ABSTRACT
Between the rnid-1950s and mid-1970s, approximately 700 square miles of wetlands were altered and drained nationwide each year. While losses were nationwide, most were more or less equally balanced between the upper midwest (prairie potholes) and the south (forested wetland). Nineteen states lost over 50% of their wetlands and Ohio and California lost over 90%. A second status and trends report for the mid-1970s to the rnid-1980s found a significant reduction in the loss rate, but losses continued at 300 square miles per year. During this period the largest losses occurred in the south (primarily forested but also coastal wetland) (Figure 2-1 ). Most wetland losses were caused or induced by human activities.*
In the mid 1970s, wetland specialists were concerned over the tremendous losses of natural wetlands, roughly half of the original acreage, that was encouraged and subsidized by governmental programs. The thinking that developed into the executive order protecting wetlands was to stop federal government financing of wetland destruction on private lands and to stop federal agencies from destroying wetlands on public lands.
