Wetlands Protection

Akwesasne is an ecologically rich river community. The wetlands along the banks of the rivers, islands and within the inlets and marshes have always been a critical component of the ecosystem. There are over 3,000 acres of wetlands within the Tribal lands, all of which are connected ecologically to the banks of the rivers, the islands and wetland plants and wildlife throughout Akwesasne.

The Wetlands Protection Program is divided into five key areas:

Regulatory - The federal Clean Water Act (PDF – 536 KB) gave Tribes the primary responsibility for implementing programs to protect and restore water quality. The St. Regis Mohawk Tribe took this one step further by developing and adopting two living documents: the Akwesasne Wetlands Conservation Act and the Wetlands Protection Plan. This comprehensive management system is based on a “no net loss/net gain” of wetlands for the Mohawk community.

Monitoring & Assessments - The Wetlands Protection Program instituted a wetland water-monitoring program that focused on collecting physical (location, size and informal boundaries) and chemical (pH, salinity, DO, turbidity, conductivity) data on the Tribe’s wetlands. As a result of the collected information, the Program was able to develop a GPS-referenced map indicating the types and extent of wetlands that is now used in making initial site determinations for regulatory purposes. The collected water quality data provides a baseline from which the Program can track changes in quality and future progress.

Restoration - In order to restore our native wildlife, it's important that wetland habitats also be restored. Because of wildlife's needs for natural habitats, acquiring, developing and maintaining wetland habitats is a primary objective of the Wetlands Protection Program. Additionally, wetlands filter sediment and pollutants from disturbed landscapes. This makes wetlands extremely valuable in protecting water resources.

The wetland restoration task consists of attempting to recreate basins long ago drained for agriculture and other land uses. This can be accomplished by plugging drainage ditches or constructing low dikes behind which water is stored. It's always desirable to try to restore the historical configuration of the wetlands that formerly existed on any particular site. In some instances, however, land use has changed the topography so much that constructed, or "created", wetlands must substitute for a "natural" restoration.

Restoring native wetland vegetation is also an important part of the process, for plants offer food and shelter to the many wild creatures inhabiting a marsh. On some sites a residual seed bank survives to quickly repopulate a wetland with new plants once water is restored to the system. Created wetlands and natural basins drained for 50 years or more often require seeding or planting aquatic vegetation. In the end, only nature can hope to restore the complete natural plant and animal community in restored wetlands. And while some species quickly adapt to restored marshes, others may require decades before the restored wetland has properly "aged".

Outreach & Education - The late ‘60s and early ‘70s saw a growing concern about environmental degradation, a concern about the preservation of a quality life, both immediate and for the future, all of which contributed to give environmental education a high priority. When was the last time you played in a puddle? Or turned over a rock to see what was underneath? Learning isn’t just for children; it’s what enriches our daily lives, even as adults. To help community members (of any age!) learn about wetlands, water and the environment in general.