Every year since 1997, the World Wetland Day is celebrated on Feb. 2 to raise global awareness about the value of the wetlands for people, wildlife, the environment and the planet. This year, the theme of the celebration is “Wetlands for a Sustainable Urban Future.”
Many cities around the world are established in or near wetlands. Unfortunately, many of their inhabitants, especially from big cities, are still unaware of the great beneficial services or functions that urban wetlands provide for their cities. Urban wetlands reduce flooding risks through the absorption of water, replenish the drinking water, contribute to clean the water through waste filtering, provide urban green spaces, create shelter and habitat for fish and wildlife and are a source of livelihood for many people. Due to their multiple importance, urban wetlands should be included in a city’s sustainable future planning and development.
The Killdeer Wetland, a 45-acre floodplain located west of the city of Green River, provides these beneficial services for the City of Green River described above. This urban wetland is also recognized by the National Audubon Society as an Important Bird Area (IBA), with 115 species of birds recorded. Deer, pronghorn, rabbits, coyotes, river otters, pelicans, osprey, bald eagles, avocets, black-necked stilts, trumpeter swans and other waterfowl, frogs and fish are some of the common animals that use the wetland. The Killdeer Wetland is also notable because it is depicted in paintings of the Palisades and Tollgate Rock formations made by the famous artist Thomas Moran more than 140 years ago.
Since Moran’s times, Killdeer Wetland’s natural condition has been altered. After the construction of the Fontenelle Dam in the 1960s, the wetland started to dry up and lost most of its original vegetation and wildlife habitat.
For the past two decades, the Green River Greenbelt Task Force and the city of Green River, with the help of many sponsors, have been working to restore some of the historical conditions of the Killdeer Wetland, through the diversion of water to the wetland and revegetation with native plants. The task torce has also been looking to provide access to the wetland through the improvement of a road and construction of trails to open more recreation opportunities for the people living in the city and to attract tourism. Unfortunately, recent high levels of water in the Green River last spring washed out some of the infrastructure designed to hold water in the wetlands.
Protection and restoration of the Killdeer Wetland and other urban wetlands is important for the future of sustainable cities. The citizens of Green River and other cities will benefit from actions that help to conserve and promote urban wetlands. To learn more about the work of the Green River Greenbelt Task Force and Killdeer Wetland or to join the Task Force or to sponsor their projects, please contact (307)872-6151.
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