For those of us in the biology business, they are gold and we think you will agree with us when you finish reading this. Wetlands are nature’s sponge so, since water moves from an area of high concentration to one of low concentration, the sponge releases the water it has captured throughout the hot, dry summer ensuring animals, plants, and wells, have water. In winter, the heavy rains refill the sponge which decreases the amount of water flowing downstream and reduces the amount of flooding that would occur without a wetland. 
The last, and most important, job that wetlands do is provide filtration of the water that enters them thereby creating a nutrient rich area that provides a home to a great variety of plants and animals. This capability has been used to remove excess copper from the Tsolum River as well as by some communities to treat their sewage so it is very valuable, even golden, don’t you think?
