76 • Wetlands: Their Use and Regulation 



Through the Land and Water Conservation 

 Fund, matching grants are given to States, coun- 

 ties, and localities for outdoor recreation purchases. 

 From 1965 through the end of 1982, 137 projects 

 involving 61 ,585 acres of wetlands were given $40.7 

 million from this funding source. 



Other Federal Assistance 



The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) 

 has indirectly encouraged the destruction or deg- 

 radation of wetlands, especially in the past, by par- 

 tially underwriting the risks of building in flood- 

 prone areas, some of which may also be wetlands. 

 However, this program now has rules in force that 

 discourage building in areas of known flood risk 

 and that lessen the impacts of development that does 

 take place. For example, communities with man- 

 groves that act as coastal flood-protective barriers 

 must adopt regulations protecting the mangroves 

 in order to qualify for insurance under the program. 

 Fills are prohibited in some settings, and the use 

 of piles or columns where the elevation of struc- 

 tures is necessary is encouraged. Although the Fed- 

 eral Emergency Management Agency does not itself 

 regulate flood plain use, localities wishing to qualify 

 for federally subsidized flood insurance must agree 

 to adopt regulations meeting Federal standards. 

 More than 17,000 communities have adopted or 

 have indicated an intent to adopt flood plain regula- 

 tions, and more than $35 billion in policies have 

 been issued. Many communities now regulating 

 wedand development do so through flood plain reg- 

 ulations designed not only to reduce flood problems 

 but also to protect wetland functions. The NFIP 

 very recently has begun acquiring areas that fre- 

 quently are flooded. 



Wetland Research Programs * 



WhUe NMFS, EPA, FWS, the National Science 

 Foundation (NSF), amd other Federal agencies con- 



*Informalion for this section of tfie report was collected through 

 personal communication with: 



1 . Ted Laroe— FWS Office of Biological Services (Mar, 23, 1983); 



2. Herb Quinn — EPA's Office of Research and Development (Mar. 

 23, 1983); 



3. Dr. Dean Parsons — National Marine Fisheries Service (Mar. 23, 

 1983); 



4. Dr. Gary Barret — NSF's Biotic Systems Program (Mar. 25, 

 1983); and 



5. Bill Kleshe— COE (Mar. 28, 1983). 



duct wetlands research that is related directly to 

 their respective missions, the Corps is the only Fed- 

 eral agency that has a program set up specifically 

 for wedands research. The Corps' wedand-research 

 program is carried out primarily by the Waterways 

 Experiment Station (WES). 



A 5-year wetland research program was set up 

 by the Corps to begin in 1982. Three research pri- 

 orities are established for this program: 1) to de- 

 velop improved and standardized techniques to as- 

 sist Corps personnel in the field identification and 

 delineation of wetlands, 2) to assess and quantify 

 wetland values for use in evaluating permit activi- 

 ties, and 3) to develop techniques for wetland res- 

 toration in permafrost, freshwater interior, and 

 coastal environment. Little research has been fo- 

 cused on evaluating the impacts of wetland loss. 



Research on the field identification and delinea- 

 tion (mapping) of wetlands presently is being con- 

 ducted, and the Corps expects to complete this 

 phase of its research by 1985. The next focus for 

 the research program is the quantification of the 

 functional values of wetlands. Part of this research 

 is underway. WES, for instance, already has com- 

 pleted an evaluation of techniques for assessment 

 of wetland values, and they are currently in the 

 process of assembling a data base of regional litera- 

 ture on wedand vzJues. This data base wiU be com- 

 bined with a similar base developed by FWS and 

 then computerized to provide easy access to field 

 personnel. In November 1983, the Corps conducted 

 a workshop to discuss the future direction for re- 

 search to quantify wetland values. The workshop 

 was attended by Corps personnel at the district level 

 as well as those at the Washington level. For fiscal 

 year 1983, $620,000 was allocated to the Corps' 

 wetland- research program. 



W^Ue research that may pertain to wedands may 

 be conducted under FWS programs on endangered 

 species, fisheries, and wildlife, the central research 

 program at FWS — the Office of Biological Serv- 

 ices (OBS) — allocates $400,000, or approximately 

 5 to 7 percent of its total funding, for wetland re- 

 search. These funds are allocated to four research 

 projects: 1) a computerized bibliography of litera- 

 ture on wedand values; 2) a list of wetland plants 

 and soils (to aid in delineation); 3) a nearly com- 

 pleted assessment of the ecological impacts of dis- 



