In Massachusetts Protecting Wetlands in Massachusetts Wetlands are found throughout the state, from the Atlantic coast to the Berkshires. Wetlands help clean drinking water supplies, prevent flooding and storm damage, and support a variety of wildlife. Coastal wetlands are directly adjacent to the ocean and include beaches, salt marshes, dunes, coastal banks, rocky intertidal shores, and barrier beaches.
Inland wetlands are areas where water is at or just below the surface of the ground.
Although these wetlands can appear dry during some seasons, they contain enough water to support certain plants and soils. Inland wetlands include marshes, wet meadows, bogs, and swamps. While we now recognize the benefits of wetlands, that recognition has come late. Since Colonial times, almost one third of Massachusetts' wetlands have been destroyed. Concerned about the loss of wetlands, Massachusetts adopted the nation's first wetlands protection laws in the early 1960s.