Comparing Soil and Hydrological Conditions Between “Wetlands Reserve Program” and “Reference” Wetlands along the Deep Fork River of Oklahoma.

Wetland restoration is a common method of reestablishing wetland functions lost after human-induced degradation. The objectives of this study are to evaluate and compare functions of federally-funded wetland restorations conducted under the USDA-NRCS Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP) with those provided by naturally occurring wetlands. The purpose of this study is to determine if the functions provided by the WRP wetland restorations are different from those provided by nearby natural wetland sites. The study area encompasses eight WRP and eight natural riverine wetland sites flooded by the Deep Fork River. The sites occur in the central region of Oklahoma within the Cherokee Prairies and Cross Timbers Major Land Resource Areas. Soils in these wetlands are deep and clayey to loamy Mollisols and Inceptisols.  These alluvial soils have formed during the last one thousand years (or less) before present. Soil biogeochemical and hydrological functions outlined by the US Army Corps of Engineers will be used in the comparison. Hydrological functions to be evaluated include the dynamic, long-term, and subsurface storage of water. Soil biogeochemical functions include nutrient cycling, retention of particulates, and organic carbon export.  Data will be gathered from the monitoring of shallow wells, describing soil profiles, measuring redoximorphic potential, the installation of sediment collecting devices, through the use of radiometric dating, and conducting various soil tests. Soil tests to be conducted include nutrient availability, salinity, percent organic carbon, bulk density, soil-water content, and hydraulic conductivity. This data will provide quantitative values for selected wetland functions and will be used to find similarities and differences between WRP and natural sites.