Wetlands of Arkansas - Research Paper Example

State parks, location of the wetlands in the state, and conservation plans for the wetlands would also be discussed. The official website for state parks in Arkansas reveals a total of 52 which offer diverse recreational and outdoor facilities. From among those mentioned are: Cane Creek, Crater of Diamonds, Daisy, Devil’s Den, Jacksonport, Lake Charles, Lake Fort Smith, Mount Magazine, Ozark Folk Center, Petit Jean, Village Creak, White Oak Lake, and a host of other state parks (Arkansas State Parks, 2007).

The wetlands in Arkansas are classified using the hydrogeomorphic (HGM) approach. This approach is described in detail, to wit: “is a procedure for assessing the capacity of an ecosystem to perform functions. It is designed to assess wetland and aquatic ecosystems, which are normally characterized in terms of their structural components and the processes that link these components. Structural components of the ecosystem and the surrounding landscape, such as plants, soils, hydrology, and animals, interact with a variety of physical, chemical, and biological processes.

Understanding the interactions of the structural components of the ecosystem with surrounding landscape features is the basis for assessing ecosystem functions, and it is the foundation of the HGM Approach” (Brinson, 1995). Using the HGM Approach, the wetlands in Arkansas have five basis classes: depression, flats, fringe, slope and riverine. According to the Classification and Characterization of Wetlands of Arkansas (n.d., 5) “depressional wetlands occur in topographic low points where water accumulates and remains for extended periods”.

There are three subclasses and seven community types under this classification. The discourse described slopes as occurring on “sloping land surfaces, where ground water discharge or shallow subsurface flow creates saturated conditions” (Classification,