Know Your Watershed

Did you know...in order to understand your watershed, it is necessary to know about natural communities?

A natural community is a complex interaction of the rock and soil types of the landscape with plant and animal species and climate. Here in the Midwest, the native plants and animals have adapted over thousands of years to survive the extremes of temperature and precipitation.

Vegetation also adapted to the activities of early human occupation in the area. Over the last 10,000 years, through the use of fire that removed the forest cover, Native Americans shaped the prairie and savannah landscape found in much of the Midwest.

Historically, the dominant natural community on the foundation of limestone, sandstone and shale in the South Grand River watershed was prairie with oak savannas and open woodlands present along and near streams. Recent human activity has impacted the landscape on a very large scale through urbanization and plowing for large crops,. The introduction of alien plant species has also greatly altered the natural communities. The effect of these impacts to the natural communities has caused significant losses of habitat with many of the plant and animal species in serious decline.

Because of the connection of biological and geographical systems, many changes are set in motion when habitat is altered or destroyed. These changes ripple throughout the watershed and impact the water resource all life depends on. Visit www.southgrandwatershed.com to learn more about natural communities and how you can help improve water quality by protecting or restoring habitat.