Wetlands are home to ducks, cattails and weeds, and little else and if it came down to draining the lands to build homes or leaving them for birds, two out of three Utahns would sooner see a roof on the land rather than a coot.

Few people, however, fully understand the importance of wetlands in Utah's ecosystem. A 1995 survey showed Utahns felt wetlands were very important, but the same study also indicated that 60 percent of those surveyed felt the land would be better suited for home sites if it came to a choice.A more recent survey in Mississippi, however, indicated that in terms of returns to the public, wetlands were twice the value as non-wetlands.

Besides being home to birds and cattails, wetlands provide flood and erosion control, groundwater recharge and wastewater purification. They are also home to a large number of other wildlife, from foxes to pheasants.

And yet, estimates are, 50 percent of the historic wetlands in the United States have been lost. The simple act of draining water from wetlands is the main cause of wetland loss.

Despite a no-net-loss policy of the federal government, it is estimated that between 70,000 and 80,000 acres of wetlands are being lost each year.

Terry Messmer, assistant professor in the College of Natural Resources at Utah State University, pointed out that the control problem rest in the fact that 84 percent of all wetlands are located on private land, making it difficult to monitor drainage.

And, he pointed out, "Raising one of the questions we need to answer: How do we compensate private landowners for maintaining wetlands?

"We need to make people aware of the good things wetlands provide and then decide on incentives and/or compensation for preservation."

This will be one of the subjects during an open house on Wednesday to cover the education and stewardship of the wetlands of the Great Salt Lake Ecosystem. The open house will be from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Salt Lake County Government Center, south building, Room No. S1007, 2001 S. State.

Along with educational information, said Messmer, there will be children's games and activities, refreshments and door prizes.

Trying to define wetlands has become difficult and controversial lately because of conservation legislation. It is generally accepted, however, that wetlands fall within one or more of three areas: 1. is temporarily or permanently inundated with water during a portion of the year; 2. supports water-loving plants or hydrophytes, such as cattails, rushes or sedges; and 3. contains undrained, wet soil (hydric soil) which is anaerobic, or lacks oxygen, in the upper region.

Of the five recognized classification, Utah holds three. They are:

Lacustrine, which include permanently flooded lakes and reservoirs and intermittent lakes. This would include the salt flats of the Great Basin.

Raverine, which include land in channels along rivers and lakes.

Palustrine, which include marshes, bogs, ponds, swamps and prairie potholes. This covers the largest portion of the wetlands in Utah.

There is, in Utah, about 600,000 acres of riparian areas and zones.

According to Messmer, where most of the loss of wetlands was once attributed to agriculture needs, today the main cause is development.

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Currently, under the Clean Water Act 404, anyone changing the natural structure of wetlands must apply for a permit through the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

First, the Corps looks at alternatives to draining. It then looks at some type of replacement. Means, lands not falling under the guidelines are enhanced or created. Only about one in 20 permits is being denied.

Some of the most critical wetlands in Utah are along the eastern shorelines of the Great Salt Lake. It is one of only 13 areas in the world recognized as Western Hemispheric Shore Bird Zone. Meaning, its wetlands are critical breeding and staging areas for millions of birds and other wildlife.

The loss of even one acre of these wetlands, notes Messmer, can take hundreds of not thousands of years to restore.

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