ment that a given area is "one of the last uncut stands of cypress" has ^ 



been encountered in state after state. Recovery from such operations "> 



does occur, but it is often very slow, especially if followed by severe o 



wildfires. In the North and Northeast, white cedar has been harvested %_ 



for fence posts. _] 



Strip mining is destroying wetlands habitat in states underlain by ^ 



Carboniferous deposits such as West Virginia and oil extraction has ^ 



been a major disturbance in the swamps and bayous of Louisiana. A c/) 



much smaller extractive exploitation is the mining of peat deposits 

 from our northern bogs. Where this takes place, it is very damaging to 

 these fragile ecosystems. 



The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and a number of the state depart- 

 ments concerned with wildlife resources have been making a notable 

 contribution toward the preservation of the country's most significant 

 marshes and the restoration of others. At the same time it must be 

 pointed out that their programs are directed especially toward water- 

 fowl production in response to the hunting interests. Management 



practices, including the creation of impoundments and the manipula- 

 tion of water levels, are altering natural conditions and may, as in the 

 case of Fish Springs in Utah, be destroying some interesting and 

 unusual habitat from a botanical point of view. Some of the outstand- 

 ing National Wildlife Refuges are found in Utah and the Central Val- 

 ley of California and Oregon. The widespread destruction of wetland 

 habitat along the major flyways through drainage is having another im- 

 pact by funneling larger concentrations of waterfowl onto the refuges 

 during migration and thus straining the carrying capacity of these 

 remaining wetlands. 



The pressure of people has one further impact on the wetlands 

 through use for various types of recreation. Hunting and fishing are the 

 major activities that bring people to the wetlands. In the South espe- 

 cially, mechanized contrivances such as airboats and swamp buggies 

 are disturbing natural conditions. Trampling along the edges of water 

 courses and in the bogs is also destructive, and orchid collectors in 

 their enthusiasm are eliminating one of the features that make bogs 

 such unique botanical communities. 



In summary, it is evident that the inland wetlands lack adequate pro- 

 tection from continued destruction. There is no question that a na- 

 tional inland wetlands policy is required if the nation's remaining 

 ecologically valuable wetlands are to be saved. 



Literature cited 



Harmon, K. W. 1970. Prairie potholes. Natl. Parks Conserv. Mag. 



45(3):25-28. 

 Wharton, C. H. 1970. The Southern River Swamp: A multiple-use en- 



