Howell Wetlands (WNS)

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About Howell Wetlands (WNS)

The Howell Wetlands group is a place for photographers (amateur, professional alike) to post their pictures of Howell Wetlands, the urban greenspace in Evansville, Indiana. Please only post photos taken at Howell Wetlands. Photos posted in this group may be used by the Wesselman Nature Society to be posted on our Website (http://www.WesselmanNatureSociety.org) and/or for promotional purposes. Thanks for visiting this lush oasis of great scenery and abundant wildlife!


About Howell Wetlands

Howell Wetlands is an urban wetland which encompasses 35 acres. It is a remnant of an old channel of the Ohio River, called an "ox-bow”. The Ohio River once flowed through this wetland area, regularly spilling floodwaters Landscape of Howell Wetlands over its banks into the surrounding land. The most striking feature of this wetlands is that despite its location in the middle of a city, it impressively showcases a diversity of wetland habitats. These habitats include a marsh, a cypress slough, an oxbow channel, as well as the surrounding prairie and bottomland hardwood forest. This area was official designated as a wetland in 1997 by the City of Evansville. Since that time there has been continuous restoration and management by the Wesselman Nature Society and its partnering agencies. The goal is to conserve this unique ecosystem, and make it appealing to the community as a place to go for education and enjoyment.

Wetlands such as this one, provide ideal habitat for a large diversity of wildlife. On a visit there you may get a chance to see some of the most common inhabitants, such as beaver, frogs, turtles, snakes, great blue herons, waterfowl, songbirds, and dozens of other flora and fauna associated with this unique ecosystem. This wetland is also important to the local community and ecosystem because it stores floodwaters, slows and filters pollutants and sediment from storm water runoff, and provides a natural park-like setting for recreation and enjoyment.

You can visit and enjoy this unique ecosystem year-round, as it is completely accessible via well-constructed and maintained wooden walkways and bridges. There are many opportunities to explore and learn about wetlands in this wonderful outdoor classroom, either on your own, or in one of the manyHowell Wetlands Prairie naturalist-led educational programs offered there. The Howell Wetland's management and educational programs are an extension of the Wesselman Nature Society.