Number: 1986-17
WHEREAS, riparian communities are those natural associations of soil, flora and fauna existing within the 100-year floodplain of a river or lake and dependent for their survival upon high water tables and/or periodic flooding; and
WHEREAS, riparian forests and wetlands are extremely productive, have diverse habitat values for fish and wildlife, and support a greater diversity of wildlife than nearly all non-water-related habitats; and
WHEREAS, riparian ecosystems serve a variety of purposes including water purification, absorption of floodwaters, and aquifer recharge or discharge; and
WHEREAS, riparian ecosystems provide recreational, scientific, and aesthetic benefits to society; and
WHEREAS, by 1979 elm-ash forest, northern floodplain forest, and southern floodplain forest declined by 88, 69, and 63 percent, respectively, from their estimated original acreage; and
WHEREAS, riparian ecosystems in the arid West have declined in size and value to wildlife as a result of channelization, inundation by reservoirs, and overutilization by livestock, along with other factors; and
WHEREAS, riparian forests along the Colorado and Sacramento Rivers by 1977 had declined 44 and 98 percent, respectively, from their original acreage, resulting in extirpation of several bird species from those forests; and
WHEREAS, bottomland hardwoods in the alluvial floodplain of the lower Mississippi River declined 79% between the 1700’s and 1979, resulting in huge decreases in wildlife populations and the extinction of the ivory-billed woodpecker;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the National Wildlife Federation in annual meeting assembled March 20-23, 1986, in Seattle, Washington, supports increased efforts of federal and state agencies and private individuals and institutions to clearly identify and protect riparian habitat; to research the potential for restoration and recreation of riparian forest and wetlands; to create and restore riparian ecosystems; and to monitor and maintain riparian ecosystems that have been preserved or restored.