Archived News and Report Announcements

Status and Trends of Prairie Wetlands Report Released   The Status and Trends of Prairie Wetlands in the United States 1997 to 2009  was released on 30 June, 2014.  This report estimates that 6,427,350 acres of wetlands remained in the Prairie Pothole Region in 2009, which represents 5.8 % of the total wetland area found in the conterminous U.S. in 2009. Between 1997 and 2009, the average annual rate of change was an estimated loss of 6,200 acres and an estimated 40 % of emergent wetland area was lost or converted to deepwater lake systems or open-water ponds. Click here to download the report (17MB PDF); News Release(PDF); Questions and Answers (6MB PDF); Fact Sheet (PDF).

Wetlands Digital Data Completed for the Conterminous 48 States May is American Wetlands Month, a time to celebrate and recognize how they enrich our lives and contribute to the health of our environment. In a fitting tribute to wetlands, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s National Wetlands Inventory is announcing the completion of the digital wetland coverage for the conterminous 48 States, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, the major Northern Mariana Islands and 35 % of Alaska.  This digital wetlands data can viewed on the Wetlands Mapper, is available for download and available via web map services.

Status and Trends of Wetlands In the Coastal Watersheds of the Conterminous US 2004 to 2009 Working in conjunction with principal Federal agencies the USFWS and NOAA have produced updated data on more recent trends of wetlands in the coastal watersheds to help prioritize conservation planning efforts and contribute additional information on coastal wetland trends. This report updates and expands previous information on coastal wetland loss by incorporating new data for the coastal watersheds of the Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico and Great Lakes and in addition, providing information for the Pacific coast along the States of Washington, Oregon and California.  Click here to view/download the Fact Sheet (PDF).

Surface Waters and Wetlands Inventory – Coming Soon Often referred to as Version 2.0 of the National Wetlands Inventory, the Surface Waters and Wetlands Inventory provides more inclusive geospatial data of all wetlands and surface water features. This national geospatial data product will contribute substantially to improved modeling of flow and water movement in surface water basins, channels, and wetlands.  For more information visit the Wetlands V2 Product Summary web page.

Publication of the Final National Wetland Plant List The US Army Corps of Engineers, as part of an interagency effort with the US Environmental Protection Agency, the US Fish and Wildlife Service and the US Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service, is announcing the availability of the final 2012 National Wetland Plant List (NWPL). The NWPL is used to determine whether the hydrophytic vegetation parameter is met when conducting wetland determinations under the Clean Water Act and the Wetland Conservation Provisions of the Food Security Act.  The list will become effective on 6/1/12.  Click here to download the list, or click here to for the Federal Register notice.

National Coastal Condition Report IV The latest version of the National Coastal Condition Report has been released by EPA. The reports describe the ecological and environmental conditions in U.S. coastal waters. They summarize the condition of ecological resources in the coastal waters of the US and highlight several exemplary federal, state, tribal, and local programs that assess coastal ecological and water quality conditions. Click here to download the report.

Status and Trends of Wetlands in the Conterminous United States 2004 to 2009: Report to Congress on the status and trends of our Nation's wetlands resources  This report is the latest in a continuous series spanning 50 years of wetlands data. It represents the most comprehensive and contemporary effort to track wetlands resources at a national scale.  Click here to download the report and related documents.

Characterization of Lands Inundated by the Flood Event of 2011   In April and May of 2011, flooding inundated lands along the Ohio and Lower Mississippi Rivers. Flood levels along portions of the Mississippi River peaked at the highest levels since 1937. An analysis of the extent of flooding was determined by the comparison of MODIS imagery between pre-flood and flood crest conditions. Click here to download summary (PDF).

Free Publications We have a limited amount of hard copy publications available for free: Status and Trends Reports, and the Classification of Wetlands and Deepwater Habitats. View reports online here, or send your request (name and address) to Wetlands_Team@fws.gov.