Water. It’s one of the components most desired by landowners trying to improve wildlife habitat. A creek, a pond, or a marsh does add a different dimension to a piece of land. In fact, aquatic habitat can greatly increase the numbers of wildlife attracted to a property. Water not only provides a home for the countless wildlife species dependent on wetlands, but it also attracts many species that just come for a drink, a bath, or something to eat.

Compared to establishing a mature forest, creating a marsh or pond takes a relatively short time. A few wildlife species, especially birds, may come to use the wetland as soon as it starts holding water. A mature, fully functioning aquatic habitat does take a lot more time to develop, but proper planning will result in more rapid and successful establishment.

What sort of wetland habitat should you establish? Four types can be created by Illinois landowners:

The type of wetland you decide to establish will depend largely on soil type, site, and cost, but your specific wildlife objectives can determine your wetland creatioN if the physical and financial conditions will allow for the wetland of choice. First we'll discuss the physical factors that dictate a site's potential.

If your soil is permeable, such as sandy or gravelly soil, it's unlikely you can establish any permanent wetland. Constructing a pond or lake requires a natural ravine or depression that can be blocked off with a dam or dike. Simply "digging out" a pond or lake in flat earth is usually prohibitively expensive. But even building a small dam across a ravine can cost tens of thousands of dollars.

Every site and situation are different, and contractors' prices vary, so it is advisable to get a preliminary idea of what you want and have a professional from the local Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) look at your site.

A shallow wetland such as a marsh, swamp, or ephemeral wetland can be constructed by scraping out a depression or constructing a dike. The cost will depend on the existing topography and the amount of earth moving involved. In flat areas, a shallow water marsh can often be established by simply breaking a drain tile or plugging up a ditch. This is an inexpensive way to create a wetland, but be sure the site isn't subject to any legal drainage constraints such as restrictions against impeding, diverting, or draining water; check with the local Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) first.

Once you've determined what is financially, physically, and legally possible for you and your land, you need to determine your objectives for creating an aquatic habitat. Are you interested in duck hunting? Are you a bird watcher wanting to attract a variety of shorebirds, waterfowl, and wading birds to your property? Or do you want to have a place to attract breeding frogs? Your goals can guide you in deciding what to create. Duck hunters and shorebird enthusiasts will want to create wetlands that they can drain at the proper time to create mudflats for foraging and to allow the germination of food plants for waterfowl. Shallow permanent waters will attract a variety of wading birds, such as herons and egrets, and aerial foragers such as swallows, chimney swifts, and martins. Shallow wetlands will also be used by mallards, blue-winged teal, and Canada geese in summer and by a variety of waterfowl during migration. Wood ducks prefer a wetland with a woody component, which is also attractive to certain woodland salamanders and frogs. Many frogs and salamanders need wetlands with minimal predator pressure for successful reproduction. A shallow wetland might be considered to attract a diversity of amphibians while still providing habitat for waterfowl.

If your land's topography and your budget allow, consider creating a "wetland complex." A mosaic of aquatic habitats in close proximity can be managed individually to create a broader array of habitat conditions. For example, you could have one or two shallow marshes with permanent water and many cattails, another marsh that is seasonally drained to create mudflats or moist-soil plants, and another marsh that is flanked with shrubs or trees. The more diversity you create, the greater the variety of wildlife you'll attract.

Designing a Wetland

This book provides only the basics about choosing a wetland design. Unless your project is small enough that you will construct it by hand, you should seek the advice and technical assistance of a professional. Usually, your county's NRCS can help you design an aquatic system. They can advise you on the suitability of your site, the estimated cost, and engineering specifics. It can be risky to hire a contractor to build a dam or move dirt without knowing your site's suitability for the project or the parameters of its watershed (and thus the amount of water that will be delivered to the pond or marsh). Seek professional assistance first.

Whatever type of wetland you develop, try to create varied habitat conditions through a mosaic of uneven surfaces in the wetland bed and around the edges. With a marsh or forested wetland, construct some portions of the site )Vith little depth to allow for frequent mudflat development. Other portions can be designed to promote emergent vegetation such as cattails, bulrush, and arrowheads. With ponds and deepwater habitats, try to construct some variability. Create islands or shallow areas during construction. Design the pond or lake so there are plenty of fingers with shallow bays.

Two feet or less of water that occasionally dries up will generally promote emergent plant growth. Two to four feet is usually needed for submerged plants to flourish. Creating gentle rather than steep slopes along the edge of the marsh, pond, or swamp will expose mudflats and foster moist-soil plant development during dry summer weather, even without a draw-down device.

Although flooding a forest to create a pond is sometimes done in Illinois, it is not recommended. If a woodland must be destroyed to create a pond, leave some of the soon-to-be-dead trees standing in or at the edge of the pond to provide nesting and roosting cover for wildlife

Types of Plants and Structural Components

As discussed earlier in this chapter, seeding or planting a reconstructed or restored wetland may not be necessary, and it can be expensive. Ultimately, the landowner will have to decide whether costs are prohibitive. The types of plants you introduce or allow to grow in the wetland will depend on your objectives and on what is native and thus adapted to the area. A balanced combination of plants will provide more habitat diversity. For minimally suitable habitat for wildlife, follow the guidelines in the earlier section on plant-species diversity.

For example, if you have created a three-acre aquatic habitat with a variety of water depths, you could plant a 1/4-acre corner with hardwood species such as pin oak, green ash, swamp white oak, sycamore, and shellbark hickory. You could establish emergent species such as burread, wild-irises, arrowheads, and spatterdocks along another one or two acres. Let half an acre seasonally emerge as mudflats and sprout annual plants such as wild millet and smartweeds, and leave the remainder as deeper, open water. This is just one way to design the habitat; infinite combinations are possible.

Many herbaceous and woody plants will establish on their own when a new wetland is constructtld. However, some management may be needed, because willows and other less desirable species may invade and keep preferred species from colonizing. If you want to supplement the natural colonizers or create a specific wetland plant community, private nurseries can provide many species, either as rootstock, potted plants, or seed. Be sure to purchase plant materials grown or collected from the local native gene pool. You can collect seed and grow the plants yourself. Always obtain permission from a landowner to collect seed, and never take more than a quarter of the total available seeds from any source annually. Do not dig up and transplant wetland plants unless a landowner is planning to eliminate the plants and has given you permission to remove them.

Table 5.2 lists some of the common wetland plants that are beneficial to wildlife, are attractive, and are readily available from nurseries or by collecting seed.

Structural components are important to some wetland systems; follow the guidelines given earlier in this chapter. Introduce some logs and branches into the pond or marsh. Provide basking areas for turtles, dragonflies, and other species by placing some logs so they are only partially submerged. Submerge other logs and branches at various depths to provide underwater habitat for invertebrates, amphibians, and fish. Rocks may be placed in a similar fashion, some underwater and others exposed. If the wetland is in the open without any trees, install vertical structures as perching areas for a variety of birds, like swallows and kingfishers. Chapter 7 gives additional details on various structural components, such as islands.

Introducing Fish Into an Aquatic Habitat

Fish management is not covered in this book. Consult a fisheries biologist with the IDNR for more information. Remember, though, if you want to manage for amphibians, consider creating a fishless wetland. Many species, especially salamanders, cannot breed and survive in a pond that contains fish because the fish eat the eggs and young.

Alternatives to Creating a Traditional Pond or Marsh

If a larger system proves financially or physically impossible, there is still the option to make some small "frog ponds." All you need is a shovel and some time (or money, to hire someone to do the work!). Small versions of the wetlands previously discussed can provide excellent wildlife benefits and add diversity to your property's habitat plan.

If your soil type is not suitable for holding water, artificial liners can be used with some success. This solution is usually prohibitively. expensive on a large scale but can be reasonable for backyard ponds. The most successful method for well-drained soils is to sandwich heavy-duty, rot-resistant plastic liners between slabs of a material called Agri-fabric, combining water-holding ability with protection from tears. Agri-Fabric may be diifcult to find; check with your local SWCD for information.