Wetlands
Cattle Grazing in a wetland study site
Wetlands, in particular seasonally saturated woodlands, have been disappearing rapidly from the islands. Most deciduous forest in the islands is wetland: either dominated by quaking aspens, alders and cottonwoods, or willows, crabapples, bitter cherry and ocean spray. Builders and landscapers generally regard them as “trash trees” and clear them from around homes and farms. Kwiaht has been documenting the critical role of wet woodlands as habitat for songbirds, bats and other small mammals, and amphibians, as well as the insects, snails, and other invertebrates that feed birds, bats, shrews and salamanders. Kwiaht has also been building a voucher collection of freshwater and terrestrial invertebrates in the islands, and developing ways of using invertebrate diversity as a measure of the health of wetlands.