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1atK»nship3 a speciej. has
<br />it i*ats. how. a/id when;
<br />htr it is active by day or
<br />ir and nesting; and v> on.
<br />that sp(H;icj» avoid dir«K;t
<br />ie resources in the same
<br />le. Niches may overlap
<br />us species complement
<br />g in constant,direct
<br />complex in term*: of this
<br />other systems. One
<br />a number of edges or
<br />different vegetation. At
<br />ly occurs. Along their
<br />be surrounded by tr<*es
<br />tes there may be sedge
<br />lily, there is a change to
<br />Kach of these areas
<br />i and animals. Generally
<br />l>y creating conditions
<br />inimals. We can crow’d a
<br />minks and foxes do not
<br />excess nutrients and
<br />one floral species over
<br />L*.
<br />of a marsh in providing
<br />ches and edges, it is
<br />program that will be
<br />e necessary along the
<br />to maintain a gradient
<br />ly thinking of wetland
<br />onnectod by streams or
<br />nan will have his homes
<br />f routes. By thinking in
<br />diversity, it is jKissihle
<br />which says; We want to
<br />r provide recreation,
<br />ital health.*
<br />derating floods and
<br />dding overall envinm*
<br />nportant functions of
<br />i.se they are at the
<br />rces, coastal wetlands
<br />5 and ways in which
<br />varied habitats for
<br />partially or completely
<br />i^hich occur along the
<br />ide continental shelf <if
<br />ey may lie along the
<br />goons, those confined
<br />egri*es of connection to
<br />arshes along estuaries
<br />they can be salt water
<br />ning f»cean tides. (See
<br />md type.i.) Like inland
<br />i may be constantly
<br />y or wet, depetuli'ig on
<br />uct uations in lideti.
<br />"i
<br />I -
<br />,1
<br />>
<br />f-
<br />h
<br /><
<br />f t-
<br />.’a
<br />TUojm* wethimis are not only wlges bid ween the land and
<br />!U'a. they are also rnlges between fresh and sail water.
<br />During spring floods from the rivers and streams, an
<br />mljacent coastal wetland may be predominantly fresh, but
<br />in other seasons tidal flow may make its waters pre
<br />dominantly saline. Since the life cycles of many
<br />shellfish, as well ns sport and food fish, depend upon this
<br />gradual, variable mixing of fresh and sail waters in
<br />estuaries, buys, lagoons, and their associated weMam.s,
<br />interference with freshwater flow into them can seriously
<br />alter the natural balance and damage our fishing industry.
<br />The striped bass, for example, requires freshwater coastal
<br />marshes for breeding, and the Gulf shrimp requires such
<br />areas for reaching maturity.
<br />Channelizing coastal wetlands can alter the fresh
<br />groundwater flow into them, and interception of streams
<br />and creeks in dams or alteration of waicrcourses can also
<br />decrease the amount of fresh water available in an estuary
<br />or bay. Of course, if river water is purified and returned
<br />after use by a city or industry to continue its path to the
<br />sea, the availability of fresh water in coastal wetlands
<br />remains sufficient to provide the variety of habitats
<br />needed to sustain many coastal animals and plants.
<br />B. Coastal wetlands are highly productive areas. Thu
<br />many varieties of plants in coastal wetlands trap nutrients
<br />and store them in their leaves and vegetative debris. These
<br />coastal wetland plants and the animals which feed on them
<br />are 20 times more productive than the deep sea and 10
<br />times more productive than nearshore water areas.
<br />Though coastal marshes seem to have an overabundanett
<br />of plants and animals, much of the energy stored in the
<br />plants and soil is accumulated and released slowly and i.s.
<br />more like a bank than an overstocked larder.
<br />In part because of this high rate of productivity, as welt
<br />as the variety of freshwater and saltw'atcr habitats,
<br />coastal wetlands are used by over two-thirds of the sport
<br />and game fish found in the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of
<br />Mexico for feeding, breeding, maturing, and wintering.
<br />Many waterfowl arc similarly dependent on coastal
<br />W'etlands. Interfering with nutrient availability, either by
<br />decrea.sing it or increasing it. and overtaxing the wetland’s
<br />ability to trap and store nutrients can damage these
<br />highly productive areas. In southwest Florida, for
<br />example, the Fahka Union Canal flushes water so rapidly
<br />through the bay’s mangrove swamp that nutrients cannot
<br />be trapped and stored. Dumping of wastes and polluted
<br />water or even siltution can likewise destroy the health of
<br />coastal wetlands.
<br />C. Coastal wetl.tnds are barriers to storms and floods.
<br />Like inland wetlands, coastal marshes can absorb and
<br />retain significant amounts of flood water from rivers. They
<br />can also absorb storm water from the sea, ns well as buffer
<br />inland areas from storm erosion. Thus their destruction
<br />can deprive a coastal community of a valuable safeguard
<br />against hurricanes and winter storms.
<br />D. Because of their location along densely populated
<br />coastlines, coastal wetlands are csptH:inlly vulnerable to
<br />disturbances. In addition to the common dangers of
<br />dredging and filling and too much siltation or nutrient
<br />input, coastal wetlands can be haimed by cith(?r an
<br />increase or decrease in fre.shwater flow. They are also
<br />highly .susceptible to thermal pollution from power i)lant
<br />44
<br />discharge, and many bri*edir.g fish and their young can be
<br />destroyed by water intake for power plants or water
<br />treatment plants. Since many coastal wetlands are
<br />partially c«mfined in bays, estuaries, or lagoons, flushing
<br />their waters out to sea is a slow proce.ss. Thu.s, once they
<br />are polluted from wa.ste discharge, dumping, siltation. or
<br />agricidiiiral runoff, they remain polluted and damaged for
<br />many years.'*
<br />EVALUATION OF LOCAL WETLAND REGULATION
<br />To understand the evolution of police-power regulation
<br />over wetlands it is necessary to look at previous
<br />conservatiim attempts, which were concerned mainly with
<br />acquisition.
<br />Liniilaliims of Acquisition Programs
<br />In l‘JGl Congress passed the Open Space Land Act.
<br />This act provided matching funds from the federal
<br />government for open-space acquisition. A number of local
<br />communities look advantage of the federal assistance to
<br />make purchases of important wetlands areas. From l‘J61
<br />t(j 196d the city of Madison, Wisconsin, authori/cd
<br />ex|H;ndilures of $1,600,000 frtr ac()uisition of conservation
<br />and park lands. Part of the funds was used to ac(juire
<br />1,000 acres of the 4,000-acre Cherokee Marsh. Federal
<br />funds supplemented this money with S209.000. Similar
<br />acejuisition programs also occurred on l,ong Island.
<br />Uedicalion of 10,500 acres of wetlands in 1965 by the
<br />Town of Hempstead and 5,000 acres by Oyster Bay in
<br />1967 now accounts for 15,500 acres in Nassau County
<br />under prol<r(ive local-slate management via the Long
<br />Island Welland Act.
<br />Acqui.silion programs, however, have severe limita
<br />tions. 'I'he first of these is cost. Wetlands do not briiig
<br />high prices themselves, but when purchasing wetlands,
<br />local communities find thcmselve.s paying fo.' the
<br />development value of the land. In 1968, the appraised
<br />values «)f Long Island wetlands ranged from S3.500 per
<br />acre in the Hamptons to as high as $20,000 per acre in
<br />Nassau County. At that time the purchase price for all the
<br />remaining Iklal marshes alone was calculated to be a
<br />minimum of $91,000,000. Thus, it is clear that acquisition
<br />is feasible only for a very small percentage of the nation’s
<br />wetlands.
<br />'I’he .second limitation of acquisition is that it is too
<br />slow. Ac<iuisition programs are generally scheduled over
<br />several budgetary periods. With each passing period, the
<br />value of the land increases and the cost of the acqni.sition
<br />increases, l-’iirthcr. as the tune frame is extended, wetland
<br />re.sources grt lo.st to continuing development. In this
<br />situation, local communities often stop the acqui.sition
<br />program rather than spend more dollars for less wetland.
<br />'I’he third limitation of acquisition concerns the scale of
<br />purchase. In almost all ca.ses, accjiiisiiion is limited to the
<br />sp<*cific site of the resource. Unfortunritely, the
<br />pre.servatH>n of the wetland ac(|uisition can be incanlngU .ss
<br />if not accompanied by protection of the whf)le water-Thed.
<br />A gof»d example of the failure of acquisition is with th.o
<br />previou.'.ly menlinneil Cljerokee Marsh in .Madison,
<br />\\ iscon-^iii. .Since the start of the acquisition program, the
<br />marsh it.self ha^; dwindled from 4,0(Kt acres to 2,000 acres.
<br />'I’he marsh sil.s in the path of siihuihun tiev.-Iojenenl. With
<br />I :ifhji«.ssing
<br />L -«otning les
<br />-.e .oils dang<
<br />due to pol
<br />development.
<br />eventually ini
<br />iiiat.->h.
<br />'Hie failure
<br />welland.s rc]
<br />re/;iilations ai
<br />and they car
<br />watershed.
<br />Wetland Cons
<br />'I'he most sti
<br />welland.s has
<br />c-onsorvancy di
<br />in zoning ord
<br />districts or t
<br />encompa.ss nv
<br />'i’hey all follov
<br />many of the |
<br />previous secti
<br />typified by th
<br />New York, Wi
<br />“Hapid popi
<br />and other coi
<br />natural resou
<br />despoiling, pol
<br />wetlands, watt
<br />resources and j
<br />“The presen
<br />iMidies. and wa
<br />condition com
<br />.social, acsthci
<br />necessary t<i j
<br />welfare of prest
<br />downstream dr
<br />“it is the i
<br />purpose . . . 1
<br />tion, proper m
<br />water bodies,
<br />minimizing ct
<br />runoff, maint-
<br />preserving an
<br />retention cap«
<br />usefulness, an
<br />Imdies, water e
<br />the terrain,
<br />appropriating 1
<br />These stater
<br />Orono. Minnes
<br />less focus on sti
<br />intents that str
<br />reducing future
<br />waters, or obvu
<br />assuring adequi
<br />Castle ordinanc
<br />the major conce
<br />them as an eco
<br />water, maintui
<br />species diversity
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