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WETLAND DEFINITION According to the 1987 U.S. Army Corps of Engineers "Wetlands Delineation Manual" (1987 Manual;the document used by all delineators to define wetlands)a wetland is"Those areas that are inundated or saturated by surface or ground water at a frequency and duration sufficient to support, and that under normal circumstances do support,a prevalence of vegetation typically adapted for life in saturated soil conditions." The Minnesota State Wetland Conservation Act Rules,Chapter 8420, further clarifies that"...wetlands must: (1)have a predominance of hydric soils; (2)be inundated or saturated by surface water or groundwater at a frequency and duration sufficient to support a prevalence of hydrophytic vegetation typically adapted for life in saturated soil conditions; and(3) under normal circumstances,support a prevalence of hydrophytic vegetation." The 1987 U.S.Army Corps of Engineers Manual in Part II,item 24.states that,"The interaction of hydrology,vegetation, and soil results in the development of characteristics unique to wetlands. Therefore, the following technical guidelines for wetlands are based on the three parameters,and diagnostic environmental characteristics used in applying the technical guideline are represented by various indicators of these parameters." It is this premise by which SER ecologists has, in their professional judgment, delineated the wetlands on the subject parcel described in this report. Wetland Hydrology The most important wetland criterion is hydrology.The presence and persistence of water influences the vegetation types and changes soil morphology. Hydrology may be observed as standing water (inundation),or may be observed as freestanding water within the soil pit or auger hole(saturation) usually within the upper 12 inches. This is what would be considered primary hydrology indicators. Only one primary indicator is necessary to make the determination that wetland hydrology indeed exists. The 1987 Corps Manual also has a range of hydrologic zones established based on period of inundation or saturation. These zones and the periods of inundation or saturation for each can be observed in Table 1 below. Excerpted from the 1987 Manual,Hydrologic Zones—Nontidal Areas Zone Name Duration Comments Wetland or Not I Permanently Inundated 100% Inundation>6.6 ft.mean Not(Aquatic Habitat Zone,or Deep Water water depth Habitat) Semipermanently To Nearly <75 Inundation defined as II Permanently Inundated Or <100% 5_6.6 feet mean water Wetland Saturated depth III Regularly Inundated Or >25-75% Wetland Saturated IV Seasonally Inundated Or <12.5- Wetland Saturated 25% Irregularly Inundated or Many areas having these Wetland(if hydrophytic veg. and hydric V Saturated >5-12.5% hydrologic characteristics soils also present are not wetlands Intermittently Or Never Areas with these VI Inundated Or Saturated <5% hydrologic characteristics Not are not wetlands The definition of appropriate hydrology according to the 1987 Manual includes two important terms that must be clarified. First, the definition of a growing season is needed. The growing season is Svoboda Ecological Resources 1350 Orono Oaks Drive Project No.:2007-061-03 32 Ron Ridgeway