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Department of Wildlife poL-3025 



DATE: August 8, 1990 PAGE: 1 of lo 



CAxXCELS: SEE ALSO; pol-3000 



POL-3001 

 EO 89-10 

 EO 90-4 



POLIC 



Approved by: 



POL-3025 WETLANDS 



Wetlands are highly productive wildlife habitat that 

 deserve special protection. The following policies 

 apply to Department of Wildlife (WDW) construction 

 projects and projects that WDW is reviewing through any 

 of the regulatory processes. 



1. Wetlands will be Given Special Protection 



WDW adopts the goal of the Governor's Executive Order, 

 the National Wetlands Policy Forxun, and Puget Sound 

 Water Quality Plan to ensure no net loss of wetland 

 acreage, value or function and to develop a long-term 

 net gain in the state's wetlands through restoration and 

 enhancement. During planning and construction of WDW 

 projects, special attention will be given to avoiding 

 impacts to wetlands, their edges and buffers. Special 

 attention to avoiding impacts to wetlands and their 

 buffers will also be given during review and comment on 

 environmental documents and in permit review and comment 

 for private proposals. Unavoidable losses will be fully 

 compensated. The first goal of wetland mitigation is 

 avoidance of impact. 



2. Wetlands are Defined by U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service 



The U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service definition is the 

 beat scientific definition: "Wetlands are lands transi- 

 tional between terrestrial and aquatic systems where the 

 water table is usually at or near the surface or the land 

 is covered by shallow water. For purposes of this classi- 

 fication, wetlands must have one or more of the following 

 three attributes: (1) At least periodically, the land 

 supports predominantly hydrophytes; (2) the substrate is 

 predominantly undrained hydric soil; and (3) the substrate 

 is nonsoil and is saturated with water or covered by 

 shallow water at some time during the growing season of 

 each year." (Cowardia et al, 1979) In this definition. 



