For over half a century the Fish and Wildlife Service has been monitoring wetland trends of the nation. In 1956, the first report on wetland status and classification provided indications that wetland habitat for migratory waterfowl had experienced substantial declines (Shaw and Fredine 1956).Over the intervening 51 years, the Fish and Wildlife Service has implemented a scientifically based process to periodically measure wetland status and trends in the conterminous United States. The Fish and Wildlife Service's Wetlands Status and Trends study was developed specifically for monitoring the nation's wetland area using a single, consistent definition and study protocol. The Fish and Wildlife Service has specialized knowledge of wetland habitats, classification, and ecological changes and has used that capability to conduct a series of wetland monitoring studies that document the status and trends of our nation's wetlands. This report is the latest in that series of scientific studies.

Data from status and trends provide important long-term trend information about specific changes and places and the overall status of wetlands in the United States. The historical data base that the Service has developed through Status and Trends, provides photographic evidence of land use and wetlands extent dating back to the 1950s. This provides an accurate record to assist in future restoration efforts.--Publisher description.

This study measured wetland trends in the conterminous United States between 1998 and 2004. The estimates of estuarine emergent area were made prior to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita during the summer of 2005. The Cowardin et al. (1979) wetland definition was used to describe wetland types. By design, intertidal wetlands of the Pacific coast, reefs and submerged aquatic vegetation were excluded from this study.

Excerpt from Status and Trends of Wetlands in the Conterminous United States 1998 to 2004 Figure 39. A tile drained wetland basin has been restored. Ohio, 2005. Figure 40. Wetland restoration (freshwater emergent) on land previously classified as upland other. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.