Riparian and Wetland Management Riparian areas are lands
adjacent to creeks, streams, lakes, and rivers that support
vegetation dependent upon free water in the soil. They are
sometimes called "Ribbon-of-Green" because the vegetation on
waterway banks forms a ribbon-like pattern when seen from the
air. These areas, containing water and vegetation in the
otherwise arid Western United States, are important to fish and
wildlife species, as well as to livestock. Since they dissipate
water energy and filter the water flowing through them,
riparian-wetland areas can affect the health of entire
watersheds. Wetlands are generally defined as areas inundated or
saturated by surface or ground water at a frequency and duration
sufficient to support vegetation this is typically adapted for
life in saturated soil. Wetlands include bogs, marshes,
shallows, muskegs, wet meadows, estuaries, and riparian areas. A
riparian-wetland area is healthy and functioning when adequate
vegetation, landform, or large woody debris is prese