The often cited "functions and values" wetlands provide are long and broad. Wetlands act as a nursery for fish and wildlife, improve water quality, reduce storm surge - the list goes on. These large scale ideas are abstract and not easily quantifiable, however, the craft of sewing sweet grass baskets in South Carolinas Low Country around Charleston from wetland grasses, is an example of a sustainable activity with a directly measurable economic benefit.
Woven sweetgrass baskets have a long history - beginning on the West Coast of Africa woven baskets were used for winnowing rice. When West Africans were enslaved and brought to the US in the 1600's, specifically for their rice harvesting knowledge, their basket making skills came with them.
Over time, influenced by the Gullah culture and the abundance of locally available materials, the baskets traditional reed, Bulrush (Scirpus atrovirens), was replaced by Sweetgrass (Mulengergia filipes or Muhlenbergia capillaris ) or Needlegrass Rush (Juncus roemerianus Scheele) aka Black Rush). Beginning in the 1920's, the long, thin needles of the Long Leaf Pine began to be woven into the baskets providing a earthy color contrast.
Population growth and land development have decreased sweetgrass habitat, primarily found beachside, behind the 1st set of dunes - - making the grasses more difficult to source. Once harvested, the grasses are dried in the sun before being gathered, twisted into fibrous cord, and sew into baskets.
Today, sweetgrass baskets are recognized as art, and are displayed at the Smithsonian Museum in Washington DC, and other museums worldwide. Along Route 17 in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina has been designated as the "Sweetgrass Basket Makers Highway" where you can purchase many types of baskets and trays.
The South Carolina legislature, made sweetgrass baskets the official state handcraft in 2006. The paper referenced below provides a interesting glimpse of the efforts the artisans and the town of Mount Pleasant to retain the art and history of the sweetgrass basket.
Sources and More Information:
USDA Plant Profile - Needlegrass Rush https://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=JURO
USDA Plant Profile - Sweetgrass https://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=muca2 or https://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=MUFI3
USDA Plant Profile - Green Bulrush https://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=SCAT2
Sweetgrass Basket Stands under Siege
Catherine F. Marshall
Chrestomathy: Annual Review of Undergraduate Research 12 (2013)
School of Humanities and Social Sciences School of Languages, Cultures, and World Affairs
College of Charleston, Charleston SC 29424, USA.