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Protecting and restoring our wetlands

There are two ways to live your life.
One is as though nothing is a miracle.
The other is as though everything
is a miracle.
Albert Einstein

by Betty Daugherty, FSPA
Water is most certainly one of those miracles that seems so common, so ordinary, so plentiful that we can live out our days without taking notice of the wonder of its presence. But here it is, a sacred element of life, essential to every living being. And because so many of our activities are harmful to our water systems, this life-giving element needs to be protected.

Our treatment of water is one of the issues being addressed by the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR), an organization which includes the FSPA leadership team in its membership. This group of women leaders is proposing a resolution which directs our attention specifically toward the preservation and renewal of U.S. wetlands and coastlands. This proposal is directed toward all religious communities belonging to LCWR.

Why the focus on this part of our ecosystem? In many regions of our country, valuable wetlands are deteriorating rapidly. In fact, they are the most threatened systems on our planet and action to preserve them is necessary. We have vastly underestimated the ecological implications caused by our neglect. Wetlands are often viewed as areas of little value, merely "wastelands" and thus available for development. They are often drained for agriculture or for urbanization. But now we are gradually learning more about their value.

That value includes the ability of wetlands to store water, and in doing so, control floods and thus protect land further downstream and along coastlines from serious erosion. Wetlands also host a great variety of species, having the richest biodiversity of all ecosystems. They form a necessary habitat for a great variety of plant and animal life. Just a small sampling of species finding a welcoming habitat in a wetland includes animals like ducks and fish, beaver, frogs and turtles. Wetlands contain many plants such as cattails and pickerelweed which filter sediments and chemical fertilizers, thus purifying the water.

FSPA leadership is very conscious of the value of each piece of land in our care. At Villa St. Joseph, Clare Center, Marywood and Prairiewoods, plans are being developed for preserving the natural features of the landscape. Ecological audits in these places will include strategies for the protection of streams and shorelines.

The gift of water is respected at Prairiewoods Spirituality Center, where land is allowed to remain in its natural state.

For instance, at Prairiewoods a small stream called Dry Creek meanders through the site, supplying water for the wildlife population. The substantial floodplain that surrounds this creek is capable of holding flood waters that would otherwise cause rather severe flood problems downstream. When the spring thaws begin to melt the ice and snow, the creek can spill over onto the nearby lowlands until the excess water can be carried away safely. By allowing this land to remain in its natural state and protected from changes that would be brought about by something like a housing development, the FSPA are working with nature and protecting the larger environment.

Care of this water resource includes ongoing monitoring of the health of the stream, the state of the creek bank, and the impact of this stream on the larger watershed. Staff member, Mary Ellen Dunford, and her husband Bob work with IOWATER, a volunteer program offered by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, to keep a record of the amount and composition of the water runoff.

The gift of water is also respected through land care policies at Prairiewoods. Chemicals and commercial fertilizers are never used on the land.

At Marywood, the staff and board are addressing the need to protect the shoreline along Trout Lake from further erosion. This beautiful lake carries much meaning for so many FSPA, affiliates and guests who have nourished their bodies and spirits near its waters. Some plans are already in progress and more consultation is in the future as the best options are considered.

A number of years ago, the prophetic voice of Father Thomas Berry called on women religious communities to be leaders in showing the importance of commitment to the saving of the natural world. That is happening today as FSPA leadership, along with other communities of religious women, give attention and resources to protecting and restoring ecosystems on their lands. Wherever possible, the sacred gift of water in all of its forms will be honored.

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