Wetlands

Losses in the United States

1780's to 1980's

JPG-- Cover Photo

Principal Author:
Thomas E. Dahl
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
National Wetlands Inventory
St. Petersburg, Florida

Technical Assistance and Background Data Assembled by:
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
National Wetlands Inventory Group
St. Petersburg, Florida

Branch of Special Projects
Washington, DC

Wetlands are disappearing at a rapid rate. Although measures are actively being sought to stem wetland losses and restore wetland acreage, the rate of wetland conversion over the years has been dramatic.

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.

This resource is based on the following source:

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.

This resource should be cited as:

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).

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)

Downloading Instructions -- Instructions on downloading and extracting files from this site.

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

Installation: Extract all files and open index.htm in a web browser.

Wetlands

Losses in the United States

Contents