Since the late 1700s, more than half the nation's wetlands have been lost to development and other activities. Seven states have lost more than 80 percent of their original wetlands. Between 1986 and 1997, a net of 644,000 acres of wetlands was lost, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service reported to Congress in 1997. The protection of America's vanishing wetlands is a vital step toward ensuring cleaner water for everyone. In addition to serving as habitat for wildlife, wetlands help filter and protect our country's water supply.
Snow geese in the wetlands at the Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge, Delaware.
In summer, these geese nest in the eastern Arctic and fly south to the U.S. for winter. Wetlands are a collective term for marshes, swamps, bogs and similar areas. They filter and cleanse waters, help to retain flood waters and provide spawning areas for fish. They are natural filters for toxins, heavy metals, nutrients, and other pollutants because the vegetation and wet soil trap toxins and sediments. They also provide habitat for numerous types of wildlife.