84 • Wetlands: Their Use and Regulation 



wetlands. The National Flood Insurance Program, 

 implemented in localities, has several features that 

 have the effect of protecting wetlands. 



Moreover, local building, sanitary, and other 

 types of codes have had the effect of protecting wet- 

 lands in many localities. For example, wedands are 

 often poor locations for siting septic tanks or above- 



ground structures, and such uses may be prohibited 

 by local codes. Several States have State standard- 

 setting for local regulation (e.g., Virginia, Massa- 

 chusetts, and Connecticut). Local zoning power 

 also has been used to protect wedands by providing 

 for adequate open space and recreational areas. 



PRIVATE INITIATIVES 



Many private organizations are involved in wet- 

 land protection. Private efforts such as those of the 

 Nature Conservancy, Ducks Unlimited, and the 

 Audubon Society, which have protected many 

 thousands of acres of wetlands along with other 

 types of natural areas through direct acquisition, 

 partial interest, and other means. For example, the 

 Richard King Mellon Foundation recendy gave the 

 Nature Conservancy a $25 million grant towards 

 its efforts to conserve wetland ecosystems in the 

 United States. Ducks Unlimited is another private 

 organization interested in preserving wetlands for 

 duck habitat. Many other national environmental 

 organizations, while not direcdy managing wedand 

 areas, carry out various activities (e.g., education) 

 that help protect wedands. Hundreds of other or- 

 ganizations on a local or regional level have been 

 active in wetland protection, including fish and 



wildlife clubs, hunting organizations, and general 

 or special purpose environmental organizations. 



Recognizing that Federal acquisition of land 

 or easements to meet FWS goals exceeds the Fed- 

 eral Government's fiscal capability at this time, 

 POWDR group was formed by the Department of 

 the Interior's former Secretary James Watt. It is 

 composed of representatives from sportsmen's or- 

 ganizations, such as Ducks Unlimited and Bass 

 Angler's Sportsmen's Society, and from corpora- 

 tions such as DuPont and Olin. The aim of the 

 group is to advise public and private officials on 

 wetlands protection and to encourage owners of 

 wetlands, duck hunting clubs, and others to make 

 gifts of their land or development rights on their 

 land to private conservation groups. State agencies, 

 or FWS. 



CHAPTER 4 REFERENCES 



1. Barrows, R., Henneberry, D., and Schwartz, S., 

 "Individual Economic Incentives, The Tax System 

 and Wetland Protection Policy: A Study of Returns 

 to Wetlands Drainage in Southeastern Wisconsin," 

 American Society of Agricultural Engineers, summer 

 meeting, 1982, p. 26. 



2. Department of Agricultural Economics, "Wetlands 

 in the Prairie Pothole Region of Minnesota, North 

 Dakota, and South Dakota — Trends and Issues," 

 North Dakota State University, contract study for 

 OTA, August 1982, pp. 56-60. 



3. Great Plains Office of Policy Studies, "Wedand 

 Trends and Protection Programs in Nebraska, ' ' Uni- 

 versity of Nebraska, contract study for OTA, Sep- 

 tember 1982, pp. 49-55. 



Shabman, L., "Economic Incentives for Bottomland 

 Conversion; The Role of Public Policy and Pro- 

 grams," Proceedings of Forty- Fifth North Americem 

 WUdlife Conference, 1980, pp. 402-12. 

 Shulstad, R. N., and May, R. D., "Cropland Con- 

 version Study for the Mississippi Delta Region," 

 report to Resources for the Future, Department of 

 Agriculture Economics and Rural Sociology, Univer- 

 sity of Arkansas, Fayetteville, 1979, p. 181. 

 U.S Army Corps of Engineers, "The Economics of 

 Wetlands Drainage in Agricultural Minnesota," St. 

 Paul District, St. Paul, Minn., 1981. 



