MDC recognizes partners for floating wetlands work in southwest Missouri

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Floating wetlands provide a range of environmental benefits. In southwest Missouri, the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) is working with a number of partners to establish these beneficial man-made islands on lakes and ponds in the area.

MDC recognized the efforts of these partners at a special event at Springfield’s Lost Hill Park on Sept. 4. Representatives from City Utilities of Springfield, Watershed Committee of the Ozarks, Springfield-Greene County Park Board, Dickerson Park Zoo, Ozarks Tech College, and the Missouri Department of Natural Resources were honored for their collaborative efforts in launching floating wetlands at several bodies of water in and around Springfield.

“This dynamic group of partners has been instrumental in the ongoing development and establishment of floating wetlands,” said MDC Fisheries Biologist Kara Tvedt. “Each partner has contributed unique expertise and dedication, collectively advancing both the practical development and educational outreach of this innovative environmental solution.”

Floating wetlands, which are appearing with greater frequency in lakes and ponds around the country, provide a range of environmental benefits. They filter sediment and contaminants from stormwater. These systems can also take up excess nutrients that, if left unchecked, could lead to excessive algal blooms and dead zones in lakes. As roots of the water-friendly plants on the wetland stretch down into the water, they form a mesh that provides habitat for fish and other aquatic organisms. Above-water, the plants’ blooms provide habitat for pollinating insects, birds, and other wildlife. Floating wetlands are a nature-based strategy with multiple benefits that can be used in combination with other conservation practices to reduce and treat the complex problems caused by excess nutrients within our watershed.

Fellows Lake, McDaniel Lake, Valley Water Mill Lake, several ponds at Dickerson Park Zoo, and the pond at Springfield’s Doling Park are waterbodies in and around Springfield where MDC and its partners have established floating wetlands. Individually, these islands vary in size ranging between 42 and 96 square feet. Depending on the setting, the islands use different buoyant materials to serve as bases for the aquatic plants to take root and move up and down with the seasonal water level fluctuations. Collectively, the purpose of the islands is the same, to improve water quality and enhance aquatic habitat. The planting space atop each wetland is filled with a variety of native plants.

The long-range goal of these wetlands isn’t just to establish floating wetlands at publicly-owned bodies of water. It’s hoped that, down the road, this is something landowners could do on private ponds and small privately-owned lakes, too.

“What we’ve done so far is just the first step,” Tvedt said. “We’d eventually like to provide instructions and technical advice to landowners who want to do this on their ponds and small lakes, too."