Wetlands provide important habitat for ducks, geese and other water birds. They help to slow flooding and cleans our waters, yet our beloved wetlands and waterfowl habitat are slipping away. The latest U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service report indicates that America’s wetlands declined slightly from 2004 to 2009, reiterating the need for continued conservation and wetland habitat management. In short, the trend is staying the same; previous reports have documented a continuous, but diminishing, decline in wetland and waterfowl habitat.
The report, which represents the most up-to-date, comprehensive assessment of wetland and waterfowl habitat in the United States, documents substantial losses in forested wetlands (swamps) and coastal wetlands that serve as storm buffers, absorb pollution that would otherwise find its way into the nation’s drinking water, and provide vital habitat for America’s fish, wildlife and plants. Continue reading Wetlands, Waterfowl Habitat Declining in U.S.