Tailoring Wetland Protection Policies

Wetlands around the country are being drained or otherwise destroyed at a rate of approximately 458,000 acres per year (Frayer et al.. 1983). For example, considerable drainage of prairie pothole wetlands occurred this past summer, encouraged both by the dryer than normal weather and the payment-in-kind program, which left landowners with idle land, equipment, and time to drain wetlands. Wetlands are drained or destroyed intentionally to "square" fields, take advantage of income tax deductions, increase farm income, and satisfy pressure from neighbors and financial institutions; unintentional destruction results from many types of land development. Whatever the reason, the trend in wetlands drainage seems to be continuing despite social and legal pressures to preserve wetlands. Effective and efficient wetlands protection requires adoption of a national wetlands policy tailored ot levels of government, wetland type, and socio-economic conditions within each type.