WETLAND MANAGEMENT FOR SMALL ACREAGES

PLANNING AHEAD FOR WILDLIFE SURVIVAL

Few areas in Missouri are as important to wildlife as our freshwater marshes. Management of these wetlands is as varied as the wetlands themselves. When flooding and drainage can be controlled, plant and animal communities can be enhanced by water manipulations. Even though water control is not always possible in many of our natural marshes, lakes and ponds, there are management practices that will benefit wildlife. Several management techniques are suggested that can enhance wetland values in Missouri.

Moist-Soil Management

Moist-soil management refers to the drawdown or removal of water from a wetland during spring or early summer to promote the natural production of beneficial plants. This management technique requires an adequate water supply for reflooding, and water control structures that allow the removal of water when necessary. The timing of the drawdown is important and will have a major influence on the resulting vegetative types. Therefore, the following principles should be followed:

This drawdown schedule should produce moist-soil plants such as smartweeds, wild millet, rice cutgrass, yellow nut grass, beggarticks, and other desirable wildlife food plants. If summer rainfall is limited and marsh soils become excessively dry, irrigation may become necessary. Moist soil plants will tolerate and often benefit from brief periods of flooding. Flooding will also control undesirable plants such as cocklebur and morning glory.

If moist-soil plants become rank (over four feet tall), mowing small openings in the marsh during July and August will create an edge effect which is advantageous to wildlife. Many desirable moist-soil plants represent early stages of succession in a marsh community. Woody species and other desirable plants can be controlled by mowing and discing on a three-year rotation or as they become a problem.

Seasonally Flooded Cropland:

Certain species of waterfowl such as mallards, pintails and Canada geese relish flooded croplands, especially corn and grain sorghum. For best results, these areas should be flooded from October 15th to March 30th. To supplement rowcrops, Japanese Millet can be sown in soil loosened after the last cultivation. If the crops are being grown primarily for waterfowl, weeds such as ragweed, foxtail, wild millet, and smartweeds add to the attractiveness of the crop. Pure stands of Japanese Millet are easily established in disced fields when planted with a wheat drill or hand seeder. The planting rate for Japanese Millet in a pure field stand should be fifteen to twenty pounds per acre. To make sure millet seed is available to both early and late migrants, millet should be planted at two week intervals throughout late June and July.

Flooded Timber:

Shallow flooding of bottomland timber is an excellent management technique for attracting some waterfowl, particularly mallards and wood ducks. Timber may be flooded between October 15th and February without killing trees. For improved food supplies, plant pin oak seedlings and selectively clear areas to reduce crowding of existing food producing pin oaks. These and other open areas in the timber may also be planted to Japanese Millet.

Farm Ponds and Small Lakes:

Farm ponds and small lakes are generally not well suited for successful marsh management. When drainage of these areas is possible, a slow one to two foot drawdown in early June will usually stimulate the growth of beneficial plants on the exposed mud flats. Fall and early winter rains will usually refill these ponds and lakes, making food and cover available to marsh dwellers until the next drawdown.

Establish food and cover strips around the water's edge and sow Japanese Millet on mudflats if production of natural plants is limited. Protecting the shoreline from livestock is essential if ponds are to be valuable to waterfowl.

Natural Sloughs:

Although their numbers have dwindled considerably over the last few decades, natural sloughs remain in many areas of Missouri. When water control is possible, owners may use the same drawdown techniques as described earlier. When water control is not possible, as is generally the case, owners can still benefit wetland wildlife with the following practices:

In some of Missouri's natural sloughs, owners are faced with the problem of overcrowding by aquatic plants. Emergent species such as cattails, bulrushes, and lotus usually predominate in marshes less than four feet deep. When drawdown of the slough is possible, rand vegetation can be mowed and burned following water removal, allowing the slough's soil to dry. Once dried, soils should be disced to remove undesirable plants and stimulate germination of more desirable moist-soil plants.

When drawdown is not possible, muskrats are the best controller of emergent vegetation. Marshes seem to reach their peak avian usage when the emergent cover to open-water ratio is about 50/50. During fall, muskrats cut emergent vegetation for use in lodge construction and food. This action creates marsh openings that help develop a good balance between open water and cover. Attempts to regulate the muskrat population however, are desirable to maintain the ideal emergent plant cover. High muskrat populations often result in damage to levees and the loss of desired emergent cover.

* These are the most valuable wild duck foods in Missouri as shown by analysis of several thousand gizzards taken from ducks shot in Missouri during the fall months.