When you think of a wetland, what comes to mind? A grassy, freshwater marsh with flocks of ducks, geese, and other waterbirds…coastal marshes filled with fishes… brackish channels lined with mangroves. Wetlands include all of these habitats and more such as swamps, bogs, fens, prairie potholes, and even seasonal wetlands like vernal pools. A wetland is an area that is saturated or covered by water at least part of the year. Wetlands provide vital habitat, food, and water for thousands of plant and animal species. Humans also rely on wetlands for food, to replenish groundwater, for improving water quality, for flood control, to prevent soil erosion, and for recreation. In this issue of Land, Sea & Air you and your class can take a virtual field trip to explore the world of wetlands.

Students (grades K–3) can learn to comprehend the difference between nouns and verbs as they find out about wetlands in the Wetland Word Game. K–3 students can also enjoy singing the Wetlands Song to see why wetlands are so important.

Wetlands are key habitats for thousands of plants and animals. Visit the following Animal Bytes to learn about some of the animals that rely on wetlands for at least part of their life cycle.

Hurricanes Katrina and Rita not only destroyed human homes but also damaged large expanses of Louisiana’s coastal wetlands. The SeaWorld & Busch Gardens Conservation Fund provided funds to the National Wildlife Federation to help restore the state’s coastal wetlands.

Many animals, including the otters of Southeast Asia are threatened by destruction of their wetland homes. Learn how the SeaWorld & Busch Gardens Conservation Fund presented a grant to Conservation International to help conserve vital habitat for the four otter species in Cambodia.

Your class can learn what threatens wild American alligators and how Busch Gardens is helping to raise awareness of alligators in this AnimalWise video podcast.

The light-footed clapper rail may be one of the most endangered birds in California. Clapper rail populations plummeted mainly due to loss of suitable wetland habitat in coastal marshes. Discover how SeaWorld is helping to restore wild populations of the endangered light-footed clapper rail in the following story.

Did you know that SeaWorld and Busch Gardens offer camps for school, scout, and other private groups? February marks the official start to sign up for SeaWorld and Busch Gardens 2009 Adventure Camps. Visit our Adventure Camp website (see link below) to learn more or call 800-25-SHAMU (800-257-4268).