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Louisiana, California, Wyoming, Utah, Massachusetts, Minnesota, and Connec- 

 ticut. 157/ Only the last three have been recognized by analysts as having 

 a distinct wetland regulatory management program, but wetland managers from 

 each State saw their programs as having a key role. 158 / Four of the seven 

 (California, Massachusetts, Minnesota, and Connecticut) have State wetland 

 laws. The seven States were chosen to provide geographic variation, to include 

 a broad range of wetland situations (in terms of scarcity, degree and scale 

 of alteration, and natural values), and to include a range of programs from 

 those that have received national acclaim as leaders in the field to those 

 that are considered by analysts to be insignificant. 



In phone interviews with managers of these State programs, several issues 

 were addressed, including: flexibility of the State program, problems and 

 variables in differentiating wetland types, concerns about regulatory processes 

 (Federal and State), and views on State and Federal responsibilities. 



State wetland managers view their programs to be different from the Fed- 

 eral program in several ways. A basic premise of the Federal program appears 

 to be that all wetlands are equal, so the key in protection is to have an 

 area designated as a wetland. Most of the State wetland managers felt that 

 further distinctions should be made among wetlands. Managers from States 

 recognized to have stronger programs and stronger protection constituencies 



157 / Individuals contacted included: Louisiana - Joel Lindsey, Coastal 

 Resources Program; California - Bob Randovich, Department of Fish and Game 

 and Eric Metz , California Coastal Commission; Wyoming - Paul Cleary, State 

 Planning Coordinator's Office; Utah - Casey McGirley, Division of Wetlands; 

 Minnesota - John Wells, Minnesota Water Planning Board; Connecticut - Allan 

 Williams, Natural Resource Center. The contacts were made by phone during 

 July and Auguest, 1981. A CRS intern, Julia Johnson, contacted most of these 

 individuals. 



158 / Kusler's work is probably most-widely recognized among policy ana- 

 lysts. Another analyst who has worked extensibely on State wetlands programs 

 is Nelson Rosenbaum, formerly with the Urban Instltue. 



