Wetlands provide homes to a tremendous variety of wildlife, including snails and salamanders, catfish and crayfish, diving ducks and duckweed. Wet lands also provide us with food and water, act as flood barriers, and prevent erosion.

In this book, award-winning science educators Marylin Lisowski and Robert Williams present more than 30 projects and investigations that will encourage and inspire young readers to appreciate the value of wetland ecosystems.

The activities, which emphasize data collection and analysis, allow the reader to explore the relationships between the plants, animals, and other organisms that live in and visit wetlands. They also reveal how soil conditions as well as air and water quality determine the types of organisms found in a particular wetland.

As readers carry out the projects and investigations, they will come to understand the importance of preserving and improving the wetland ecosystems around us.

• Chapter 1: What's wild in the wetlands
• Chapter 2: Rambling through roots, reeds, and rushes
• Chapter 3: Noticing networks: Interactions and Relationships
• Chapter 4: Mud, Muck and Moisture
• Chapter 5: Mysteries of the Marsh: Use of Wetlands
• Chapter 6: People, Problems, and Promises
• Tools and Equipment
• Glossary

Exploring Ecosystems: Wetlands may be ordered from the Rivers Project office. This and others in the Exploring Ecosystems series may also be ordered from the publisher, Franklin Watts.