Chapter 1 



Introduction 



The primary goal of this survey is to classify and inventory the signifi- 

 cant natural inland wetlands of the United States, exclusive of Hawaii 

 and Alaska, that might be considered especially suitable for registry as 

 Natural Landmarks by the National Park Service. The report is divided 

 into four sections. The first briefly outlines the various values of these 

 wetlands; the second deals with their classification; the third consists of 

 a brief review of the many encroachments on these habitats that are 

 currently taking place across the country; and the fourth presents a 

 state-by-state inventory. 



The classification developed for use in this report generally follows 

 the one currently in use by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, but the 

 descriptions of the various categories have been somewhat amplified to 

 include habitats of relatively little importance to waterfowl. Some con- 

 sideration has been given in the discussion to other schemes which 

 place greater emphasis upon species composition of the dominant 

 plants. It is clear that any program directed toward recognizing dif- 

 ferent habitat types must take into account the diversity that reflects 

 the many environmental variables encountered over a wide geographic 

 range. By selecting representative wetlands from each state that fall 

 into the various categories recognized here, a good sampling of the 

 diversity of wetland types should be achieved. 



One of the significant by-products of this study has been the broad 

 overview of the manifold encroachments on the wetlands that has 



