. Coast watch. Marine resources; Oceanography; Coastal zone management; Coastal ecology. By Jeannie Faris A freshwater wetland calls at- tention to itself in subtle ways. It might be the low, bass croak of a bullfrog or the clacking calls of a cricket frog, a noise like marbles striking together. It might be the sight of the endangered Venus's-flytrap slowly closing its needle-tipped leaves over an insect, a thatch of cattails or a red- spotted newt darting over soggy plants. These are some of the many natu- ral signs that you're near one of North Carolina's freshwater wetlands. Cer- tain plan
. Coast watch. Marine resources; Oceanography; Coastal zone management; Coastal ecology. By Jeannie Faris A freshwater wetland calls at- tention to itself in subtle ways. It might be the low, bass croak of a bullfrog or the clacking calls of a cricket frog, a noise like marbles striking together. It might be the sight of the endangered Venus's-flytrap slowly closing its needle-tipped leaves over an insect, a thatch of cattails or a red- spotted newt darting over soggy plants. These are some of the many natu- ral signs that you're near one of North Carolina's freshwater wetlands. Cer- tain plant and animal species are actu- ally better indicators of a wetland than water, which isn't always a permanent feature. Some wetlands are dry for part of the year, making them trickier to identify than others that are wet year- round. Some have standing water, while others have saturated, soggy soil. The differences among these habi- tats can be sweeping. But the links between freshwater wetlands and their roles in flood prevention, biodiversity and water quality are undeniable. The State Museum of Natural Sciences has opened a new exhibit, Freshwater Wetlands: Life at the Wa- terworks, to reverse outdated images of wetlands as wastelands and to educate the public about their natural functions, says Barbara Beaman, assistant direc- tor of school programs at the museum and wetlands project coordinator. Three years in the making, the exhibit was a response to public con- fusion over federal ef- forts to restrict the defi- nition of wetlands — a definition that involves trade-offs between eco- nomic and environmen- tal concerns. The mu- seum staff decided that people needed a better under- standing of what wetlands are and how they function. "People were being faced with articles in the papers, and they were confused," Beaman says. "We thought that this would be an opportunity to provide information on why freshwater wetlands are important ;
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