Texas coast to determine the effect 

 of reducing freshwater inflow. 



The FWS is working closely with 

 the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in 

 New Orleans to develop plans and 

 methods for reintroducing fresh water 

 into marshes and estuaries along the 

 Louisiana coast that have suffered 

 saltwater intrusion. 



On the West Coast, the FWS is 

 working with the State of California 

 and the Water and Power Resources 

 Service to develop water plans that 

 will protect fish and wildlife habi- 

 tats in the Sacramento-San Joaquin 

 estuary. 



The Pacific Northwest Basin 

 Commission is developing a data base 

 for planning the management of the 

 Columbia River estuary. 



The FWS National Coastal Eco- 

 systems Team has completed ecological 

 characterizations--mostly from avail- 

 able information — on six segments 

 totaling 2,100 miles of U.S. coast- 

 line. 



The FWS is making a strong ef- 

 fort to protect the remaining bottom- 

 land hardwoods along a number of riv- 

 ers, including the Mississippi. 



It's interesting, by the way, to 



note that 56 percent of bottomland 

 hardwood habitat in the lower Missis- 

 sippi River alluvial plain was 

 cleared between 1937 and 1978-- 

 primarily for agriculture. Its ef- 

 fects were horrendous and I'd wager 

 that national gains were far less 

 than national losses. 



To prevent further losses--some 

 irrevocable and beyond repair--we are 

 going to have to have a more sensible 

 approach to water resource planning. 

 In order to protect our river and 

 estuary ecosystems which are so vi- 

 tally connected physically and 

 ecologically, we need a system of 

 coordination and cooperation between 

 engineers, planners, ecologists, na- 

 tural resource managers, economists, 

 and citizens. 



Rachel Carson, in many ways the 

 patron saint of our environmental in- 

 terests, once quoted Albert Schweit- 

 zer who said, "Man has lost the cap- 

 acity to foresee and forestall. He 

 will end by destroying the earth." 



You at this symposium are among 

 a small party devoted to foreseeing 

 and forestalling frightful events. 

 With the help of your wisdom, maybe 

 we will not end by destroying the 

 earth. At the very least, we will 

 start by protecting the estuaries 

 which give life. 



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