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Produced under Cooperative Agreement X995048-02-3 with the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency (Region 5 and Headquarters) and the Terrene Institute, 4 Herbert St, Alexandria, VA 22305;
(703) 548-5473. Contents do not necessarily reflect the views of EPA or Terrene Institute, nor does
mention of products constitute recommendation or endorsement by EPA or Terrene Institute.
© 1999 Terrene Institute
Author: Judith F.Taggart -
Artist: Patricia Perry Burgess
Designer: Lura T. Svestka
Contributing writers: Perry Frank and Susan McCullough
Photos (cover): reproduced from Wetlands in the United States, a Terrene Institute poster
(page i): A False Hellebore in a wetland near Gifford Woods in Sherburne, Vermont.
Photo by Robert L. Miss, Unionville, Conn.
Reviewers:
Carlene Bahler,JT&A, inc.
Dee Butler, North American Waterfowl Management Plan, US. Fish & Wildlife Service
Connie Cahanap, Tom Danielson, Lisa Morales, Bill Sipple, Wetlands Division
Tom Davenport, Region 5
US. Environmental Protection Agency
Lucy Cesar-Jedacek, retired elementary school teacher, Medina County, Ohio
Stephen R. Coffee, Executive Director, Arlingtonians (VA) for a Clean Environment
Laurie Hunter, Kim McClurg, International Division, US. Fish & Wildlife Service
Susan-Marie Stedman, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Atmospheric & Oceanic Administration
Christy Williams, Department of Environmental Services, Arlington County, Virginia
ISBN# 1-880686-08-2
For copies of this book and information on American Wetlands Month (MAY), contact:
₯
TENRDC
INSTITUTE
4 Herbert Street, Alexandria, VA 22305
(703) 548-5473, fax: (703) 548-6299
email: terrinst@aol.com; web: www.terrene.org
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Kiptopeke State
Park (Virginia).
Photo by
jack K. Holcomb,
Reading, Pa.
Corrfcerrt-s
a,
Foreword v
Just a muddy swamp? I
Wetlands up close & personal 3
How to know a wetland when you see one 7
Name that wetland! 8
Palustrine wetlands 8
Lacustrine wetlands 8
Marine wetlands '3
Estuarine wetlands ..14
Constructed wetlands '4
Location, location, location ". 15
Look back to move forward 17
Making no-net-loss work 21
Mitigation - what to do when you lose a wetland . . 22
Who's in charge? 25
You're in charge! 25
Wetlands of International Importance: U.S. Ramsar Sites ... 29
Glossary 31
Resources for Wetlands 33
Federal Agencies 33
National Organizations . . . . ... . . - - - - -39
Programs 41
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The skyline of
Portland,
Oregon and
its wetlands.
Photo by Linda
Pattison, who
teaches in the
city's Llewellyn
School.
Foreword
"TpUrn the tap and you've got water! To drink, to shower in,
I to cook with. A simple process we take for granted. Until
turning the tap gives us bad-tasting water, or none at all.
So we blame the water company. And maybe a pipe did break, or treatment
malfunctioned.
But the delivery system alone does not guarantee our water supply.
We do. The way we live, how we use our land our own actions dictate
how much water we have, and whether we can drink it or even fish in it.
America's water suffered as we destroyed what we dismissed as useless
swamps. Now we know, as you are about to discover in unlocking these
secrets, that wetlands hold the key to good water. They
H purify our water,
H control its supply by giving us more during a drought, absorbing the
excess when floods threaten,
H nurture the plants and animals we photograph, hunt and fish (and eat),
and, overall,
H enrich the quality of our lives in many ways.
So the next time you turn the tap, think of wetlands as your not-so-secret
partner for clean water.
William H. Funk
President, Terrene Institute
Alexandria, Virginia
Jo Lynn Traub
Director, Water Division
U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency, Region 5
Chicago, Illinois
Phil Oshida
Wetlands Division
U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency, Headquarters
Washington, D.C.
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Great Swamp in
Morris County,
N.j. Phcro bv
James A. Nardi.
North plainfield.
N.J.
a muddy swamp?
,o you know what a wetland is? Do you know what it does?
Or do you think it's just a muddy swamp? You might be
surprised by the secrets that muddy swamp holds and what it
reaiiy means to you.
^ Have you ever swung a basebaii bat? Or sat in a wooden
chair? Do you write on paper?
D
o you hunt? Or bird-watch? Do you eat fish?
wv » . f~.*K- t
f" !», "V *£**»''* \
« ^J^***- jj-^ j» ^
!f you answ=red yes to any of those questions, wetlands mean
more to you than you ever dreamed.
Because they're not just muddy swarnps. In fact, some of them are
even dry during part of the year.
But it's not how they look, but what they do, that make wetlands
important to us. Wetlands put fish on our plates and clean water in
our glasses, and give us deer to hunt, birds to watch, and wood for
paper, chairs and basebaii bats.
Our environment and our economy the very quality of our
lives depend on healthy wetlands. In short, wetlands help make
America a better place to live. .
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' ''' '"
Bald cypress
trees on the
Ohio River
bottom
wetlands in
southwestern
Indiana. Photo by
Susan Fowier.
Evansviile, ind.
Wetlands up close and personal
Wet/ands S/OV/ "flooding. They're nature's sponges, absorbing water
durlng heavy rains so all of it doesn't run direct!/ off the land into rivers and
streams. This helps prevent flooding and protects stream- and riverbanks from
losing soil. Wetlands along floodplains are especially valuable.
Wet/ands control erosion. The roots of wetland plants hold the soil to
prevent its being washed away by runoff and coastal waves and tides.
Wetlands help maintain our beeches. Because wetlands hold soil in
place, they can help build land, particularly along coasts that regularly lose land
to the ocean.
Wetlands give us cleaner water and .^nore of it. Like giant
kidneys, wetlands filter pollutants out of water as it passes slowly through
these sponge-like systems. And because they hold water, wetlands give us
water during dry seasons by gradually releasing it.
Wet/ands are homes for wildlife. Most fish, nearly 200 kin'ds of
amphibians and well over 200 kinds of birds could not survive without
wetlands. And even though they cover only about 5 percent of the continental
United States, wetlands are lifelines for nearly half our endangered species.
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Wetlands help us build. Much of our furniture, wood paneling and
structural supports originate in wetlands from the oak, gum, cypress and
elm trees found in our eastern wetlands, the cedar trees in the West.
Wetlands link our food webs. The special plants and bacteria that .
grow in wetlands are the first link in a chain that goes on to such creatures as
snails, whirligig beetles and gnats, which in turn are gobbled up by fish or birds,
which end up in large reptiles and mammals, including us. Nearly all the fish
and shellfish harvested commercially and half of those we catch for fun '
depend on wetlands for food and a place to live during at least part of their
lives.
Wetlands give us places to play. Figures compiled in 1997 snow that
nearly 100 million of us hunt, fish, crab, hike, walk and boat in our wetlands,
spending almost $60 million annually. Hunters spend $600 million alone
stalking ducks and geese. And the 50 million people who observe and
photograph wetland birds spend more than $29 billion a year on their hobby
did you know bird-watchers outnumber golfers?
OBJECT
Sponge
Pillov/ or bed
Mixer or egg
beater
Cradle
Wetland Metaphors
FUNCTION moisture for a time even if
wildlife
and
s, etc, from water
neutralizes toxic substances
provides nutrient-rich foods
deans, th, vironn
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The "ripple effect" of watching, photographing and feeding birds:
$85.4 billion more than a miliion jobs (income = $24.5 million)
paying $323.5 million in state income tax and $3.8 billion in
federal income tax. And $1.04 billion in state sales tax.
A snowy egret
in Punta Gorda,
Fla. Photo by
Thomas K. O'Neill,
North Port, Fla.
Wetlands build our economy. As big as recreation is, wetlands also
support an annual commercial fur and hide harvest of $300 to $400 million
and such major industries as cranberries and rice. Livestock graze wetland
grasses and ranchers bale swamp hay and grasses to feed cattle during the
winter.
Wetlands teach us. From preschoolers to their grandparents, we're all
learning from wetlands. Communities build boardwalks through nearby
marshes so everyone can enjoy the birds and the frogs and the flowers. And
more and more schools are creating outdoor learning labs where we can
experience how all living things connect with each other.
Wetlands enrich our quality of life. Did you ever read the Swamp
Thing comic books or see the movies and TV shows? Look at Monet's and
John Singer Sargeant's paintings and Audubon's wildlife and read Thoreau's
classic Wo/den. You'll see wetlands through the artist's eyes.
So, if wetlands are so important to us, where are they? How do we
find them?
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- :. .A-;'... v'A^ .' :'A^:' fMgJ$&£
The Payette
River begins in
these Squaw
Meadows in
Idaho's Payette
National Forest
about 5,700
high in the
Salmon River
Mountains.
Phcto by Kachv
C.-rcds.Richhnd.
W.isn.
How -to know a wetland when
you see one
Look for land that holds water at least part of the time and
where plants that like water thrive. Because, whether we call
them ponds, marshes, swarnps or prairie potholes, all wetlands
have three elements in common:
1 hey're wet. The soil is thoroughly wet for a significant part of the year.
But even though some wetlands may look like small lakes, others may apcear
dry because they're wet only beneath the surface: in the plants' root zone.
And some look wet only during certain seasons.
And because they're wet, 'their soils contain very little oxygen
oxygen moves through water I 0,000 times slower than it moves through air.
Thus, wetland soils don't have enough oxygen to support many plants. Those
that do live in wetlands may eventually decay in, the soil to become peat:
sphagnum moss is.one of these..
3% Most soils found in wetlands are either organic (like peat) or clay.
^H Most bacteria can't live without oxygen either. But those that can live
in these anaerobic (oxyger.-less) soils.produce either sulfur or methane
gas that's why wetland soils sometimes smell!
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Alaska has
170 mi//ion
acres of
wetlands;
Hawaii,
52,000 -
and the
continental
U.S., /03
mi/I/on.
v *-i
Only plants that love water (hydrophytic types) can ,lVe in
Name that wetland!
like us (we're male and female, babies, boys and girls teens and adults),
1IK6 US (were . sa0(ens,
you decide to study wetlands further.
and animals that live in them.
Pafustrine: Forested wetlands (you might call them "muddy swamps") and
many kinds of freshwater marshes.
Lacustrine: Wetlands found in lakes and reservoirs.
Estuarine and Marine: Wetlands found along seashores and in nearby
basins (estuaries) where seawater mixes with freshwater.
Palustrine wetlands
^*^ *^ ^^ **^ ^ t
where they're located.
To ask a not-so-trivial question - did you know that some of our
most important wetlands are also forests?
Forested wetlands make up about half the wetland acreage in the
continental United States.
X You've surely heard of the Okefenokee Swamp - you may even have
* S£ t or Fiorida's Big Cypress Swamp.TheyVe bottom.and
hardwood forests, one of our most important wetlands The
hardwood forests on the lowlands of the Southeast span the
oodp'ns from the Mississippi River to the Piedmont. Cypress,
-^t:
-' SK-
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Half the wetlands in
the continenta/ U.S.
Bottomland
hardwood
swamps in che
Catoma Creek
watershed
south of
Montgomery,
Ala.. Photo by
Deborah Hencnx.
a second grace
teacher in
Montscmery.
below left:
Spanish moss
drapes a
Louisiana
cypress. Phcto
by Ceieste
Bordsicn. Baton
Rouge. La.
swamp-tupelo, water-tupelo, red maple, sweet bay, ash
and black willow grow here frequently festooned
with Spanish moss. And among those grandiose trees,
you'll find countless insects, fish, amphibians, snakes, birds
and mammals.
J% The western riverside forests in the semi-arid
states of Colorado, Montana and Wyoming are
extremely important habitats for neotropical
migrant songbirds.
^ In the wetter Pacific Northwest, river forests
contribute to the regional economy, especially
. the logging and commercial fishing industries.
Typical trees found here are western white
cedar, Oregon ash, willow and red aider.
Tidal freshwater marshes are most common in
low-lying lands along the middle and southern Atlantic
and Gulf coasts. Here you'll find soft-stemmed plants
such as arrow arum, spatterdock (yellow water lily),
wild rice, cattails, bulrushes and sawgrass. And, if you're
lucky, you'll see invertebrates, fish, birds and other wildlife
feeding on these plants.
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Millions of
migratory ducks
and geese winter
in -flooded rice
fields along the
Gulf Coast and
in California.
Nontidal freshwater marshes can develop in isolated basins, and
around lakes, streams and rivers, in those that almost constantly flood
during the growing season, water can be 3 to 6 feet deep. Others are
shallower because they flood only occasionally.
JH In these marshes, look for (but don't dig!) plants that gardeners
treasure: the brilliant cardinal flower, the familiar forget-me-not, swamp
rose, mallow, cattails and watsrlilies, grasses, bulrushes, arrowheads
and sedges.
^H Migrating birds find sanctuary in freshwater marshes and some
sport fish feed there and use them as nurseries for their young.
5$. Fish feed and spawn in the deeper marshes and those connected to
large bodies of water, such as the Great Lakes. Fewer fish live in
shallow marshes because the oxygen levels and temperatures fluctuate
too much.
(left) Water lilies (with cypress trees behind them) in the
Lutcher-Moore Swamp between Baton Rouge and New
Orleans. Phcco by Nancy Webb. Zacrury. La.
(below) Fishing for dinner in New Mexico's Sosque Del Apache.
Photo by Harvey Augenbraun, New Rocfielle. N.Y.
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A prairie
pothole in rural
southern
Minnesota;
photo by Susan
Slater.Willow
Creek
Intermediate
School principal,
Owatonna, Minn.
Fens and bogs are wetland systems found mostly in Alaska, Wisconsin,
Michigan, Minnesota and the Northeast where plants have decayed into
peat. Because its water comes from rain and snow not from runoff or
groundwater a bog contains few nutrients. Water enters a fen, however,
from groundwater fed by mineral soils, so you'll find more minerals and
nutrients in these wetlands.
X Unusual and attractive plants grow in fens and bogs, most notably
insect-eating pitcher plants and many lovely orchids. Mosses and sedges
dominate fens.
X Cranberries and blueberries, important crops in several states, grow in
bogs.
X Bogs produce the peat moss we use in our gardens.
X Many endangered species live in fens and bogs. And some birds like
olivesided flycatchers nest there. A few reptiles and amph.bians,
along with large mammals such as caribou, moose and bear, also make
their homes in these wetlands.
The pocostns in the Southeast resemble bogs and fens. Certain, evergreen
shrubs and trees like maple and gum grow there. In North Carolina, pocosms
regulate the flow of freshwater to nearby coastal estuaries, and thus help
maintain the commercial fishing industry based in Pamlico Sound.
Prairie potholes are small, marsh-like wetlands found mostly in the
Dakotas and Nebraska. These depressions may be wet for only a few weeks
or after a heavy rain. However, they teem with plant and insect hfe, makmg
them important resting and breeding places for migrating ducks, geese, cranes^
and pheasants.
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Playa is another type of occasionally flooded pool found in the Southwest.
These shallow, bowl-shaped depressions are common to the southern High
Plains (eastern Colorado, western Kansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas).
Wet tundra (tundra meaning black, mucky soil) is found on treeless plains
in arctic or subarctic regions.
Flowering dwarf herbs and willow grow profusely on wet tundra.
Grassland marshes with water at or near the surface are called wet
prairies, meadows or vernal pools (shallow, occasionally flooded meadows),
depending on how often they flood and how long it lasts and the soil
remains soaked.
X Imagine the Florida Everglades as a wide, grassy river moving to the sea
the River of Grass.
Vernal pools are seasonally flooded shallow wetlands generally found in
California and the Northeast. As the name suggests, they're usually wet in the
spring and dry during the summer.
X California's vernal pools are wet meadows but in Connecticut,
Massachusetts and other northeastern states vernal pools are most
often found in forests and shrubby areas.
X A unique group of amphibians (animals that live in water and on land)
and invertebrates breed only in vernal pools: among them, wood frogs,
toads, spotted salamanders and spring peepers. Their young leave the
pools to live in surrounding lands.
Canada geese and their young pen* on a muilcrat lodga in a southern ;
Minnesota freshwater marsh. Photo by Susan Slater, Owatonna, Minn. ;
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&
Swamps are wetlands Dominated By trees or shrubs. Unlike marshes, which
tend to be wet much of the time, swamps may be waterlogged in winter and
early spring but dry during the summer. They develop in upland low spots, at
the edges of lakes and ponds, along river:,and streambanks on floodplams.
X White cedar, black ash and red maple trees grow in northern swamps,
bald cypress and tupelo gum in the South.
Riverine wetlands develop in freshwater rivers and streams, particularly
through the Mississippi River Valley, the South Atlantic Coast and along Alaska's
waterways.
X They're also very important in the West. Arizona Game & Fish
estimates that over 75 percent of the state's wildlife rely on wetlands
along stream- and riverbanks for food and shelter at some point in
their lives.
X Riverine wetlands have two principal functions: food and habitat for
wildlife, including birds and fish and holding the soil along river- and
streambanks to prevent erosion.
X They harbor a variety of aquatic plants, as well as plankton, flying
insects, mussels and crayfish.
Lacustrine wetlands
These wetlands are found in lakes and reservoirs. Their rocky or sandy soil
beds host such plants as water lilies, bladderwort, coontail, watermilfo.l,
pondweeds and pickerelweed.
X Breeding grounds for frogs and other amphibians, they also support
sponges, mollusks and crayfish. Mammals such as raccoon and beaver
feed at the edges of lacustrine waters.
Marine wetlands
Look for these wetlands in shallow ocean waters and on the beaches and
rocky shores that edge all our seaboards and their coral reefs, harbors
and barrier islands.
X Turtle grass and kelp grow here.
X Commercial fish such as the red drum, the Great Alaskan tellin and the
Atlantic deep sea scallop are found in marine wetlands.
X Seal and walrus breed - and nurture their young - in Alaska's marine
wetlands.
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About 75% of the nation's commercial
fish and shellfish use wetlands for at
least part of their lives.
Black needle
rush and
saltmeadow
cordgrass in a
saltmarsh
adjacent to the
Gulf of Mexico
in Cedar Key,
Fla. Photo
by Carol
Karhu-Grynewicz,
Largo, Fla.
Estuarine wetlands
Estuarine wetlands appear where seawater and freshwater mix in basins
(estuaries) along the coasts. You'll find a great many kinds of animals
invertebrates, birds and reptiles in these wetlands.
X About 75 percent of the nation's commercial fish and shellfish
including scallops, oysters, crabs, shrimp and quahog depend on
these wetlands.
X Louisiana, with 41 percent of the nation's coastal wetlands, supplies us
with oysters, shrimp and crabs that live in wetlands.
X And the Chesapeake Bay the largest estuary in the United States
furnishes 90 percent of the nation's striped bass that feed in wetlands.
X Nearly three-quarters of our estuarine wetlands are salt marshes.
Grasses grow there, and in warm climates, mangroves, the only tree
that can tolerate salty conditions.
Waterfowl need the grass beds found in about 4 percent of estuarine
wetlands. For example, canvasback ducks feed on vegetation that grows
just beneath the surface in the Chesapeake Bay. These grass beds are
also important spawning areas and nurseries for striped bass, blue crab,
shad and herring.
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Beavers are bui/ders, too, and their expertise often supports or even
restores wetlands. That's what happened along /nterstate-66 where it
curves to enter Washington, D.C. When U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
employees looked out their windows to see beavers hard at work,
they organized annual 5-K runs to raise money to protect
(and, of course, enable) the beavers'efforts.
Constructed wetlands
People also build wetlands, usually for the following reasons:
X Cities and smaller entities, such as parks and interstate highway rest
stops, build wetlands to treat wastewater, stormwater and sewage.
X Developers and builders whose projects unavoidably destroy wetlands
build other wetlands to compensate for that loss.
X Livestock producers build wetlands to treat animal waste.
location, location, location
Location makes a big difference in a wetland, doesn't it? You won't find the
same wetland in Arizona that you find in Hawaii or in Alaska or
Massachusetts.
But no matter where it is, every wetland is part of a larger land and water
system known as a watershed a basin that drains everything lying on the
land (from pet waste to oil and dirt) into a common body of water, like a
river or lake (or even the ocean).
A watershed may be tiny (a few acres), or it may be huge the Mississippi
River watershed drains two-thirds of the United States into the Gulf of
Mexico.
We all live in watersheds you can locate yours by looking at the map on
EPA's web site (see directions in Resources).
Everything happens in a watershed
Wetlands link the land and water within the watershed. They make the
transition from the river bank to the river from lowlands to the sea
from wildlife nurseries to fertile cropland.
But wetlands also interact with groundwater, and with drinking water
with all natural and human resources.
Of course, we expect to drink and bathe and swim in clean water; we
expect to breathe clean air.
T15
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We also expect to eat shrimp and fish (certified by food inspectors) just
as we expect our traffic lights to work, and our fire and police departments to
protect us. And our roads to be smooth and free of potholes!
Natural and human activities continuously interact within watersheds. And
sometimes we don't know the results for many years.
Crops have always thrived in the fertile Missouri and Mississippi river
bottoms. But in ! 993, massive floods wiped out the farms, the homes, che
businesses built on those floodplains.
A wetlands scientist later
, ^j.0-1 calculated that if 3 percent
-*V*^. ' ('3 million acres) of the
.i' "' Mississippi River's upper
watershed had been in
3-foot-deep marshes, the
Mississippi would not have
flooded in 1993.
And now, studies are
predicting that rising sea
levels may wipe out many
of our coastal wetlands
early in the next century.
What will that do to those
watersheds and those
who live there?
just a reminder to
think of the whole
watershed its people
and their needs, its
resources and their needs
as we make decisions
about development and
zoning, treating our water
and preventing pollution,:
Eagle River Valley in Alaska's
Chugach State Park. Photo by
Roserr.arie TG Lombard!. Palmer.
Alaska
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This boardwalk
leads visitors
through
Cedarburg Bog,
the largest
peadand in
southern
Wisconsin.
Photo by Merrie
Schamberger,
Ozaukee
County.Wisc.
Look back t>o move forward
\ A Aien Europeans first arrived on this continent, wetlands
7 V covered some 220 million acres (9 percent) of their
country-to-be's total land. Today, less than half of those
wetlands remain.
X What happened to them?
As pioneers building a new nation, we needed food and shelter and a way to
make a living so we drained what we thought was useless swampland to
grow our food, and build homes, shops and factories.
America thrived. We built our nation into the world's leading producer of
food and industrial products.
But the very science that had helped our nation develop soon began to
point to the importance of protecting our natural resources. We began to
understand that in filling in lowlands to plant crops and build roads and
towns, we had unknowingly destroyed a natural resource we needed to
sustain this country we had built.
The federal Swamp Land Act of 1850 that had deeded wetlands to the states
for conversion to agriculture began to look like a mistake prompting a
backlash that eventually developed into a national conservation movement:
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Since colonial
times, 22 states
have lost at
feast half their
original
wetlands
California, Iowa
and Ohio
have lost
about 90%.
In 1890. western naturalist John Muir helped establish Yosemite
National Park.
In the first decade of the 20th century, President Theodore Roosevelt
placed millions of acres of forests and wetlands off limits to private
developers.
In 1918, the United States and Canada signed the Migratory Bird Treaty
to conserve 800 species of migratory birds that live in both countries.
The Duck Stamp Act in 1934 authorized the sale of stamps to raise
money to protect or buy wetlands important to waterfowl.
A restored wetland, this Oregon Marsh Wildlife Area had been used
as pasture until 1988. Photo by David Bronson, LaGrande, Ore.
. ^^iiif-^^iiKS^iif'^^
L&^^!%^^r:
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1990: The Far, Bill
ReServe P^wetland state.
(wet) so,! to its origin
\996: The Farm Bill reauthonzes
Reserve Program-
But other federal policies conflicted directly with early conservation
attempts. For example,
X The Rivers and Harbors Act of 1899 required the U.S. Army Corps of
" Engineers to maintain U.S. navigable waters - but this often led to
dredging and filling of wetlands.
X The government still paid farmers to grow crops on converted
wetlands.
By mid-century, a growing number of us had become interested in
protecting our environment - and that interest triggered a second look at
wetlands.
In 1987 the federal government convened a National Wetlands
Policy Forum that recommended not only that wetland loss be
halted, but also that steps be taken to increase their number and
quality. And the "no-net-loss" policy was born -committing us to
at least maintain our total number of wetland acres.
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Originally part of j
Laramie
County's Poor
Farm, this
wetland has been
restored for
migratory birds
and wildlife
habitat with a
nature trail and
viewing blind for
human visitors.
Photo by Patricia A.
Ley, Cheyenne, Wyo. j
Making no-ne-fc-Ioss work or
bring back our
Qushed by two Presidents Bush and Clinton and
I aggressively put into practice by federal and state agencies, the
no-net-loss policy is paying off: Our rate of wetland loss has been
cut in half in the past decade.
During that period, the Agriculture Department has turned its
incentive programs around.
X The Natural Resources Conservation Service Wetlands Reserve
Program offers farmers financial incentives to improve wetlands on
their land, in exchange for not farming wetlands. By the mid-'90s,
farmers had restored 200,000 acres of wetlands.
X Taking Wings - a public/private partnership to restore habitat and
protect wetlands and the Stewardship Incentives Program are
Forest Service programs to restore wetlands.
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1^
By / 995, the North American Waterfowl
Management Plan had invested more than
$500 million to conserve over 4.5 million
acres of wet/and habitats.
The Fish & Wildlife Service has several programs to protect wetlands:
X Partners for Wildlife has worked with nearly 10,000 landowners to
restore over 200,000 acres in wetlands.
X The North American Waterfowl Management Plan is an agreement
between the U.S., Canada and Mexico to ensure the survival of
migrating waterfowl. Its Prairie Pothole Joint Venture is the largest
single effort ever to protect wetlands, waterfowl and other wildlife.
Private organizations such as Ducks Unlimited and Delta Waterfowl
also help landowners conserve wetlands.
In the prairie pothole region alone, these combined public/private efforts
have restored more than 500,000 acres.
But we're not all farmers. Most of us live in towns and cities. We're
still building, still destroying wetlands. How does that figure in this
no-net-loss equation?
Mitigation what to do when you \oee a
wetland
If we have to destroy an existing wetland, the federal government requires
that we replace it by either restoring or creating a similar wetland adjacent
to it or in the same watershed.
The person or company proposing to eliminate the wetland must first go
through three steps (note the key words avoid and unavoidable):
X Avoid destroying the wetland, if at all possible.
X Minimize the unavoidable destruction.
X Restore another wetland or create one to compensate for this
unavoidable loss.
Laws often require developers and others to compensate for the wetland
loss by restoring more acres than they actually destroyed.
This is called "mitigation." You can mitigate a wetland loss by building a
wetland nearby but that requires hiring a wetland consultant, buying land
and overseeing a complicated project that may require many years of
monitoring.
-------
*L«*ySfe*3*^ ^
: This wetlands
mitigation bank
serves both the
Snohomish
' airport and the
world's largest
aircraft
manufacturing
plant, owned by
* Boeing, -'->ctc DV
So a whole new "banking" systsm has deveicped. Mitigation banks restore
and assume responsibility for their iong-csrm maintenance large t"cts
of. wetlands and sell them as "mitigation credits" to developers and otners
who must compensate for having destroyed wetlands.
Because the banks have already been permitted, the purchaser avoids delay
^nd is relieved of all responsibility for maintaining the restored wet;ar.a
(he~dcesn't have to worry about what future homeowners' associations
will do!) . . .
State transportation departments began developing these banks in the 1970s
to compensate for the many small wetlands destroyed by highway
construction.
By 1993, entrepreneurs had begun to establish banks that sell credits to
anyone needing to mitigate a wetland loss.
The five federal agencies involved with mitigating wetlands the U.S. Army
Corps of Engineers. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, USDA Natural
Resources Conservation Service, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and the
National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration first issued guidance rcr
mitigation banks in 1995.
-------
Adopt A Pothole by donating 550 for more) to
Delta Waterfowl, who will give you the name and
address of the landowner who, in exchange for
your contribution, has agreed to grow duck-nesting
habitat there (and protect the pothole wetland for
10 years). Contact Delta Waterfowl, P.O. Box 3128,
Bismarck, ND 58502; 7011222-8857,
/
-X
Still In its infancy, the mitigation banking industry is growing carefully, mindful
that die wetlands it restores or creates must meet the most severe test:
they must function forever as healthy wetlands.
Critics question bankers' ability to guarantee long-term maintenance anC
they also fear that wetlands will disappear from cities to be concentrated in
large rural tracts of land.
So the dialogue continues on how mitigation should work.
But we have learned a great deal about wetlands in our 200-plus
years on this continent enough to take responsibility for them.
i i^|f--a
iMfpfi 'I
.* . * Jt^«°₯V* \X."^f *^-
r* :-*|ii wi^s^ ^S ^ '
:v./iv^r4Sf4 ^';
f '[l.vSSsaSaJi ria!
An outdoor
classroom in
Bayou Castine
on the souch side
ofWoodlake
Elementary
helps students
learn about
wetlands. Photo
by Sandy Sect:, a
resourcs -siping
teacher in
Mandeville. La.
-------
Chicago suburbia
lives in harmony
with wetlands.
Photo ;v Tarry
Evans. Chicago. !!l.
Who'a in charge?
aT"oday, most wetlands are privately owned: the small wetlands in
j the West essential for preserving waterfowl, valuable waterfront
properties up and down the East Goast, riverside forests controlled
by lumber companies, the resorts that infuse big dollars into local
economies from the Great Lakes to the Everglades.
And chat wetland in the woods at the back of your property or the marsh
along the lake.(where everybody wants to build a cabin).
Yes, it's people like us and people we know - who control the wetland
resources of this nation. It puts the responsibility for conserving those
wetlands squarely on our shoulders.
While government policies and support are important, all of us must play a
- part in keeping wetlands with us forever, in fact, that's already happening.
You re in charge1.
Every May since 1991, communities all over America celebrate American
.Wetlands Month with wetland walks, bird watching, picnics and special
events. Civic groups help schools build wetlands on school grounds, and
-------
t-.-v
' s
J
~ a." saciings :n cegracea wetiancs. ^i~i!-::r=n arc acuits aiika cuiic nest
boxes and take ether snaps to give wetlands' wiialife a helping hand.
Sue American Wetlands Month is more than just a "month" it's the
celebration of working for wetlands year '-cund.
^H It's driving the first naiis into a bcarcwaik buiit over a community's
restored wetland; .
^ it's sixth graders leading their parents through a school wetland they
planned and planted.
So how can we "work for wetlands?"
H Ask your Mayor or the Governor to deciars May as American
Wetlands Month.
^H Hun (or waik) for wetiands. New Jersey fifth graders used this
familiar activity to raise enough money to help -Sridgewatar's Hillside'
School build a backyard wildlife habitat. U.S. Fish & VViidlife Service
employees do it, too.Their annual 5K run protects a beaver pond
nestled next to their building. Contact: Hiilside School. S44 Brown
Road. Bric'gewater, NJ 08807. USFWS. 7C3/358-2468.
Delta, Ohio middle schoolers creating a
living wetland laboratory on a 7.3-acre site
given the school by North Star BHP Steel,
a Cargill subsidiary. Phcio by Jeff Bindas.
North Star air/ircnmental manager.
-------
ltjs up to us
you and me,
and our friends
and ne/ghbors
to ensure
that wetlands
function for us
not just today,
but forever.
This tiny grass frog lives in
Clyde Holiday State Park
along the shores of Che John
Day River in east central
Oregon. Photo by Alan's mother.
Nancy Runyan. Spokane, Wash.
Sponsor photo/art/poetry contests to celebrate the beauty of
wetiands. Ask youf Chamber §f Commerce or local businesses to
donate prizes and display the entries.
Offer Discover Wetiands guided tours. Follow the example of a
Maryland group that takes people to (I) watch birds: (2) see beavers
("makers of the marsh"); (3) find' wildflowers and butterflies
concluding with (4) a night hike. Contact Patuxent Research Refuge.
410/674-3304.
If you live near a Ramsar wetland (see page 30), learn why it's a
"wetland of international importance." Visit it, or organize a group trip
there.
Show off your wetland project. Maybe it's your fourth graders'
collection of wetland plants, or a boardwalk through a community
wetland. Call Jim Amburgey at 419/822-2339 about the outdoor
classroom North Star BHP Steel built for Ohio middle schoolers
or the New Hanover (NC) conservation district (4141 Chestnut,
Wilmington, NC 28401; 910/762-6072) about the Living Lab they built
for Alderman Elementary School.
Throw a community picnic. Organize a bring-your-own-picnic
get-together near a wetland, complete with tours, storytelling and
hands-on activities.
^H Plant saplings or plants or pull
weeds. Planting might be the first step
in a wedand's restoration pulling
weeds part of its maintenance.
Contact Jeff DePew, 3 14/918-70 i 9:
jcdepew@icon-stl.net.
\ Start a project to fill a
community need. Folks in New
Orleans "bundle" Christmas trees and
place them in wetiands to give fish a
place to live. Contact Jefferson Parish
Environmental Development &
Control Department, 504/838-4230.
JH Participate in the River of Words
international environmental poetry and
art contest. "Watersheds" is its theme.
Contact River of Words, c/o
International Rivers, P.O. Box 4COO-J,
Berkeley, CA 94704;510/433-7020;
rowfq) irn.org.
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X Organize a wetlands group. Bring together others in
your community who are interested in conserving your local
wetlands to strategize on building community awareness and
connecting with appropriate government officials and
programs.
X Publicize American Wetlands Month. Tantalize your
local newspaper and radio/TV stations with interesting facts
about nearby wetlands.
X Join a volunteer monitoring group or organize one.
Contact EPA Headquarters, 202/260-7018.
X Read about wetlands. You can do this all by yourself, then you can
prepare a reading list for your school - or to post in the library. Begm
with Thoreau's Wo/den!
X Observe International Migratory Bird Day - usually early in
May. Contact 703/358-2318; imbd@fws.org; www.americanb.rdmg.org.
X Join nations across the world in celebrating World Wetlands
Day Feb. 2, the anniversary of the Ramsar Convention. It may not be
May but it's summer someplace - use this international observance to
do something special with your own project. Contact www.ramsar.org.
X Hand out American Wetlands Month stickers. Give them to your
friends and neighbors, classmates, mall shoppers - and explam why
wetlands are important. Contact the Terrene Institute;
www.terrene.org;4 Herbert Street, Alexandria, VA 22305;
703/548-5473; terrinst@aol.com.
X Become a PAW. Support American Wetlands Month by becoming a
Pal of American Wetlands. A PAW's financial contribution helps the
Terrene Institute develop and distribute American Wetlands Month
action kits used by schools and community organizations nat.onw.de
to educate Americans about our wetlands and how they fit into our
world Contact the Terrene Institute; www.terrene.org; 4 Herbert
Street,Alexandria,VA22305;703/548-5473;terrinst@aol.com.
And wear your Celebrate Wetlands button proudly!
Always remember, American Wetlands Month is just the one time
each year we celebrate our year 'round work to conserve these
precious resources. What's really important is that we understand
what wetlands are all about and why they matter to us all.
-------
\
Wetlands of International
Importance: U.S. Ramsar Sites
Rajrrisar : perhaps the newest word in the wetlands'
vocabulary is actually the name of the place in iran where.
=n !971,tha Convention en Wetlands cf International importance
especially as waterfowl habitat adopted an
intergovernmental treaty to conserve wetlands.
' How does the Convention define wetlands? As arses cfrr.crsr..
fen, Sect/end or water, whether natural or cnifidcl, permanent or cempcrcry,
: with water that ;s static or flowing, fresh, brackish or sa/t, inducing areas cf
marine water, the depth of which at /ow t;de aces not exceed s:x meters ...
may incorporate riparian end coastal zones adjacent to the wet/ends, end
; is/ana's or bodies of marine water deeper than six meters at ,;cw ::c'e iyir.g
within the wetlands.
Weil over 100 countries are now Contracting Parties to the Convention.
Merrber countries are obligated to (!) include wedand conservation in their
natural resource planning and promote the wise use of wetlands within their
tsrritor/; (2) designate wetlands for inclusion in a "List of Wetlands or
international Importance": (3) establish nature reserves to promote the
conservation of wetlands in their territory.
- ' -^
'.:" . " :.'"o3
-------
The U.S. Ramsar sites
(in order of designation):
I kembek Lagoon National
Wildlife Refuge and State
Game Area, Alaska: in 1986,
the United States' first
Ramsar site. Features largest
eelgrass beds in North
America and an extraordinary
volume and diversity of
wildfowl.
2 Forsytho National Wildlife
Refuge, New Jersey: habitat
for several endangered
species, including the bald
eagle; annual waterfowl use
Is very high, and the area is
popular with East Coast bird
enthusiasts.
3 Okefenokee National
Wildlife Refuge, Georgia and
Florida: large regional wetland complex with a significant
diversity of habitats, plant and animal species.
Excellent for public education and scientific research.
4 Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge, Nevada: a
genuine North American desert oasis with great species
diversity, including the Ash Meadows pup fish and other
endangered species.
5 Everglades National Park, Florida: nearly synonymous with
the term "wetlands"; a valuable area for scientific
research and species diversity.
6 Chesapeake Bay Estuarine Complex, Maryland and
Virginia: vitally important wintering and staging area for
migratory birds; a rich and diverse area with a wide range
of economic, recreational and environmental values.
7 Cheyenne Bottoms State Game Area, Kansas: contains
an exceptional volume and diversity of shorebirds; this
high plains wetland complex demonstrates the
practicality of conservation and wise land use
management.
8 Cache-Lower White Rivers Joint Ventura Area, Arkansas:
features some of the larger remaining Mississippi
bottomland hardwood forests; valuable for endangered
species and a wintering area for migrating ducks.
9 Horicon Marsh, Wisconsin: represents wetland flora and
fauna of upper Midwest; habitat for endangered species
and critical staging and feeding area for the Mississippi
Valley population of Canada geese.
10 Catahoula Lake, Louisiana: seasonal water level
fluctuations support large numbers of migratory
waterfowl: helps maintain the ecological diversity of
Louisiana lowlands.
D
0
11 Delaware Bay Estuary, Delaware, New Jersey and
Pennsylvania: critical resting and feeding area for
migratory shore and wading birds; exceptional for
research and recreation.
12 Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge, Florida: our
first national wildlife refuge; nursery for juvenile
endangered marine turtles.
13 Caddo Lake, Texas: unique inland, freshwater wetland;
provides critical habitat for migratory and resident wildlife,
including waterfowl, raptors, colonial waterbirds and
neotropical songbirds.
14 Connecticut River Estuary and Tidal Wetlands Complex,
Connecticut: extraordinary assemblage of natural and
relatively undisturbed biotic communities.
15 Cache River- Cypress Creek Wetlands, Illinois: critical
breeding and wintering area for migratory waterfowl and
shorebirds using the Mississippi flyway; also home to
mammalian predators and native hardwood forests.
16 Sand Lake National Wildlife Refuge, South Dakota: a
22,000-acre cattail marsh; breeding .ground and habitat
for many different bird species, reptiles, amphibians, fish
and mammals.
17 Bolinas Lagoon, California: critical staging ground and
stopover for migratory birds; open water, mudflat and
marsh habitat for marine fishes, mammals and waterbirds.
For more information about the Ramsar program, contact
the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Office of International
Affairs, 860 Arlington Square, Suite 730, Washington, DC
20240; 703/358-1754.
-------
ii-*5
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'W
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4 -sft
y. :>M|
Amphibian: A plant or animal that can live both on land and in water.
Bottomland: Lowlands along streams and rivers, usually on floodp.ains.
Coniferous: Cone-bearing trees, such as pine.
Converted wetland: Wetland converted to .and that can be farmed or bu.lt on.
Depression* wetland: Wetland occurring in a depression in the landscape, usuaHy
with a small basin.
Ecosystem: A community of plants and animals interacting with one another and
with their physical environment.
Facultative species: Plant species that may grow in either wetiands or upland,
Fen- A peat-accumulating, groundwater-fed wetland that receives water from m.nera.
soils, usually vegetated with mosses and sedges.
Fringe wetland: Wet,and that fringes an ocean or lake and is affected by t,da, act,on.
Herbaceous: A leaf-.ike plant with little or no woody tissue that usua.ly disappears
after a single season.
the upper part. (Current [1998] federal
HydroPeriod:The period during which a soil area is flooded or water.ogged
Hydrophyte: Plants that grow in water or in soil too waterlogged for most p.ants to
survive.
Invertebrate: An animal with no backbone or skeleton.
Lacustrine: Wetlands in lakes or reservoirs.
Lentic: Relating to or living in still waters.
Lotic: Pertaining to or living in flowing water.
Marsh: Wedand characterized by frequent or continual flooding and herbaceous
vegetation such as cattails and rushes.
Mesocosm: An artificial water system that is larger than an aquarium but smaHer
*
either in the same watershed or adjacent to .t.
who must compensate for having destroyed wetlands.
Montane: Wedands in the mountains, usua.ly on the cool, moist slopes below
timberline.
-------
*
I
.: g
Neotropical birds: Native to South America, the Caribbean and southern North
America.
Obligate wetland species: Plant species that almost always occur in wetlands under
natural conditions.
Palustrine: Freshwater wetlands dominated by trees, shrubs and other vegetation.
Peat: Deposit of intact or partially decomposed plant material; accumulates in
wetlands that are wet enough to retard decomposition.
Peatlands: Generic term for ail types of peat-accumulating wetlands such as bogs and
fens.
Playa: Shallow depression similar to a prairie pothole found in the Southwest;
becomes .a wetland after a rain and is alternately wet and dry.
Pocosin: A type of bog found in the southeastern United States dominated by shrubs
and small trees.
Prairie pothole: Shallow, marshlike pond found mostly in the upper Midwest.
Restoration: Return of a damaged ecosystem to a close approximation of its original
condition.
Riparian forest: A wetlands populated with woody plants along the banks of rivers
and lakes.
Riverine wetland: Freshwater wetland existing within the channel of a river or
stream, and distinct from the riparian ecosystems that line the banks.
Saturation: Condition in which all available spaces are filled with water, as in the case
of plants growing in waterlogged soil.
Swamp: Wetland characterized by periodic flooding or soil saturation and dominated
by trees or shrubs.
Tidal marsh: Salt, brackish or freshwater marsh dominated by herbaceous vegetation
and subject to tidal flows.
Tidal subsidy: Support of water tables and exchange of organic materials by tidal
action.
Vernal pool: Shallow, intermittently flooded wet meadow, usually covered by water
during the cool season but dry for most of the summer. Characteristic of the Pacific
Coast. Also used to describe temporary wetlands in eastern forests.
Water budget: Balance between inflows and outflows of water.
Watershed: The area that drains to a common body of water, such as a lake or a
river.
Wet meadow: Wetland characterized by waterlogged soil and herbaceous
vegetation, generally without standing water.
Wet prairie: Herbaceous wetland dominated by grasses, sedges and forbs, and with
waterlogged soil near the surface for most of the year.
Zonation: Distinct bands of vegetation; common in wetlands because of different
elevations, wetness and salinity.
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Resources for Wetlands
Federal Agencies
Army Corps of Engineers, Headquarters (CECGj. 20 Massachusetts Ave., NW, Room 4113,
Washington DC 20314-1000; 202/761 -000I; Fax: 202/761 -1683; www.usace.army.rn,!.
Water Resources Support Center
7701 Telegraph Road, Casey Building
Alexandria, VA 22315-3868
(703) 428-8250
Fax: (703) 428-8171
Great Lakes and Ohio River Division
P.O.Box 1159
Cincinnati, OH 45202-1159
(513)684-3002
Fax:(513)684-2085
Mississippi Valley Division
P.O. Box 80
Vicksburg,MS 39181-0080
(601)634-5750
Fax:(601)634-5666
North Atlantic Division
90 Church Street
New York, NY 10007-2979
(718)491-8805
Fax:(718)491-8879
Northwestern Division
P.O. Box 2870
Portland, OR 97208-2870
(503) 808-3700
Fax: (503) 808-3706
Pacific Ocean Division
Building 230
Ft. Shafter, HI 96858-5440
(808)438-1500
Fax:(808)438-8387
South Atlantic Division
60 Forsyth Street, SW
Room 9M15
Atlanta, GA 30303-8801
(404) 562-5003
Fax: (404) 562-5002
South Pacific Division
333 Market Street, Room 1101
San Francisco, CA 94105-2195
(415) 977-8001
Fax:(415)977-8316
Bureau of Land Management, , 849 C Street, NW, Washington, DC 20290; 202/452-7752; www.blm.gov
ALASKA
222 West 7th Avenue, # 13
Anchorage, AK 99513-7599
907/271-5080
Fax: 907/271-4596
ARIZONA
222 N. Central Avenue
Phoenix, AZ 85004-2203
602-417-9200
Fax: 602/417-9398
CALIFORNIA
2135 Butano Drive
Sacramento. CA 95825-0451
916/978-4600
Fax: 916/978-4620
COLORADO
2850 Youngfield Street
Lakewood, CO 80215-7076
303/239-3700
Fax: 303/239-3934
EASTERN STATES
7450 Boston Boulevard
Springfield, VA 22153
703/440-1700
Fax: 703/440-1599
IDAHO
1387 S.Vinnell Way
Boise, ID 83709-1657
208/373-4001
Fax: 208/373-3899
MONTANA
Granite Tower, 222 N. 32nd Street
Billings, MT 59101
406/896-5012
Fax: 406/255-2995
NEVADA
1340 Financial Boulevard
Reno, NV 89502-7147
775/861-6400
Fax: 775/861 -6634
NEW MEXICO
1474 Rodeo Road
Santa Fe, NM 87505
505/438-7501
Fax: 505/438-7452
OREGON
1515 S.W. 5th Avenue
Portland, OR 97201
503/952-6024
Fax: 503/952-6390
UTAH
324 South State Street, Suite 301
Salt Lake City, UT 84145-0155
801/539-4010
Fax: 801/539-4013
WYOMING
5353 Yellowstone Road
Cheyenne, WY 82003
307/775-6001
Fax: 307/775-6082
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Bureau of Reclamation, U.S. Department of Interior, 1849 C Street, NW, Washington, DC 20240-0001;
202/208-4442; judy.troast@bor.gov; www.usbr.gov.
Denver Office
Building 67
Denver Federal Center
P.O. Box 25007, Denver, CO 80225
303/445-2692
Great Plains Region
P.O. Box 36900
Billings, MT 59107-6900
'406/247-7600
Lower Colorado Region
P.O. Box 61470
Boulder City, NV 89006-1470
702/293-8411
Mid Pacific Region
Federal Office Building
2800 Cottage Way
Sacramento, CA 95825
916/978-5580
Pacific Northwest Region
11 SON. Curtis Rd., Suite 100
Boise, ID 83706-1234
208/378-5012
Upper Colorado Region
125 S. State Street
Salt Lake City, UT 84138
801/524-3785
Environmental Protection Agency, Headquarters, Wetlands Division, 401 M Street, SW (4502F),
Washington, DC 20460; 202/260-6531; www.epa.gov/owow/wetlands
Gulf of Mexico Program Office
Building 1103
John C.Stennis Space Center
Stennis, MS 39529-6000
228/688-3726
Region I (CT.ME,MA,NH,Rl.VT)
Water Quality Unit
John R Kennedy Federal Building
One Congress Street, Suite 1100
Boston. MA 02114-2023
617/918-1622
Region 2 (NJ. NY. PR. VI) .
Wetlands Outreach (DEPP-WPB)
290 Broadway
New York, NY 10007-1866
212/637-5000
Region 3 (DE.DC.MD.PA.VA.WV)
Marine and Wetlands Policy Section
(3ES30)
841 Chestnut Street
Philadelphia, PA 19107
215/814-2715
Region 4 (AL. FL, GA, KY, MS, NC, SC, TN) Region 8 (CO, MT, ND, SD, UT WY)
Wetlands, Oceans and Watersheds
Branch
345 Courdand Street, NE
Atlanta, GA 30365
404-562-9410
Region 5 (IL.lN.Ml.MN.OH.Wl)
Wetlands and Watershed Section
Water Division (P-19)
77 West Jackson Boulevard
Chicago, IL 60604
312/886-0241
Region 6 (AR.LANM.OK.TX)
Wetlands Outreach (6WQ-AO)
1445 Ross Avenue, Suite 1200
Dallas,TX 75202
214/665-6722
Region 7 (IA, KS, MO, NE)
Wetlands Protection Section
726 Minnesota Avenue (WRPB)
Kansas City. KS 66101
-913/551-7569
Ecosystems Protection &
Remediation (8EPR/EP)
999 18th Street, Suite 500
Denver, CO 80202-2466
303/312-6673
Region 9 (AZ,CA,HI,NV,AS,GU)
Wetlands and Coastal Planning
(W-3-3)
75 Hawthorne Street
San Francisco, CA 94105
415/744-1969
Region 10 (AK,ID,OR,WA)
Aquatic Resources Unit '
(ECO-083)
1200 6th Avenue
Seattle, WA 98101
206/553-1226
EPA Wetlands Information
Hotline
800/832-7828
Watershed locator
www.epa.gov/surf2/locate
1
Federal Highway Administration, Washington Headquarters, 400 7th Street SW, Washington, DC
20590; 202/366-5004; fred.bank@fhwa.dot.gov; and 555 Zang Street, Lakewood, CO 80228; 303/969-5772
ext. 332; www.fhwa.gov.
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Fish & Wildlife Service, 4401 N. Fairfax Drive, Arlington, VA 22203; 703/358-2201; www.fws.gov.
'-
/i
- i
REGION I (WA,OR,CA,NV,ID,HI)
Regional Director
9! I NE llth Avenue
Portland, OR 97232-4181
(503)231-6118
Fax:(503)872-2716
REGION 2 (NM,AZ,OK.TX)
Regional Director
P.O. Box 1306
Albuquerque, NM 87103
(505) 248-6282
Fax:(505)248-6910
REGION 3 (MN,IN,MO,MI,WI,OH,IL)
Regional Director
Federal Building, Fort Snelling
Twin Cities. MN 55111
(612)713-5301
Fax:(612)713-5284
Forest Service, U.S. Department
202/205-1093; www.fs.fed.us.
REGION I
Northern Region
Federal Building
P.O. Box 7669
Missoula, MT 59807
406/329-3316
REGION 2
Rocky Mountain Region
P.O. Box 25127
Lakewood, CO 80225
303/275-5450
REGION 3
Southwestern Region
517 Gold Avenue SW
Albuquerque, NM 97102
505/842-3300
REGION 4
Intermountain Region
Federal Office Building
324 25th Street
Ogden.UT 84401
801/625-5605
REGION 4 (KY,AR,TN,NC,SC,GA,AL,
MS, LA. FU, VI, PR)
Regional Director
1875 Century Boulevard
Atlanta, GA 30345
(404) 679-4000
Fax:: (404) 679-4006
REGION 5 (VA,WV,MD,PA,NY,DE
NJ,CT,MEMA,VT,NH)
Regional Director
300 Westgate Center Drive
Hadley,MA01035
(413) 253-8300
Fax:(413)253-8308
REGION 6 (CO,MT,NE.UT,WY.
1A.KS.ND.SD)
Regional Director
P.O. Box 25486 .
Denver, CO 80025
(303)236-7920
Fax: (303) 236-8295
REGION 7 (AK)
Regional Director
1011 East Tudor Road
Anchorage, AK 99503
(907) 786-3542
Fax: (907) 786-3306
North American Waterfowl
Management Plan
4401 N. Fairfax Drive, Room 110
Arlington, VA 22203
703/358-1784; www.fws.gov
Partners for Wildlife
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
Division of Habitat Conservation
Attn: Private Lands Coordinator,
4401 N. Fairfax Drive, Room 400
Arlington, VA 22203
fax: 703/358-2232; www.fws.gov
af Agriculture, P. O. Box 96090-6090, Washington, DC 20090-6090;
REGION 5
Pacific Southwest Region
630 Sansome Street
San Francisco, CA 9411 I
707/562-9000
REGION 6
Pacific Northwest Region
P.O. Box 3523
Portland, OR 97208
503/808-2200
REGION 8
Southern Region
1720 Peachtree Road.NW
Atlanta, GA 30367
404/347-4177
REGION 9
Eastern Region
310 W.Wisconsin Avenue
Room 500
Milwaukee, Wl 53203
414/297-3600
REGION 10
Alaska Region
P.O. Box 21628
juneau.AK 99802-1628
907/586-8863
Taking Wings Program
Ducks Unlimited National!
Headquarters
One Waterfowl Way
Memphis,TN 38120
9017758-3722; www.ducks.org
-;T^;xs
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^
National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration, 1315 East West
Highway, Room 12622, Silver Spring, MD 20910; 3011713-2325; brenda.rupli@noaa.gov; www.noaa.gov.
Office of Sustainable Fisheries
1315 East West Highway
Silver Spring, MD 20910
(301)713-2334
rax: (301) 713-0596
Office of Habitat Conservation
! 3 J 5 East West Highway
Silver Spring. MD 20910
(301)713-2325
Fax:(301)713-1043
Office of Protected Resources
1315 East West Highway
Silver Spring, MD 20910
(301)713-2332
Fax:(301)713-0376
Office of Science & Technology
13 IS East West Highway
Silver Spring, MD 20910
(301)713-2367
Fax:(301)713-1875
Alaska Regional Office
P.O. Box 21668
Juneau,AK99802-l668
(907) 586-7221
Fax: (907) 586-7249
Northeast Regional Office
One Blackburn Drive
Gloucester, MA 01930-2298
(978)281-9260
Fax:(978)281-9371
Northwest Regional Office
7600 Sand Point Way, NE
BINCI5700-Bldg. I
Seattle, WA 98115-0070
(206)526-6150
Fax: (206) 526-6426
Southeast Regional Office
9721 Executive Center Drive N.
St. Petersburg, FL 33702-2432
(813)570-5301
Fax:(727)570-5300
Southwest Regional Office
501 West Ocean Blvd., Suite 4200
Long Beach, CA 90802-4213
(562) 980-4001
Fax:(562)980-4018
Natural Resources Conservation Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, P.O. Box 2890,
Washington, DC 20013; 202/720-3210; www.nrcs.usda.gov.
ALABAMA
665 Opelika Road
P.O. Box 3311
Auburn, AL 36830-0311
334-887-4535
Fax:334-821-0250
ALASKA
949 East 36th Avenue
Suite 400
Anchorage, AK 99503-4302
907-271-2424
Fax:907-271-3951
ARIZONA
3003 North Central Avenue
Suite 800
Phoenix, AZ 85012-2945
602-280-8808
Fax: 602-280-8809
ARKANSAS
Federal Building, Room 5404
700 West Capitol Avenue
Little Rock, AR 72201 -3228
501-324-6621
Fax:501-324-6208
CALIFORNIA
2I2I-C 2nd Street,Suite 102
Davis, CA 95616-5475
530-757-8255
Fax: 530-757-8382
FLORIDA
2614 NW 43rd Street
Gainesville, FL 32606-6611
352-338-9525
Fax: 352-338-9574
COLORADO
655 Parfet Street
Room E200C
Lakewood, CO 80215-5517
303-236-2886
Fax: 303-236-2896
CONNECTICUT
16 Professional Park Road
Storrs,CT06268-l299
860-487-4017
Fax: 860-487-5054
DELAWARE
1203 College Park Drive, Suite 101
Dover, DE 19904-8713
302-678-4160
Fax:302-678-0843
GEORGIA
Federal Building, Box 13
355 East Hancock Avenue
Athens, GA 30601-2769
706-546-2272
Fax:706-546-2120
GUAM
. Director, Pacific Basin
Suite 601, FHB Building
400 Route 8
Maite, Guam 96927
11-671-472-7490
Fax:011-671-472-7288
HAWAII
300 Ala Moana Boulevard
Room 4316
P.O. Box 50004
Honolulu, HI 96850-0002
808-541-2601
Fax:808-541-1335
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IDAHO
3244 Elder Street, Room 124
Boise, ID 83705-4711
208-378-5700
Fax:208-378-5735
ILLINOIS
1902 Fox Drive
Champaign, IL 61820-7335
217-398-5267
Fax 217-398-5310
INDIANA
6013 Lakeside Boulevard
Indianapolis, IN 46278-2933
317-290-3200
Fax:317-290-3225
IOWA
693 Federal Building
210 Walnut Street
Des Moines, IA 50309-2180
515-284-6655
Fax:515-284-4394
KANSAS
760 South Broadway
Salina,KS6740l
785-823-4565
Fax: 785-823-4540
KENTUCKY
771 Corporate Drive, Suite 110
Lexington, KY 40503-5479
606-224-7350
Fax:606-224-7399
LOUISIANA
3737 Government Street
Alexandria, LA 71302-3727
318-473-7751
Fax:318-473-7771
MAINE
5 Godfrey Drive
Orono, ME 04473
207-866-7241
Fax:207-866-7262
MARYLAND A
John Hanson Business Center
339 Busch's Frontage Road, Suite 301
Annapolis, MD 21401-5534
410-757-0861, x315
Fax:410-757-0687
MASSACHUSETTS
451 West Street
Amherst, MA 01002-2995
413-253-4351
Fax:413-253-4375
MICHIGAN
1405 South Harrison Road, Room 101
East Lansing, Ml 48823-5243
517-337-6701.x 1201
Fax:517-337-6905
MINNESOTA
600 F.C.S. Building
375 Jackson Street
St. Paul,MN 55101-1854
612-602-7869
Fax:612-602-7914
MISSISSIPPI
Federal Building, Suite 1321
100 West Capitol Street
Jackson, MS 39269-1399
601-965-5205
Fax:601-965-4536
MISSOURI
Parkade Center, Suite 250
601 Business Loop 70 West
Columbia, MO 65203-2546
573-876-0901
Fax:573-876-0913
MONTANA
Federal Building, Room 443
10 East Babcock Street
Bozeman.MT 59715-4704
406-587-6813
Fax:406-587-6761
NEBRASKA
Room 152, Federal Building
100 Centennial Mall, North
Lincoln, NE 68508-3866
402-437-5300
Fax:402-437-5327
NEVADA
5301 Longley Lane
Building F, Suite 201
Reno, NV 89511
775-784-5863
Fax:775-784-5939
NEW HAMPSHIRE
Federal Building
2 Madbury Road
Durham, NH 03824-1499
603-433-0505
Fax:603-868-5301
NEW JERSEY
1370 Hamilton Street
Somerset, NJ 08873-3157
732-246-1205
Fax:732-246-2358
NEW MEXICO
6200 Jefferson Street, NE
Albuquerque, NM 87109-3734
505-761-4400
Fax:505-761-4462
NEW YORK
441 South Salina Street
Suite 354
Syracuse, NY 13202-2450
315-477-6504
Fax-315-477-6550
NORTH CAROLINA
4405 Bland Road, Suite 205
Raleigh, NC 27609-6293
919-873-2101
Fax 919-837-2156
NORTH DAKOTA
Federal Building, Room 278
220 East Rosser Avenue
P.O. Box 1458
Bismarck, ND 58502-1458
701-250-4421
Fax:701-250-4778
OHIO
200 North High St., Room 522
Columbus, OH 43215-2748
614-469-6962
Fax 614-469-2083
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OKLAHOMA
USDA Air-culture Cancer Bdiding
ICOLSDA.S-ics 2C3
Sdlwacar.CK 74C7--2624
405-742- 1 2CO
,=ix:40S-742- 1201
CREGO.N
rederr.; Building, Rccrr. i 640
1 220 5W TSra Avenue
Portland. OR 9720-1-288 1
503-41-1-320!
Fax: SC3--i; -1-3277
PENNSYLVANIA
One Crack Union ?!aca. Suite 340
Harrsburg. ?A 17!! 0-2993
7i7-237-22C2
Fax: 7 17-237-4469
PUERTO RICO
Director. Car-ocean Area
Facerai 3u dng, Rccm 639
Haco Ray. ?R C09 i 3-70 i 3
sc9-2sa-;~s:
Fax: 309-253-1754
RHODE ISLAND
50 Q'-aks' _ar.e. Sute 46
Warwick. =\; 02SS6-Q ! i !
40I-32S-I3CO
Fax:401-323-0433
SOUTH CAROLINA
Strom Th'ur .cr.d Federal Si:i!cing
1335 Assembly Sc. Suite 950
Columbia. SC 2920 1-2489
303-765-5=3!
Fax: 303-253-3670
SOUTH DAKOTA
Federal Building
200 Fourth Street. SVV
Huron. SC 57350-2475
605-352-!2CO
Fax: 605-3 52-1270
TENNESSEE
675 U.S. Courthouse
SOI Broadway
Nashville.TN 37203-3878
615-736-3471
Fax:615-736-7135
TEXAS
W.R. Poage Building
!OI South Main Street
Temple, TX 76501-7632
254-742-98CO
Fax: 254-742-98 i 9
UTAH
W.F. Bennett Federal Building
i 25 South State Street. Room 4402
Salt Laio ~:ty. UT 34 i 3 j
SO I-524-4550
Fax:301-524-4403
VERMONT
69 Union Street
Wir.ooski. VT 05404- i 999
802-951-6795
Fax: 302-951-6327
VIRGINIA
Cuipeper Building, Suite 209
! 606 Santa Rosa Road
Richmond, VA 23229-5014
30-1-287-1691
Fax: 804-287-1737
WASHINGTON
Rock Pointe Tower II
West 3 I 6 Scone Avenue
Suite 450
Spokane. WA 99201-2348
509-323-2900
Fax: 509-323-2979
WEST VIRGINIA
75 High Street. Room 301
Morgantown.WV 26505 .
304-291-4153
Fax:304-291-4628
WISCONSIN
651 5 Watts Road. Suite 200
Madison. Wl 53719-2726
608-276-8732
Fax: 608-264-5483
WYOMING
Federal Office Building
! CO East 3 St., Room 3 124
Cas per, WY 82601-191 I
307-261 -6464
Fax: 307-26 i -6490
An open water
wetland in urban
Wayzata, Minn.
Photo by Nancy
Campbell of Wayzata
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A tiny critter
tags along with
visitor to a
wetland
preserve.
rhotc :' Lucy '
Cesar-jecacek.
Bruns'-vicx Hills.
Ch:o.
National Organizations
Per a more ccmprehensive list chat includes ragional and state organizations, contact
Terrene Institute.
American Bird Conservancy, 1250 24th Street NW, Suite 400, Washington, DC
20037; 202/778-9666; abc@abcbirds.org.
- Ducks Unlimited,One Waterfowl Way.Memphis.^ 38! 20:901/733-3325:
www.ciucks.org.
Environmental Concern, Inc., P.O. Box R St. Micr.aels. MD 2! 663; 410/745-9620:
www.wetland.org.
The Izaak Walton League of America, 707 Conservation Lane,
Gaithersburg.MD 70878; 800/BUG-!WLA; www.iwla.org.
National Audubon Society, Education Division. 7GO Broadway, New York NY
10003; 800/813-5.037; www.audubon.org.
National Wildlife Federation, 8925 Leesburg Pike. Vienna, VA 22184;
800/822-9919; www.nwf.org.
Pocono Environmental Education Center, RR2, Box 1010, Dingman's Ferry, PA
18328; 717/828-9281; www.peec.org.
Society of Wetland Scientists, P.O. Box 1S97, Lawrence, KS 66044-8897;
785/843-1221; www.sws.org.
Terrene Instituted Herbert Street, Alexandria, VA 22305:703/548-5473;
www.terrene.org.
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*"SSi .i-iwes
7tef_
Wildfowl Trust of North America. Horsehead Wetlands Center. P.O. Bex 5 i 9.
Grr-scnville. MD 21638; 410/827-6694: wtna@shcre.iritercom.net.
Wildlife Habitat Council. 1010 Wayne Avenue, Suite 920, Silver Spring, MD
209' 0; 301/588-3994: whc@wildlifehc.org; www.wildlifehc.org.
The Wildlife Society, 5410 Grcsvenor Lane. Bethesda. MD 208 i 4-2 i 97;
30; 397-9770.
.a-
. >*-
~ >-*-- -
"^jjji* ^(f 'C****'''ii"*v5£v ^^^^^'*'*r' *** *'**^/
""X ^^^^S^1?^: ,
Texas fourth graders gather catch from seining in saltwaters in the
Brazoria County National Wildlife Refuge. Photo by Sandra l_ Krampoca,
fourth grace teacher at Elisabeth Ney Elementary, Lake Jackson. Tex.
o
TJSf? f . _. I
^ V^feS
?i
j(l
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A familiar face
surfaces at
Nebraska's
Pioneers Park
Nature Center,
Photo ;v VYv/r.e
Hath s-.v ay. Sterling.
Neb.
-J
Programs
For a mcrs comprehensive list of programs that includes publications, audiovisual and
graphic materials, contact Terrene Institute.
American Weciands Month: Activity Packs for schools and communio/ groups,
videos, books, stickers, buttons, brochures.'fact sheets and posters are available from
Terrene Instituted Herbert St., Alexandria, VA 22305:703/548-5473; www.terrene.org;
terrinst@aol.com. List serve: Wetlands-AVVM@peach.ease.lsoft.com.
Anima! Tracks:''-Vedands Action Pack: Activity guide for K.-S educators to heip
students understand wetland ecosystems. Includes guidelines for student projects to
conserve local wetlands. $10 (plus $1 s&h) from National Wildlife Federation, ?. O.
Box 50281, Hampden Station, Baltimore, MD 21211; 703/790-4100.
EnviroScape?' Wetlands Curriculum: An interactive, portable model
demonstrates this curriculum: available from either Terrene Institute or JT&A, inc..
14524-r Lee Road, Chantilly, VA 20 i 5 1; 703/63 I -8810: www.enviroscapes.com;
info@enviroscapes.ccm.
International School Grounds Day: Started by Britain's Learning Through
Landscapes organization. International School Grounds Day celebrates and draws
attention to the natural resources available on school grounds. Coordinated in the
U.S. by the National Wildlife Federation as part of its Schoolyard Habitats Program.
Contact Stephanie Stowell, 703/790-4582, at NWF.3925 Leesburg Pike, Vienna. VA
22184-0001; www.nwf.org/.
Migratory Bird Day: This annual event, usually during the first week of
May, celebrates the return north of the migratory birds. Contact 1MBD at
703/358-23 18; irnbd@fws.gov; www.arnericanbirding.org.
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the text message: SUBSCRIBE WETLANDS-AWM Your Nam"
List Serve: to i
SUBSCRIBE
manual and a course designed to guide
-9620; educate@wetland.org; www.wetland.
org.
t0 increase e-tal awareness
We R , ng a HvinS thinSs- ^sponsored by
Western Regional Environmental Education Council. Available from the American
20^463 2U;6tti°n' ' ',' ' ^ Street'NW'Sui- 780, Washington,DC 200^6 "
202/463-2462; www.pltorg.
4W/994
406/994-
- Avai'able from The Watercourse,
P, , ' B°Zeman« MT 5971 7-0057;
. Please call for information about workshops in your state.
K-|2MS"fPlementaT conservation and environmental education
and W I ~ * ^ ^^ °f ** C°Undl for Environmental
and the Western Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies Contact Michele
S?"* Wi'd> 7°7 Conservati°n ^e, Gaithersburg, MD 2087?
-8900;natPwild@igc.apc.org;httP://eelink.umich.edu/tild/
etlands: A cross-curricular guide for K- 1 2 educators from
oI OM p-rTAm ^ the Metr° T°r0nt0 Z°°- Contact KimberlX Baily at the
zoo. 36 1 A Old Finch Aye., Scarborough, ON MIB 5K7; fax 4 1 6/392-4979.
Wetlands: Critical Issues/Critical Thinking - Experiences for Youth Four
acav.t.es for ages .2-14 and adults designed to help pa'rticipants learn abot
^^
i support American Wetlands Month by
istitute for use in preparing and
'A A leducf?°nalmaterials-pAWs receive a subscription to Wetlands
ann/ !m Amencan Wedands M°"th newsletter. Contact Terrene at
BOO/726-5253, or send your contribution to 4 Herbert St., Alexandria, VA 22305.
WOW! The Wonder of Wetlands, the wetland module of Project WET is a
comprehensive guide of wetland information and learning activities for K-12
students, with over 50 classroom and outdoor lessons. Created by Environmental
Concern and available from The Watercourse, Culbertson Ha.l, Montana StaTe
Un.vers,ty.Bozeman.MT 59717-0057; 406/994-1917; $ 15.95 (plus $4 50 s&h)
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