Mid-Atlantic Wetland Conservation Effects Assessment Project – a Simultaneous Physicochemical and Biological Assessment of Wetland Functions.

Over the past several decades there has been considerable effort to protect and restore wetlands throughout the United States. The USDA Conservation Effects Assessment Project (CEAP) is a multi-agency effort to quantify the environmental benefits of conservation practices.  The Mid-Atlantic Region (MIAR) CEAP wetland study is one of five regional studies undertaken as part of the national effort. This project assessed various wetland functions and services for natural, converted, and restored wetlands in the region. Our efforts were focused on both the mineral soils of the DelMarVa Penisula and southeastern Virginia, as well as the organic soils of the North Carolina coastal plain. Research objectives of the overarching study were to quantify the effects and effectiveness of depressional, non-tidal wetland restorations. These objectives were assessed by looking at a number of wetland ecosystem services such as – but not limited to - carbon sequestration, greenhouse gas emissions, nutrient mitigation, and biodiversity support. Results demonstrate that restored wetland areas have regained multiple ecosystem services, though an agricultural legacy continues to exist in these restored sites.