Residents of Alachua County swarmed to Sweetwater Wetlands Park over the holidays. One of the more recent additions to our park system, this area offers wonderful birding opportunities as well as a variety of walking trails. Over the past seven years, the park has evolved into a dynamic wetlands.

Here, young or experienced birders get excited over their sightings. A white board at the trail entrance leaves evidence of the enthusiasm of many visitors. Lists might include “Sora,” “Glossies,” and “Buffleheads,” or “Snow Goose” (also submitted to eBird with a photo), “a ring tail hawk” and “a variety of small birds.” Others count alligators. Whatever level of identification, all tell others what has been seen that especially thrills them.

This interest is also bantered while walking the trails. People pass each other with advice on both bird and animal viewing. “Look for the moccasin on the rocks, the baby alligators with a protective mom near the boardwalk, or two foals amongst the horses near the trail’s end.” “Make sure to check out the shovelers. The teals have arrived en masse this past week.”

The blue teals exemplify how this area changes dramatically. In late November often only a few blues were spied. Then, in mid December it seemed as if the migratory duck population exploded. Had those initial few sent word to flocks? Shoveler, mottled duck and black-bellied whistling duck numbers also increased quickly.

These wetlands support hundreds if not thousands of birds. But that only touches upon one aspect of the significance of this park. It is difficult to think that these gorgeous ponds are part of city efforts to prepare our water supply for entrance into Alachua Sink, our aquifer and source of our drinking water.

Wetlands help to filter harmful substances from the water. There, this matter will have time to break down before entering our water source.

For example, when lawns have been fertilized with too many chemicals, the runoff can be slowed down in our wetlands. These chemicals have time to decompose and to be absorbed by trees, bushes and grasses. Their travel slows through the series of ponds before their release into the prairie, heading to Alachua Sink.

As with these, the toxic nature of other pollutants changes through this filtering process. A rich diversity of plants and wildlife reinforces this action. Consequently, our water quality improves. Also, wetland restoration is often less expensive than water treatment plants.

Another reason wetlands need our support is that they store carbon. As this world increases the amount of carbon in the atmosphere, various ways of sequestering it deserve attention. The carbon in our atmosphere hovered around 280 parts per million as the Industrial Revolution began. That number has increased, especially since the 1950s.

Scientists determined that life on this planet can continue without our changing our ways, as long as we keep carbon levels below 350 parts per million. In 2008 we crossed that line. This year, carbon in the atmosphere has reached 407 parts per million. Basically, that means we must figure out ways to either cut our carbon use or remove the carbon from the atmosphere.

Reducing our reliance on fossil fuels provides one way of lowering the amount of carbon in our atmosphere. Former NASA Climatologist Dr. James Hansen’ writes in his article, “Target Atmospheric CO2: Where Should Humanity Aim?”, “If humanity wishes to preserve a planet similar to that on which civilization developed and to which life on Earth is adapted, paleoclimate evidence and ongoing climate change suggest that CO2 will need to be reduced … to at most 350 ppm.”

Creating, restoring and preserving wetlands stores carbon in plants and soils. Science classes have long taught the oxygen-carbon dioxide relationship in respiration of plants and animals. The study of soils shows just how much carbon accumulates there.

The Wilderness Society sites research that shows wetlands store disproportionately large amounts of carbon. Such analysis reinforces the need for wetlands protection.

Protecting our wetlands has sometimes caused a battle, one worth fighting. Sequestering the carbon provides one significant reason for continuing to save these wetlands. So visit Sweetwater Wetlands often and appreciate Gainesville’s efforts to protect our wetlands not only at this park, but throughout the area.

Susan Nugent is a Climate Reality Project leader from Gainesville.