McNary National Wildlife Refuge is a wildlife preserve, one of the national wildlife refuges operated by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service . Extending along the east bank of the Columbia River in southeastern Washington , from the confluence of the Snake River to the mouth of the Walla Walla River , and downstream into Oregon , McNary NWR is located in rural Burbank , but very close to the rapid development of the Tri-Cities ( Kennewick , Pasco and Richland ). In fact, the refuge meets the definition of an "urban refuge." Few areas in North America support waterfowl populations in the extraordinary numbers found here. There are spectacular concentrations of Canada geese , mallards , and other waterfowl . More than half the mallards in the Pacific Flyway overwinter at some time in this portion of the Columbia River Basin .
21-410: The refuge encompasses backwater sloughs , shrub - steppe uplands, irrigated farmlands, river islands, delta mudflats , and riparian areas. Particularly important to Canada geese, mallards, and wigeons , as well as shorebirds and wading birds , the refuge also includes wetlands and shoreline bays that serve as an important nursery for developing fall chinook salmon . Other waterfowl species using
42-541: A part of an endangered environment: wetlands. They act as a buffer from land to sea and act as an active part of the estuary system where freshwater flows from creeks and runoff from the land mix with salty ocean water transported by tides. Restoration is a big effort in California wetlands to restore slough and ridge landscapes. Examples of restoration projects on slough landscapes include The Elkhorn Slough Tidal Wetland Project, Dutch Slough Tidal Restoration Project, and
63-459: A river over time. The development of this landscape is thought to occur by the preferential formation of peat in bedrock depressions. Multiple of these deposits mounted on top of the surrounding bedrock can become elongated alongside the slough and create flow diversions within the system. Different rates of this peat accumulation could be triggered by variations in microtopography that alter plant production and vegetation type. Water flow might be
84-460: A seasonal basis. In North America, "slough" may refer to a side-channel from or feeding a river, or an inlet or natural channel only sporadically filled with water. An example of this is Finn Slough on the Fraser River , whose lower reaches have dozens of notable sloughs. Some sloughs, like Elkhorn Slough , used to be mouths of rivers, but have become stagnant because tectonic activity cut off
105-399: A study done on Elkhorn Slough in California the mean prey richness for fish was greatest near the ocean and lowest inshore. This allows for a higher availability of food to enhance the function of inshore habitats and emphasizes the importance of invertebrate prey populations and how they influence plant production. Birds also inhabit sloughs, making them hotspots for birdwatching , with
126-458: A variety of scales representing physiological to community-level changes. Periphyton has often been used as an experimental system in, e.g., pollution-induced community tolerance studies. In both marine and freshwater environments, algae – particularly green algae and diatoms – make up the dominant component of surface growth communities. Small crustaceans , rotifers , and protozoans are also commonly found in fresh water and
147-447: Is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This article related to a protected area in the state of Washington is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Slough (hydrology) A slough ( / s l uː / or / s l aʊ / ) is a wetland , usually a swamp or shallow lake , often a backwater to a larger body of water. Water tends to be stagnant or may flow slowly on
168-430: Is a channel in a wetland . Typically, it is either stagnant or slow flowing on a seasonal basis. Vegetation patterns in a slough are largely determined by depth , distribution, and duration in the environment. Moreover, these same variables also influence the distribution, abundance, reproduction, and seasonal movements of aquatic and terrestrial life within the sloughs. Sloughs support a wide variety of plant life that
189-864: Is adapted to rapidly changing physical conditions such as salinity , oxygen levels and depth. In general, sloughs are microhabitats high in species diversity. Open water sloughs are characterized by submerged and floating vegetation which includes periphyton mats dominated by sawgrass typically. The topographical and vegetation heterogeneity of ridge and slough landscape influences the productivity and diversity of birds and fish adapted to that wetland . Fish that typically inhabit sloughs include tidewater goby, California killifish , mosquitofish , and topsmelt . Food habits of fish within sloughs consist of preying upon invertebrates ; mostly epifaunal crustacean followed by epifaunal and infaunal worms and mollusks. Fish can feed on zooplankton and plant material. Research on prey species for fish in sloughs found that in
210-836: The Elkhorn Slough being one of the premier birdwatching sites in the western United States. Over 340 species have been seen visiting, including several rare and endangered species. Bird species seen in sloughs include acorn woodpecker , brown pelican , Caspian tern , great blue heron , great egret , great horned owl , snowy plover , and white-tailed kite . Sloughs are largely influenced by human development such as urban and agricultural expansion , industrial and agricultural practices, water management practices, and humans influence on species composition . Uses of identifying these aspects of human involvement can help to better predict restoration efforts to be made in managing sloughs. Examples of attributes that are affected by human stress upon
231-479: The McDaniel Slough wetland enhancement project. [REDACTED] Wetlands portal Periphyton Periphyton is a complex mixture of algae , cyanobacteria , heterotrophic microbes , and detritus that is attached to submerged surfaces in most aquatic ecosystems . The related term Aufwuchs ( German "surface growth" or "overgrowth", pronounced [ˈaʊ̯fˌvuːks] ) refers to
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#1733086169536252-479: The collection of small animals and plants that adhere to open surfaces in aquatic environments, such as parts of rooted plants. Periphyton serves as an important food source for invertebrates , tadpoles , and some fish . It can also absorb contaminants , removing them from the water column and limiting their movement through the environment. The periphyton is also an important indicator of water quality ; responses of this community to pollutants can be measured at
273-407: The environment include periphyton , marsh plant communities, tree islands, alligators , wading birds , and marsh fishes, invertebrates , and herpetofauna . A slough can form when a meander gets cut off from the main river channel creating an oxbow lake that accumulates with fine overbank sediment and organic material such as peat . This creates a wetland or swamp environment. One end of
294-427: The key to preventing an accumulation of organic sediment in sloughs due to the fact that accumulation leads to lowering water depths and instead allows for the growth of vegetation. Overall little quantitative data on the degradation of slough landscape exists. Slough and ridge landscape has been greatly degraded in terms of both topographic and vegetation changes over time. Topographical changes create an increase in
315-484: The oxbow configuration then continues to receive flow from the main channel, creating a slough. Sloughs are typically associated with the ridge formations found in their presence. Such a landscape consists of mosaic linear ridges, typically of some sort of grass such as sawgrass ridges in the Florida Everglades , that are separated by deeper water sloughs. Edges of sloughs are layers of sediment deposited by
336-485: The quality of drinking water, and make waterways unappealing for recreation. Remediating the damage to biodiversity and ecosystems caused by excessive periphyton growth costs billions of doillars annually. Conversely, periphyton can be damaged by urbanization: the increased turbidity levels associated with urban sprawl can smother periphyton, causing it to detach from the rocks on which it lives. Periphyton communities are used in aquaculture food production systems for
357-553: The refuge include green-winged teal , shoveler , canvasback , ring-necked ducks , and lesser scaups . Birds, including bald eagles and peregrine falcons , are found here, as are thousands of colonial nesting water birds using river islands for safe nesting. [REDACTED] This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service . This Walla Walla County, Washington state location article
378-546: The relief between ridge crests and slough bottoms. Vegetation changes consist of an increase in the amount of dense grass and decrease in the area of open water, creating a blurring of the directional ridge and slough pattern. Historical everglade and slough landscape has been greatly affected and degraded by human activity. Open water sloughs support important ecological functions that have been seen to be sensitive to hydrologic and water quality problems stemmed from human activities. Sloughs are ecologically important as they are
399-610: The removal of solid and dissolved pollutants. Their performance in filtration is established and their application as aquacultural feed is being researched. It can be important for the clearance of harmful chemicals and reducing turbidity. Periphyton serves as an indicator of water quality because: Many aquatic animals feed extensively on periphyton. The mbuna cichlids from Lake Malawi are particularly well known examples of fish adapted for feeding on periphyton. Examples include Labeotropheus trewavasae and Pseudotropheus zebra . They have scraper-like teeth that allow them to rasp
420-653: The river's source. In the Sacramento River , Steamboat Slough was an alternate branch of the river, a preferred shortcut route for steamboats passing between Sacramento and San Francisco . Georgiana Slough was a steamboat route through the Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta , from the Sacramento River to the San Joaquin River and Stockton . A slough, also called a tidal channel,
441-525: The sea, but insect larvae , oligochaetes and tardigrades are peculiar to freshwater aufwuchs faunas. Periphyton can contain species of cyanobacteria that are toxic to humans and other animals. In fresh water, excessive growth and subsequent death and decay of periphyton can have undesirable effects: depleting oxygen in the water, altering its pH , and clogging the space between gravel and sand (the hyporheic zone ). These effects, known as eutrophication , can impair or kill fishes and other animals, reduce
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