Abstract Protection of fens–wetlands dependent on groundwater discharge–requires characterization of groundwater sources and stresses. Because instrumentation and numerical modeling of fens is labor intensive, easy‐to‐apply methods that model fen distribution and their vulnerability to development are desirable. Here we demonstrate that fen areas can be simulated using existing steady‐state MODFLOW models when the unsaturated zone flow (UZF) package is included. In cells where the water table is near land surface,…