R, Eugene Turner: It hasn't been until recently that we have even had sufficient data 

 allowing the correlations which indicate the magnitude of the canal problem. The 

 experiences from management practices such as employed by large land owners have 

 not been quantified with hard data. Thus, we are presently unable to describe the 

 processes which will govern the effectiveness of mitigation and there is not much 

 effort being presently expended to do so. Experimental approaches are required to 

 describe the specific causes of canal-induced wetlands loss and the effectiveness of 

 mitigative procedures. 



Joan Phillips: We have to put our money where our mouth is and develop the funding 

 sources which will allow us to do what Dr. Turner suggested. What we need is a 

 "superfund" for wetlands. There is evidence that damage is being done, thus we 

 should slow down development to a manageable point to allow the assessment of the 

 effectiveness of ways to deal with these impacts. Instead of specific mitigation on 

 each project, perhaps there can be a tax collected to fund investigations and 

 subsequent improved accretion and nourishment of wetlands. 



James Gosselink: I have a little different prespective. I think we know the major 

 processes— subsidence accelerated with hydrological modification due to canals. 

 Management for specific purposes changes natural relationships; one component may 

 become more productive at the expense of another. An example is the extensive 

 canal development in wetlands in southwestern Louisiana to manage for waterfowl 

 and furbearers. Recent data show that land loss within these impounded areas is 

 accelerated. Management can not do better than nature has managed to do over 

 eons. We need a big plan that handles social displacement and maximizes natural 

 processes such as Atchafalaya delta formation. I think we are piddling around the 

 edges with backfilling. As important as it is in the short run, it really is not going to 

 address the long-run problems. 



Charlotte Fremaux: Are there long-term plans being developed which include the various 

 piecemeal activities altering coastal wetlands? For example, does the Corps of 

 Engineers have a plan encompassing their various projects such as navigation 

 channels? 



David Stuttz: To my knowledge there is no grand scheme. The Corps does not go out and 

 invent projects but responds to identified needs. In a limited way we address 

 broader scale planning through the permit process. 



Sue Hones: I am with the Corps of Engineers Planning Division. As we write an 

 environmental impact statement we consider the impact of an activity on the area 

 in the context of cumulative impacts of various activities such as oilfield canals, 

 navigational dredging, and levee construction. 



Paul Yokupzock: What effect will the deregulation of natural gas have on drilling 

 activities in wetlands? 



Michael Lyons: The effect is uncertain. The deregulation of oil did not result in a great 

 increase in drilling activity in south Louisiana. The number of wells drilled per year 

 has gone from 1,800 in the I950's and I960's to 1,100 to 1,200 presently. This 

 downward trend will continue because the remaining undiscovered resources are 

 generally in small pockets. 



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