However, when looking at the abundance of life packed into a particular area, temperate wetlands are the true heavyweights.
Field biologist Rick White said when calculating the total weight of life supported by wetlands, no other kind of environment compares. That takes into account all plants and animals, big to microscopic, found above and below ground. Simply, the total weight of all life supported by an acre of wetland would outweigh a comparable size chunk of the Amazon.
Besides offering abundant source of food and shelter for wildlife, wetlands also perform other helpful services, like flood and pollution control, Mr. White said. That is why he says protecting such places are important.
Because of his expertise, he was hired earlier this year by the Cattaraugus Local Development Corp. to help preserve nearly 500 acres, most of it wetland, in Napoli. The Local Development corp. has applied to have the Napoli wetland protected under the National Wetland Reserve Program. The application process is expected to take about eight months.
"I'm sure it's one of the biggest, if not the biggest, projects put into the Wetland Reserve in New York. It's a hell of a gift to the community," Mr. White said.
A field biologist with 25 years experience, he has worked all over North America. he worked for four years at Mount Saint Helens on a federal project to replace vegetation lost when the volcano erupted in 1980. he holds four graduate degrees - two in ornithology and one each in habitat restoration and plant materials - an teaches with Empire State College. he is director of the Pfeiffer Nature Center in Portville and works with many college students who do internships there.
Mr. White was hired in the early spring by Local Development corp. to take an inventory of plants and animal life in the wetland. From what he has seen so far, he said this wetland is high quality.
Situated nearly in the center of the town, the wetland was formed about 40,000 years ago. At that time the land was submerged under a lake that stretched from Napoli towards Randolph.
"That whole flat in there was a glacial lake, that's what formed that wetland. The valley was blocked by ice and as it melted, it formed that length" of wetland, Mr. White said.
Count on Plenty of Birds and Plants
In the spring he started visiting the location to count the varieties of birds and plants. Since then he estimates he's spent about 40 working days there and has inventoried about 100 species of birds.
By May, he expects to have inventoried at least 200 species of birds, from bald eagles to waterthrushes. In the spring he is considering erecting a platform in hopes of luring a pair of eagles to nest there.
The wetland "would certainly support a pair," he said. "There are enough carp and ducks there; they (eagles) are serious duck eaters."
The Napoli location has also proved to be an important stopover for migratory birds. Offering abundant food and cover, the wetland serves as a rest stop for birds, which only migrate at night. There is not much habitat like that left, he said.
He found several plants, including a couple types of orchids, on the property that are listed on the endangered species list. A 3-year-old Bald Eagle was seen hunting there and a harrier was also spotted. Both are on the endangered species list.
Otter tracks were found in the wetland, indicating one has been using the place as a hunting ground, he said. Only recently has the state Department of Environmental Conservation started releasing otters in this part of the state. He figured there are only about 15 to 20 otters in all of Western New York.
What also makes this location in Napoli unique is that it has not been invaded by any non-native plants. Purple loosestrife and phragmites, both native to Europe, are both common invaders in parts of the U. S. The Purple loosestrife has purple flowers that many people think are pretty, but nothing eats it or nest in it, and it takes over wetlands, Mr. White said. The plant has caused big problems on Grand Island. As for phragmites, this plant is a tall grass - like 10 feet tall - that taken over lands in New Jersey and chokes out everything else.
"Both are found in this region, but there are none at this site," Mr. White said. "That really surprised me, and whether we get them at this site is something we'll watch, because they are moving."
The wetland may also be home to its own unique type of raccoon. Mr. White herd from a trapper that "wooly" raccoons inhabit the area.
"They are the only ones I've ever herd of - they are wooly, not hairy," he said.
Mr. White will finish a basic wildlife inventory in May, but he expects to spend the rest of his career exploring the wetland and adding to his list. For instance, he expects to find 100 different species of mosses alone. He's not sure if he'll attempt to catalog the whole insect population, which would probably add up to at least 1,000 different species, he said.
This spring he and his college students will start banding birds in order to tract their use of the wetland and get a firmer count on the variety of species. At the Pfeiffer Nature Center he also bands birds, among other activities, and invites local school classes and the public to come and help. The goal is to do the same with the wetland and make it available for recreation and education.
"One of the goals is to get people to appreciate wetlands. they are not just stinky old swamps" Mr. White said. "That's one of the problems you have explaining the value of habitat. it's pretty easy to describe the monetary value of putting a Wal-Mart there, but it's hard to explain why it's important to preserve a wetland."
Project History
The wetland was part of 1,100 acres that composed the defunct Enchanted Lake development project. About 25 years ago developers were planning turn the land into a recreation community with a manmade lake. the Project was abandoned when plans for a dam fell through, and Cattaraugus County eventually foreclosed on the property. The land was later bought by James Zaepfel of Williamsville, whose plans to develop the property also fell through.
Unable to develop the land and behind on his property tax payments, Mr. Zaepfel looked to do something conservation-minded with the property. through a deal brokered by town of Napoli officials, the land was given to the Cattaraugus Local Development Corp.
Rick LeFeber, the Local Development Corp's executive director, said under the Wetland Preservation Program the organization will receive a one-time payment from the federal government. What the government is buying is a permanent easement on the property, which will prevent the property from ever being developed.
Besides the preserve, which was named the James A. Zaepfel Nature Sanctuary and Research Center, Mr. LeFeber said the Local Development Corp. envisions building a welcoming center on some of the acreage that was not included in the application for the wetland preserve. the Local Development Corp. had also gifted some of the land to 14 homeowners who had bought lots form the original developer and were left landlocked. All the homeowners had to do was pay the back taxes on the property they were given. the balance of the 1,100 will be sold for development to help cover the cost of paying off the back taxes and operating the nature preserve, Mr. LeFeber said.
"What we've done is take a different approach. People want to put in a lake, and we felt there was a better use for it. We weren't sure what is better use was when we took it over, but the further you get into a project, the more evident the answers get," he said.
