Summary 25 



References 26 



Current Status and Trends of U.S. Wetlands 28 



Current Status 28 



Forces Changing Wetlands 30 



Recent National Wetland Trends 30 



Recent Gains 31 



Recent Losses 31 



Regional Historical Perspective 32 



Current Regional Development Pressures 33 



National Problem Areas 35 



Estuarine Wetlands of the U.S. Coastal Zone 36 



Louisiana's Coastal Marshes 37 



Chesapeake Bay's Submerged Aquatic Beds 39 



South Florida's Palustrine Wetlands 40 



Prairie Pothole Region's Emergent Wetlands 42 



Wetlands of Nebraska's Sandhills and Rainwater Basin 46 



Forested Wetlands of the Lower Mississippi Alluvial Plain 48 



North Carolina's Pocosins 49 



Western Riparian Wetlands 50 



Urban Wetlands 51 



References 52 



The Future of America's Wetlands 54 



Management Recommendations 56 



References 57 



Appendix A. Glossary of Common and Scientific Names of 



Wetland Plants 58 



ni 



