Wetland and Watershed Seminar at Wolf Road Prairie
Presenters/Opening Comments
Q and A
Plant Propagation and Transplanting Demonstration
Wolf Road Prairie and Buffer Restoration Field Trip
Wrap Up Session
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Presenters 
Jeff Swano Environmental Economist and Founder Executive Director of the Salt Creek Watershed Network Comments The Salt Creek Watershed Network (SCWN) set out to organize and motivate citizens at the watershed level. While preparing their watershed plan, titled Restoring Balance, they realized that most environmental problems were related to the negative impacts of humans that resulted in the ecosystem being out of balance. Thus, all efforts to correct the problems at the watershed level must focus on finding ways to get things more in balance. An out-of-balance example provided was how humans have attempted to control mosquito populations through spraying of chemicals, which adversely affected amphibians that predate on mosquito larvae. In addition, water quality got so poor that dragonflies were reproducing less. The loss of the predators led to more mosquitoes, which led to humans applying more pesticides. If, however, the ecosystem was allowed to repair itself, more bats, amphibians and dragonflies would be available to assist in mosquito control. Yet many residents continue to consider "improved" or enhanced natural areas as simply breeding grounds for mosquitoes and rats, which also is a problem for watershed restoration. SCWN found hope in the way the environment restored itself after the glaciers "destroyed" it down to the bedrock. Nature can heal itself from the negative impacts of humans. However it is difficult to get municipal officials to understand the importance of clean water. A recent National Geographic article concluded that the resource's scarcity is a big reason for officials to be concerned. Swano identified several economic impacts associated with the degradation of the environment. One problem is identifying the actual value of the services provided to humans by the environment. He asked the audience which was more valuable, a glass of water or a glass of beer. He concluded that the answer depends on who you ask and what their value system is. It also depends on their level of education in that highly educated people place a higher value on the environment. Thus, public education can increase the value of the environment without making any physical alterations to the environment. Furthermore, it is difficult to value the services provided by the environment because you can't just walk into a store and know how much a bat eating thousands of mosquitoes a night is worth. However, we all know the price per square foot of paving a street. He then asked the audience which was more valuable, a glass of Salt Creek water or bottled water. No one would want the glass of Salt Creek water - even though it was free - but instead would be willing to pay for the bottled water. He recounted how the water used to be free and early settlers certainly could drink right from Salt Creek. What has happened in the interim is that pollution has raised the cost of drinking water from free to what it is today, which is an actual cost to society. Recent examples of PCB pollution in rivers and the Superfund program were used to conclude that it is cheaper to keep the environment clean than it is to dirty it and then clean it up later. The value of the environmental services that plants provide can be inferred by making general comparisons with things that we do know the price (or value) of. For example, if you go out to buy a packet of seeds you know the relative value associated with the Wolf Road Prairie's ability to generate seeds. Also, if the deep roots of plants on a streambank are holding the soil in place preventing erosion, a general comparison can be made with the costs of pouring concrete along the streambank to prevent erosion. In this case, it is cheaper to let the plants do it, thereby raising the value of this service provided by the plants. Dr. Darrel Murray Jack Pizzo return to main page, Save the Prairie Society |