They are instrumental in reducing flooding by acting as reservoirs for rainwater and runoff, controlling erosion, and improving water quality. Wetlands help to improve water quality by acting as a natural pollution control. They remove nutrients, pesticides, and sediments from surface waters, and they can help in treating sewage and animal waste. Wetlands are best known as nesting, breeding, and feeding grounds for millions of waterfowl, birds, and other wildlife. In addition to all of this, wetlands provide humans with a place of beauty and recreation.
Many people enjoy hunting, fishing, bird watching, and photography in wetland areas.
Wetlands are special places, and they require a cooperative effort to preserve them for the future. During the 1930s, public awareness about the value of wetlands grew due to endangered species activists and sportsmen. They recognized the importance of wetland ecosystems, and as a result, Congress enacted a federal law that required waterfowl hunters to purchase hunting permits, commonly called duck stamps. The proceeds from the stamps went directly toward purchasing wetlands for waterfowl habitats. It also established new regulations for the discharge of pollutants into waters of the United States.