Many people don't know that Sanborn has a wetland, let alone that the wetland has many uses and beneficial plants. The wetland serves as a flood plain, an area that collects water and prevents flooding in developed areas during the spring when there is a lot of rain and snow is melting. It also serves as a home to both aquatic and land bound animals. For example, some aquatic creatures are water fleas and daphnia (which are small organisms). Some land animals that benefit from the wetland are chipmunks and seasonal birds. Some animals like both land and in the water such as frogs and salamanders. There are also many uses for plants that are in our wetland. According to Becky Thayer, a student in the Project World class, there are both trees and bushes that we can benefit from in the wetland.

     One kind of plant that is useful is the Black Cherry tree. The Black Cherry tree is used for making furniture. There is also the Red Mulberry tree. The Red Mulberry tree is a small tree that is used for furniture making, fence posts, cooperage (barrel making and repair), and ship building. The berries from this tree are used in jellies, pies, and in drinks. Both trees are used as a food source and home to animals everyday. 

     There are also small bushes in the wetland that are very useful. The Barberry bush is used for decoration in store displays, preserves, and in jellies. There is also the Forget-Me-Not bush. This bush is well known throughout  the United Sates. The blue flowered Forget-Me-Not bushes have perennial roots with stems that ascend toward the sky.

     These are only a few examples of how trees and bushes can be used in everyday life. In our wetland there are many other plants that we use or we can use. Plants also have the job of being a food resource and home to many animals that make the ecosystem what it is today. A wetland is a valuable resource not only to us but to environment and the ecosystem. Even though you might not think the wetland impacts you at all or that you have no use for it, no one wants to find out what life without wetlands would be like.  
 

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