep-waterrefuge for duck broods or fish, their impact maybe negative when spoil from the excavation ispiled in the natural wetland.

Eastern South Dakota impoundments maybe subdivided into two broad groups ; (1) smallimpoundments, often called stock dams, and(2) large (more than 100 acres), permanentreservoirs . All impoundments are constructedby creating a dam in a channel . Consequently,most are found on or near the Missouri River,outside areas of recent glaciation .

Although the technology of damming up a ravineor intermittent stream to create a stock dam issuperficially like that of creating a large reservoiron a mainstem river or major tributary, the resultsfor landowners and wildlife are very different .Both types of constructed wetlands can effectivelyimpound runoff; however, livestock and wildliferelate to the shoreline of an impoundment, mak-ing little or no use of the center of these bodiesof open water. Stock dams typically have muchgreater shoreline length relative to their size thando large reservoirs . Therefore, small stock damsprovide greater benefits to landowners andwildlife than does a single large reservoir of thesame total area .

Some stock dams provide added benefits ofrecreational fishing . Stock dams also mayenhance cattle performance by improving stockdistribution and range and pasture utilization.Several federal agencies offer cost sharing andtechnical assistance for creating these kinds ofwetlands .

In eastern South Dakota, most stock dams are afew acres in size and have a 200-600 acre water-shed . Most contain between 12 and 20 acre-feetof water when full . A total of 11,836 stock damshave been constructed in eastern South Dakotacovering 106,740 acres .

Large reservoirs are permanentimpoundments constructed for floodcontrol, hydroelectric power generation,domestic or agricultural water supplies,or for recreation . The 75 reservoirs inthe region cover 256,826 acres, orabout 12% of the total area of surfacewater in eastern South Dakota . Thistotal acreage includes the area ofMissouri River reservoirs within thecounties on the east side of the river.

Approximately 95% of the reservoirarea in eastern South Dakota is madeup by lakes Lewis and Clark, FrancisCase, Sharpe, and Oahe on theMissouri River.

Wetlands summaryNearly a million wetlands still exist in easternSouth Dakota . These wetlands provide benefitsthat reach far beyond the borders of SouthDakota to other states and Canadian provinces :

Wetlands preserve biodiversity .Wetlands provide flood control .Wetlands recharge ground water.Wetlands stabilize stream flows .Wetlands improve water quality .Wetlands enhance quality of life .

Stocks dams and other impoundmentsll omit .

0 <12 basins

12-20 basins

" 20-30 basins

" >30 basins

Although eastern South Dakota still has a richwetland resource, the future of that resource isnot secure . Only about 25% of remaining wet-lands are currently protected by easements orfee-title ownership by concerned agencies .Approximately 75% have no legal protectionand are subject to various forms of alterationor destruction .

Recent wetland research by staff and graduatestudents of the Department of Wildlife andFisheries Sciences at South Dakota State Universityin conjunction with the National WetlandsInventory and recent technological advancessuch as geographic information systems haveprovided agricultural groups and natural resourcemanagers with important new information aboutthe distribution and characteristics of wetlandsand their values to wildlife, livestock, andsociety as a whole . On-going and futureresearch will continue to improve our under-standing of the functions of wetlands and theirvalue to humans . This understanding is crucialto making informed decisions about the role ofwetlands in eastern South Dakota in the nextcentury.

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Literature cited1 . Cowardin, L.M ., V . Carter, F.C . Golet, and E.T.

LaRoe .

1979 . Classification of wetlands and deep-water habitats of the United States . USFWSFWS/OBS-79/31 . Washington, DC : GPO .

2 . Hewes, L . and P.E . Frandson . 1952 . Occupyingthe wet prairie : The role of artificial drainage inStory County, Iowa . Ann Am Assoc Geog 42 :24-50 .

3 . Johnson, R.R . and K.F . Higgins . 1997 . Wetlandresources of eastern South Dakota . Brookings :South Dakota State University.

4 . Mitchell, A.S . 1941 . Pioneer life, Dakota Territory,1861-1889 . Brookings County Historical Society .

5 . Trefethen, J.B . 1975 . American crusade forwildlife . New York : Winchester Press .

6 . U.S . Fish and Wildlife Service .

1993 . NWI mapsmade easy . Denver, CO : National WetlandsInventory .

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While I know the standard claim is that Yosemite,Niagara Falls, the upper Yellowstone and the like,afford the greatest shows, I am not so sure but the

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South Dakota State UniversityCollege of Agriculture and Biological Sciences

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