Preface v 



interests in wetlands (e.g., fee acquisition, deed restrictions) warranting 

 consideration for Federal and State acquisition. 



The National Wetlands Priority Conservation Plan provides general 

 direction and guidance from the national level and allows the States and 

 appropriate Federal agencies flexibility, within the limits of the generic 

 criteria specified in the Emergency Wetlands Resources Act, to develop 

 step down plans that reflect information or data specific to less than 

 national level planning areas. State level acquisition planning refine- 

 ments are appropriate to focus attention on documentable issues of wetland 

 loss, scarcity, threat and values that are not necessarily discernible at the 

 national level. 



This National Wetlands Priority Conservation Plan has been developed 

 to comply with the specific requirements of section 301 of the Emergency 

 Wetlands Resources Act and only applies to wetlands that would be 

 acquired by Federal agencies and States using Land and Water Conser- 

 vation Fund appropriations. The Department of the Interior, however, is 

 highly supportive of cooperative efforts among private interests and local, 

 State and Federal governments to implement options other than 

 acquisition of lands to conserve and protect wetlands. 



The Department encourages the private sector and all local. State and 

 Federal agencies, to use this National Wetlands Priority Conservation 

 Plan as a decisionmaking tool to assist in identifying wetlands war- 

 ranting priority consideration for protection, using whatever measures 

 may be available in addition to acquisition of a fee title interest in 

 wetlands. 



Implementation of the National Wetlands Priority Conservation Plan 

 will result in development of lists of wetland sites warranting priority 

 consideration for acquisition. When a wetland site appears on a list it 

 does not mean that the wetland necessarily will be acquired; rather, that 

 the site qualifies for acquisition consideration. Any subsequent decision 

 to purchase property must rely on additional data, policies and conditions 

 that are not a part of the National Wetlands Priority Conservation Plan. 



Any listing of wetlands for acquisition consideration has no direct 

 bearing on Federal regulatory programs or the evaluation of wetlands for 

 regulatory purposes. Moreover, only through the cooperative efforts of all 

 governmental agencies, private organizations and individuals can 

 public wetland resources be adequately protected. In this regard, lists of 

 wetlands for acquisition consideration may be useful to assist any entity 

 in identifying wetlands warranting priority attention for protection, 

 management, restoration and/or enhancement using non-acquisition 

 measures. 



National Wetlands Priority Conservation Plan 



