Number: 1979-06
WHEREAS, fresh and saltwater wetlands provide unique and critically important habitat for many species of waterfowl, game and non-game birds and mammals, furbearers, fish and shellfish; and
WHEREAS, these wetlands and the species of fish and wildlife that depend upon them provide millions of days of recreation annually for hunters, fishermen, trappers, clam-diggers, bird-watchers, and naturalists; and
WHEREAS, maintenance of coastal wetlands is essential for the conservation of valuable commercial finfish and shellfish fisheries; and
WHEREAS, wetlands naturally treat both airborne and waterborne pollutants at little or no cost to society; and
WHEREAS, freshwater wetlands help replenish groundwater supplies and provide natural protection from floods; and
WHEREAS, more than half of the wetlands existing two centuries ago in the United States have been drained or filled; and
WHEREAS, hundreds of thousands of acres of additional wetlands are drained or filled each year for agricultural purposes or for other uses which provide less net benefit to society; and
WHEREAS, much draining and filling is unnecessary and would be uneconomical without governmental subsidies;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the National Wildlife Federation, in annual meeting assembled March 22-25, 1979, in Toronto, Ontario, hereby reemphasizes its strong opposition to federal or state actions which encourage or subsidize the draining or filling of valuable wetlands, including the provision of technical support or special flood insurance protection or the use of highway ditches as drains; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this organization urges all agencies to comply fully with Sections 208 and 404 of the Water Pollution Control Act amendments of 1972, which seek to plan for wetlands protection.