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development and change of the world requires use of new strains 

 of species with different adaptations. Threatened endangered 

 species and natural communities once lost are gone forevermore. 



E ducational and training value . Natural areas are outdoor 

 laboratories for complex research investigation as well as living 

 museums where students and the public can observe nature first- 

 hand. In some natural areas, manipulation of the environment is 

 studied to show the impact of man's technology. 



Contribution to environmental quality . Natural areas may 

 act as ecological buffers to modulate the environment, helping in 

 flood control, aquifer recharge and breeding areas for hunting, 

 sport, and commercially important organisms. Natural areas maintain 

 an environment which supports diversity and variety of individual 

 choices. 



When faced with the urgent need to make choices, one must 

 choose with a combination of whatever scientific information and 

 experiential judgment is available and thus decide what are the 

 salient features to emphasize. The word 'value' has been used 

 often in this report and it will be used many times again. The 

 values of the Center for Natural Areas are, at the very least, 

 implicit in what follows. 



There is an enormous amount of accumulated information about 

 the Chesapeake Bay Region — in scientific and popular literature, 

 from unpublished sources such as knowledgeable biologists and 

 conservationists, and from the biological collections of various 



