Threatened and Endanger Species of Wetiands and Waterways in Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska

Authors

Ann Burruss, University of North Carolina

Document Type

Article

Date of this Version

9-1991

Citation

United States Environmental Protection Agency. National Network for Environmental Management Studies. September 1991.

Comments

Open access.

Abstract

Wetlands and waterways, including perennial and intermittent streams, creeks, and rivers, are habitats for many rare animal and plant species. Wetlands in many areas continue to decline in acreage and suffer adverse impacts from conversion and development. Waterways are also under pressure from channelization and leveeing.

This study has two major components. First, a series of databases was developed that includes animals and plant species that are wetland or waterway dependent and found in Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, or Nebraska. The databases allow ready access to detailed information on each species and probable locations within each state. The plant and animal species included in the databases are those listed on federal and state lists of rare, threatened and endangered species within the four state area.

As a by-product of the databases, reports may be tailored and printed to provide a wide range of information, such as a list of species within a certain county that require specific habitat types. Information in the database may be useful for project reviews! educational programs, and other natural resource protection purposes.

The second component of the study was a report on various sortings or groupings of the information in the databases. For instance, the habitats required by species are discussed within each state's major wetland resource complexes, such as the Missouri Bootheel, Iowa Prairie Potholes, Kansas's Cheyenne Bottoms, and Nebraska's Rainwater Basin. Special habitat characteristics, such as substrate and water requirements, also are analyzed for these species, as well as documented or suspected causes of species decline, where information was available. The report also includes an overall assessment of specific wetland and waterway habitats that may require special protection measures.