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Date: 31 January, 2001
Wetland environments can assume many names: marshes, swamps, bogs, bayous,
potholes, sloughs, fens, bottomland forests, wet meadows, and ponds. On a
global basis the loss of wetland areas is cause for considerable concern.
According to some sources, the world may have lost half of its wetlands since
1900. In the United States alone, the Fish and Wildlife Service estimates
that over 100,000,000 acres of wetlands have been destroyed, with over 54% of
the wetlands that existed in colonial times now gone forever. A recently
released study by the Fish and Wildlife Service ("Status and Trends of
Wetlands in the Conterminous United States") finds that between 1986 and
1997, U.S. wetlands declined by 644,000 acres.
Why watch our wetlands? The reasons are enormously important. Wetlands are
built-in flood mitigation structures; they control flooding by providing
water storage, reducing flood peaks, and slowing flood waters. By removing
silt and filtering out or absorbing many pollutants, wetlands act as natural
water purifiers. They also serve to reduce erosion by blunting the force of
storms. Wetland trees and other vegetation stabilize river banks and lake
borders. A most critical reason to watch our wetlands is that their diversity
and productive ecosystems provide crucial wintering, breeding and refuge
areas for wildlife. Wetlands are our nation's "liquid assets."
Open space, unaltered by human activity, is becoming increasingly rare in and
around cities and towns. The "Status and Trends" study of the Fish and
Wildlife Service revealed that urban development accounted for 30% of the
wetland losses between 1986 and 1997. Wetlands preservation in heavily
populated areas is vital to providing protection and stability for human,
wildlife and other inland environments. Much of the nation's environmentally
significant land, particularly in wetlands and coastal areas, is in the hands
of individuals. Your own backyard may be a scrap of wetland or abutt a
community wetland resource. Stewardship, then, falls to citizenry and to
members of local wetland or conservation commissions.
Public information is fundamental to community-based wetlands preservation.
Educate yourself, and members of your local wetlands or conservation
commissions, about environmentally fragile regions in your community. Learn
more about wetlands by calling the EPA's Wetlands Hotline at 1-800-832-7828
(graded materials are available for school systems). Wetland maps may be
available locally, from state agencies, or, for federal data, contact the
U.S.G.S at 1-800-USA-MAPS.
Act today on this EcoAlert, and thank you for your environmental responsibility.
American P.I.E.
Public Information on the Environment
124 High Street, P.O. Box 340
South Glastonbury, CT 06073-0340
Telephone: 1-800-320-APIE(2743)
E-Mail: Info@AmericanPIE.org
EcoAlert subscribe/unsubscribe at our web site: http://www.AmericanPIE.org
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