Many a farmer, rancher or developer found himself thinking very different thoughts 

 about that wet piece of ground that no one had found the time or means to fill or drain. 



WHO VALUES WETLANDS AND FOR WHAT — THEN OR NOW? 



By the turn of the decade new views of wetlands had developed among certain 

 interest groups. These views had caused the legislative bodies in some New England 

 states to pass laws to regulate the alteration of wetlands. ^ The new attitude toward 

 wetlands arose from a recognition that in many cases these areas were closely related 

 to critical events and conditions involving water. Wetlands were in various ways 

 related to water in excess (floods), water in short supply (dry wells), water quality, 

 and the success of the fishing industry. These are health, welfare and safety issues — 

 issues that made any selectman or county commissioner take notice.^ 



A NEW APPRECIATION OF WETLAND VALUES 



If the welfare of wildlife had not interested most public officials, these new issues, 

 with their highly visible economic and social impacts, did. Wetland wildlife habitat 

 that had been tolerated only until it could be altered to serve some "higher"social use 

 was now being identified as serving some unexpectedly important ecological 

 functions. These functions translated into social values and political concerns that 

 affect the pocketbook and the ballot bo.x. Indeed, fish and wildlife habitat concerns 

 were in some ways supplanted by concerns that attracted wider public attention. 

 Nevertheless, fish and wildlife resources stood to reap important benefits —even if 

 they were now in a very secondary role. An examination of the appreciation for 

 wetland functions and values, as they developed over the decade of the 1970s, make 

 this point more clearly. 



Flood Control 



Inland wetlands function in a watershed as basins that retain and detain water at 

 various flood stages. Retained water leaves the surface water system via evaporation 

 and transpiration through plants. Detained water is held temporarily in the wetland 

 basins. These basins tend to receive water more rapidly than they can empty out 

 because their outlets are restricted or because vegetation spreads and slows the flow. 

 Retention and delayed release of flood waters significantly affect downstream flood 

 stages and damage (Figure 3). Early in the 1970s this was demonstrated in 

 Massachusetts in the Charles'''* and Neponset River* watersheds. In the Charles, a 

 U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' study documented that "natural valley storage" was 

 cost effective. The federal government is now acquiring and protecting over 8,000 

 acres of natural wetlands that provide natural flood storage at costs more favorable 

 than man-made structures. The Neponset River study indicated that significant 



Wetlands 

 No Wetlands 



Ram Storm 



Figure 3. Effect of wetlands on stream flow following a rain storm. ^^ 



110 



