Preface 



The purpose of this survey is the identification of the significant inland 

 wetlands, both fresh-water and saline, in the conterminous United 

 States. Wetlands under tidal influence were omitted to avoid duplica- 

 tion with other federal studies. The information has been obtained by 

 the cooperation of many federal and state agencies, private conserva- 

 tion organizations, and biologists at various colleges and universities. 



The role of the wetlands as natural ecosystems in regulating run-off, 

 in ground water recharge, in biological productivity, and in pollution 

 filtration, as well as their value as recreational and educational assets is 

 briefly reviewed. A nationwide summary of the environmental en- 

 croachments on wetlands, which involve filling, dredging, draining, 

 channelization, housing and industrial developments, strip mining, oil 

 exploitation, pump-storage facilities, dams, rights-of-way for power, 

 telephone, and gas transmission lines, airports, and timber harvest, 

 presents an alarming picture. Most of the wetlands reported could be 

 classified broadly as marshes, swamps, and bogs. In refining this clas- 

 sification 12 wetland types were recognized, 9 freshwater and 3 saline. 



Data on a total of 358 individual wetlands are included in this re- 

 port. Information has been obtained from each of the 48 states with 

 numbers of specific areas per state ranging from a minimum of one for 

 Delaware to a maximum of 22 for California. For each state there fol- 

 lows a general description of the wetlands, their current status, our 

 sources of data, and specific recommendations regarding their poten- 

 tial as Natural Landmarks. Although many significant areas are re- 

 ported, additional field work in certain states is urgently needed to 

 give the whole country consistent coverage. 



Richard H. Goodwin 

 May 1971 William A. Niering 



IX 



