United States
              Environmental Protection
              Agency
            Office of Water (WH-556F),
            Office of Wetlands, Oceans,
            and Watersheds (A-104 F)
EEPA843-F-93-OOle
March 1993
«*er*\  WETLANDS FACT  SHEET'# 5
             Facts About  Wetlands
  Over half (53%) of the wetlands in the conterminous United States were lost between
  the late-1700's and mid-1970's. About 100
  million acres of wetlands remain today.
  Source: D»hl Status ind Trendy of Wfflgnds in the Conterminous
  United Stetea USFWS. 1989

  Coastal wetlands make up only 5% of the
  wetland types in the continental United
  States; inland wetlands such as freshwater
  swamps, prairie potholes, bogs and fens make
  up the remaining 95% of wetland types.
  Source Office of Technology Assessment, 1984
                       Amount of Wetlands in the
                       Conterminous United States
                           since the late 1700's
                    53% Lost
                                           SounrDikUM*
                                         47% Remain
  It has been estimated that up to forty-three percent (43%) of the threatened and
  endangered species listed in the United States by the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service rely
  directly or indirectly on wetlands for their survival
  Source USFWS

  A recent survey showed that when asked whether they felt wetlands protection efforts
  were adequate, 53% of respondents replied more effort was needed, 24% said current
  efforts struck the right balance, and 8% said
  it had gone too far.
  Source Times Minor Magazines/Roper Survey «»dted in Popular
  Seiaut July 1992, p52.

  From the mid-1970lstomid-1980's, wetlands
  were lost at an annual rate of 290,000 acres
  per year.
  Source Dshl and Johi
               •on
d Trend, of Wetlands
  ContmninotM United States. Mld-197P'« to MId-1980'a USFWS.
  1991.
                   Is Cunent Wetlands Protection Adaquate?
  Nationally, 80% of America's breeding bird population require bottomland hard-
  woods for survival; bottomland hardwood (BLH) systems are wooded
  swamps found predominantly in the Southeastern United States.
  Source Wvton and Kitchens, 1982.
 • In the United States, over-logging of mature bottomland hardwood
   (BLH) forests is believed to have caused the extinction of the Ivory-
   Billed Woodpecker, North America's largest woodpecker.
                                            Ivory-Billed Woodpecker
  Printed on Recycled Paper

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              ... More Facts About Wetlands
  Twenty-three States have lost at least 50% of their original wetlands.   Seven of those
  twenty-three States (California, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, Kentucky, and Ohio)
  have lost more than 80% of their original wetlands.
  Source Drill, 1990
             STATES WITH OVER 50% WETLAND LOSS
       [50% to 80% LOSS

        > 80% LOSS
                                                            Source: DaW, 1990
  In Fiscal Year 1992, the Army Corps of Engineers made decisions on over 16,000
  individual permit applications, denying fewer than 400. It is estimated that at least
  80,000 additional activities are authorized by Corps general permits yearly. In the 21-
  year history of the Section 404 program, EPA has vetoed only 11 permits.
  Source US Army Corp» of Englneen, US EPA

  Approximately 92% of all permit evaluations (that is both  general and individual
  permits) are completed in less than 60 days after a completed application has been
  recdved by the Army Corps of Engineers.
  Source US Annjr Corp* of Engineers
    For more information contact the EPA Wetlands Hotline at 1-800-832-7828
* contractor operated
                                                         1 Printed on Rtcycied Paper

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