Native Uses of Wetlands and Natural Resources Planning: The Swinomish Indian Tribal Community's Wetlands Cultural Assessment

Wetlands are defined based upon the presence of three essential characteristics: hydrophytic vegetation; hydric soils; and wetland hydrology. Wetland inventory and wetland habitat assessments are conducted in areas where wetlands need to be identified and ranked for regulatory protection measures. Typically the following methods are used: 1) identify wetlands through existing resources and produce a preliminary wetland inventory, 2) field verify wetlands, 3) assess wetland functions and values, and 4) develop watershed ranking. In order to evaluate and assess the relative importance or level to which a wetland performs a specific function, a functional assessment of the field-verified wetlands is conducted. Detailed scientific knowledge of wetland functions, sometimes known as functions and values, is often limited, so that evaluations of the functions of individual wetlands are qualitative and largely dependent upon professional judgment. Wetland functional valuations are still an evolving science. Therefore, better methods for valuations are being researched but until such methods are in general use by the scientific research community, the current and possibly inaccurate methods are in use.