Vernal pools are an extremely important part of the ecosystem and also play a role in carbon sequestration. The background of all of this begins with a farmer

Vernal pools are an extremely important part of the ecosystem and also play a role in carbon sequestration. The background of all of this begins with a farmer named Duarte who plowed a wetland on his property and ended up with a huge fine. It became a divisive issue; some cried government overreach, others said he should have listened to the army corps of engineers. But there’s a reason we have an Environmental Protection Agency — people by-and-large aren’t going to go out of their way to protect these natural resources. There are exceptions, and I know conservation minded farmers — but if you look at the aggregate of farming in America, well, it’s pretty terrible for the environment.