Wetlands are vital to the environmental and economic health of New England.
These ecologically unique areas provide habitat essential to our fish and wildlife populations. Wetlands also purify water through the uptake and control of sediment and pollutants, protect lives and property by controlling floods, and buffer coastal areas from storm damage and erosion. Wetlands help to maintain stream and river flows during dry periods, thereby replenishing water supplies and maintaining aquatic habitat. Some of our most popular recreational activities, such as hunting, canoeing and fishing, occur in wetlands. Moreover, wetlands provide open space, an important but increasingly scarce commodity in New England.