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This is the first of two reports to Congress on the status of wetland resources in the United States. This report, a one-time effort, focuses on documenting historical wetland losses that occurred from colonial times through the 1980's. It is a compilation of existing data from a variety of sources. The second report will update the information contained in Status and Trends of Wetlands and Deepwater Habitats in the Conterminous United States. The study effort for the second report will generate new information based on a statistical analysis of wetland changes from the 1970's to the 1980's. The status and trends report will be updated every ten years as required by the Emergency Wetlands Resources Act of 1986.

This report is the product of the Fish and Wildlife Service, National Wetlands Inventory. Special appreciation is extended to Constance Harriman, Assistant Secretary, Fish and Wildlife and Parks; John Turner, Director, Fish andWildlife Service; Maryanne Bach, Chief, Office of Program Analysis; and Bill O. Wilen, Project Leader, National Wetlands Inventory.

Dahl, Thomas E.  1990.  Wetlands losses in the United States 1780's to 1980's.  
     U.S. Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service, Washington, 
     D.C.  13 pp.

Dahl, Thomas E.  1990.  Wetlands losses in the United States 1780's to 1980's.  
     U.S. Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service, Washington, 
     D.C.  Jamestown, ND: Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center Online.
     http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/wetlands/wetloss/index.htm
     (Version 16JUL97).  

Contents

• Executive Summary
  
• Introduction
  
• Focus of the Report
  
• Estimating Wetland Losses
  
• Summary of Findings 1780's - 1980's
  
• Correlation with Other Data Sets
  
• Estimates of Original Wetland Acreage
  
• National Status Summary
  

• References

List of Tables

• Table 1--Wetland losses in the United States 1780's to 1980's by State
  
• Table 2--Original wetland acreage estimates; Comparison of various data sets
  

List of Figures

• Figure 1--Geographical configuration of Colonial America in 1775
• Figure 2--State boundaries and territorial expansion circa 1790 (Adapted from Stoll 1970)
  
• Figure 3 & 4--Wetland distribution circa 1780's & 1980's
  
• Figure 5--Extent and location of artificially drained agricultural land in the United States, 1985 (Courtesy of U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service)

wetloss.zip (144K) -- Wetlands Losses in the United States -- 1780's to 1980's