Less than one percent of Arizona’s landscape is comprised of wetlands. Since the late 1800s, streams and wetlands throughout Arizona have been modified or drained, resulting in the loss of more than one-third of the State’s original wetlands.

The most extensive Arizona wetlands are in riparian zones and include oxbow lakes, marshes, cienegas, and bosques. Nonriparian wetlands include tinajas, playas, and caldera lakes. Extreme aridity and seasonally varying precipitation are the climatic characteristics that most significantly influence wetland formation and distribution in Arizona. Recreational use of wetlands provides economic benefits to the State.

Arizona List of Threatened and Endangered Species

• USACE Sacramento Regulatory
• Regional Supplements to Corps Delineation Manual
• Association of State Wetland Managers – Protecting the Nation’s Wetlands – Federal Links
• State Wetland Managers
• State of Arizona – Water Quality

Riparian Restoration in Action: Over the past 5 years, private landowner Jim Crosswhite has implemented an extensive conservation plan for his 300-acre ranch in Arizona’s White Mountains. This web site documents his efforts to restore the degraded riparian areas along Nutrioso Creek. This web site would be useful for anyone seeking a comprehensive pictorial history of a restoration project or for anyone looking for an example of how federal agencies can assist with a restoration project.

Riparian Ecosystem Creation and Restoration: Lower Colorado River: Provides three case studies as information about riparian restoration efforts. Includes a table of techniques, successes, and sources. This site provides a good bit of information, though there are no additional contacts provided.

Southwest Center for Education and the Natural Environment (SCENE): Native Habitat Restoration: Briefly discusses this effort to restore native vegetation to urban land. This group may be able to help with additional resources, or may have a project you can get involved in.

California’s wetlands have significant economic and environmental value, providing benefits such as water-quality maintenance, flood and erosion attenuation, prevention of saltwater intrusion, and wildlife habitat.

The Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta regularly harbors as much as 15 percent of the waterfowl on the Pacific Flyway. California has lost as much as 91 percent of its original wetlands, primarily because of conversion to agriculture. Flooded rice fields, which are converted wetlands, covered about 658,600 acres in the mid-1980′s. Rice farmers, State and university researchers, and private organizations are cooperatively studying the feasibility of managing rice fields for migratory waterfowl habitat. Wetland protection is identified as a goal of The California Environmental Quality Act of 1970.

California Threatened and Endangered Species

RAMSAR:

The Convention on Wetlands (Ramsar, Iran, 1971) — called the “Ramsar Convention” — is an intergovernmental treaty that embodies the commitments of its member countries to maintain the ecological character of their Wetlands of International Importance and to plan for the “wise use”, or sustainable use, of all of the wetlands in their territories. The Convention on Wetlands came into force for the USA on 18 April 1987. The USA presently has 35 sites designated as Wetlands of International Importance, with a surface area of 1,827,196 hectares.

Bolinas Lagoon. 01/09/98; California; 445 ha; 37º55’N 122º41’W. Located in California, less than 20 kilometers up the coast from San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge, Bolinas Lagoon is a tidal embayment of open water, mudflat, and marsh which provides productive and diverse habitats for marine fishes, waterbirds, and marine mammals, and it is also part of a much larger protected natural habitat complex in the region. The site is located on the Pacific Flyway, which makes the Lagoon an ideal staging ground and stopover site for migratory birds, and the temperate climate provides wintering habitat for a wide array of ducks, geese, and shorebirds. The area supports a number of recreational uses, including the use of manually-powered watercraft. Ramsar site no. 960. Most recent RIS information: 2007.

Grassland Ecological Area. 02/02/05; California; 65,000 ha; 37º10′N 120º50′W. National Wildlife Refuge, Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve. Located in the Central Valley in the San Joaquin River Basin, the site is the largest remaining contiguous block of freshwater wetlands in California. It consists of semipermanent and permanent marshes, riparian corridors, vernal pool complexes, wet meadows, native uplands and grasslands, featuring Alkali Sacaton grassland Sporobolus airoides and the endemic Delta button celery, Eryngium racemosum. The site is renowned for its wintering waterbirds which reach several hundred thousand every winter. These include Sandhill Cranes (Grus canadensis), 19 duck species (Northern pintail Anas acuta; Green-winged teal Anas crecca; Northern shoveler Anas clypeata; Canvasbacks Aythya valisineria and others), 6 species of geese, tens of thousands of shorebirds (most abundantly Western Sandpiper Calidris mauri, Dunlin Calidris alpina and Long-billed dowitcher Limnodromus scolopaceus). The site is home to four endangered shrimps as well the threatened Giant garter snake Thamnophis gigas. Due to flood-control and irrigation projects, the entire hydrology of the valley had been dramatically altered, but water quality and allocation issues have been successfully addressed with the Central Valley Project Improvement Act in 1992. Most of the wetlands are managed by the controlled application of water using a series of canals and control structures, mimicking historical flood patterns with pulses of high water flow during winter and spring. The largest potential threat to the site is urban development. Ramsar site no. 1451. Most recent RIS information: 2005.

Laguna de Santa Rosa Wetland Complex. 16/04/2010; California; 1576 ha; 38°24´N 122°47´W. The Laguna de Santa Rosa Wetland Complex is composed of seasonal and perennial freshwater wetlands such as creeks, ponds, marshes, vernal pools, swales, floodplains, riparian forest, and grassland located in the Laguna de Santa Rosa Watershed. The complex includes an array of public and privately owned units with a variety of conservation status that ranges from Wildlife areas to Mitigation banks. The Ramsar Site is considered a biological hotspot due to its various types of rare and unique wetlands like vernal pools and their associated rare and endemic plant like the Sonoma sunshine (Blennosperma bakeri) and animal species such as the California Tiger Salamander (Ambystoma Californians). Besides its high biological value, the site provides flood control, scenic beauty, and recreation services to the majority of Sonoma County’s human population. The Laguna de Santa Rosa Complex main threats are associated to recent land-use changes in the area such as wetland drainage for farming and expansion of urban areas, pollution due to excessive use of fertilizers in the Santa Rosa Plain, and hydrological changes due to the construction of drainage and flood control channels. Currently, the Ramsar Site managers are using a restoration and management plan published in 2006 to implement the conservation goals in the Laguna de Santa Rosa Wetland Complex. Ramsar Site no. 1930. Most recent RIS information: 2010. [See photos | Español]

San Francisco Bay/Estuary (SFBE). 02/02/13; California; 158,711 ha; 37°52′N 122°23′W. UNESCO Biosphere Reserve; includes National Wildlife Refuges and other protected areas. San Francisco Bay is the largest estuary on the Pacific Coast of the US, encompassing approximately 160,000 hectares. SFBE is widely recognized as one of North America’s most ecologically important estuaries, accounting for 77 percent of California’s remaining perennial estuarine wetlands and providing key habitat for a broad suite of flora and fauna and a range of ecological services such as flood protection, water quality maintenance, nutrient filtration and cycling, and carbon sequestration. The site is home to many plant species and over 1,000 species of animals, including endemic and conservation status species. It is noted for hosting more wintering shorebirds than any other estuary along the US Pacific Coast south of Alaska and is recognized as a site of Hemispheric Importance by the Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network. It is also important for over 130 species of resident and migratory marine, estuarine and anadromous fish species. Development pressures on remaining wetlands and adjacent uplands continue to threaten habitats not owned or managed for conservation. The site is a renowned international tourism destination. Parts of the site are within the UNESCO Golden Gate Biosphere Reserve (1988). Ramsar site no. 2097. Most recent RIS information: 2013.

• State Wetland Managers
• Regional Supplements to Corps Delineation Manual
• Association of State Wetland Managers – Protecting the Nation’s Wetlands – Federal Links

Wetlands constitute less than three percent of the State, but they have had a major economic effect on Hawaiian society both before and after European contact. Wetlands are habitats for several species of birds and plants endemic to the Hawaiian Islands.

Wetlands are habitats for several species of birds and plants endemic to the Hawaiian Islands. Wetland formation in Hawaii is influenced by climate, topography, and geology; wetlands form where local hydrologic conditions favor water retention near the land surface. Although rainfall is high in many areas of the islands, steep topography and the high permeability of the volcanic rock that forms the islands result in the rapid discharge of storm runoff to the ocean as surface-water and ground-water flow. Coastal wetland losses have been greatest on Oahu, where wetlands have been drained and filled for the resort, industrial, and residential development.

Hawaii List of Threatened and Endangered Species

RAMSAR:

The Convention on Wetlands (Ramsar, Iran, 1971) — called the “Ramsar Convention” — is an intergovernmental treaty that embodies the commitments of its member countries to maintain the ecological character of their Wetlands of International Importance and to plan for the “wise use”, or sustainable use, of all of the wetlands in their territories. The Convention on Wetlands came into force for the USA on 18 April 1987. The USA presently has 35 sites designated as Wetlands of International Importance, with a surface area of 1,827,196 hectares.

Kawainui and Hamakua Marsh Complex. 02/02/05; Hawaii; 414 ha; 21°24′N 157°45′W. State Wildlife Sanctuary. Sacred to Hawaiians, Kawainui Marsh, the largest remaining emergent wetland in Hawaii and Hawaii’s largest ancient freshwater fishpond, is located in what was once the center of a caldera of the Koolau shield volcano. The marsh provides the primary habitat for four of Hawaii’s endemic and endangered waterbirds, including Laysan Duck and Hawaiian Goose or Nene, and contains archaeological and cultural resources, including ancient walled taro water gardens (lo’i) where fish were also cultivated. Kawainui Marsh stores surface water, providing flood protection for adjacent Kailua town, one of the largest towns on the windward side of O’ahu. Hamakua Marsh is a smaller wetland historically connected to and immediately downstream of Kawainui Marsh, which also provides significant habitat for several of Hawaii’s endemic and endangered waterbirds. Ramsar site no. 1460. Most recent RIS information: 2005.

Palmyra Atoll National Wildlife Refuge. 01/04/11; Hawaii; 204,127 ha; 05°52′N 162°06′W. Coral reefs, permanent shallow marine waters, and intertidal forested wetlands of the atoll and submerged lands and associated waters out to 12 nautical miles from it, in the equatorial Pacific 960 miles south of Honolulu. A National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) since 2001, the site supports a variety of species with different conservation status under the National Endangered Species Act and IUCN Red List, such as the Hawaiian monk seal (Monachus schauinslandi), Hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata), and Green Sea Turtle (Chelonia mydas). It is also an important feeding and nesting ground for seabirds like the Red-footed Booby (Sula sula), with the third-largest colony in the world, and it sustains approximately 5% of the total population of the Bristle-thighed Curlew (Numenius tahitiensis). As a National Wildlife Refuge, the site is closed to public use without a permit issued by the manager, but scientific research and CEPA activities are coordinated between the US Fish and Wildlife Service and The Nature Conservancy along with the Palmyra Atoll Research Consortium. Threats include the presence of invasive species like the scale (Pulvinaria urbicola), which is responsible for the recent decline in the Pisonia grandis forest coverage. A conservation plan is under development and expected to be completed in 2012. Ramsar Site no. 1971. Most recent RIS information: 2011. [français | español]

• State Wetland Managers
• Regional Supplements to Corps Delineation Manual
• Association of State Wetland Managers – Protecting the Nation’s Wetlands – Federal Links

Wetlands cover less than one percent of Nevada but are some of the most economically and ecologically valuable lands in the State. Benefits of wetlands include flood attenuation, bank stabilization, water-quality improvement, and fish and wildlife habitat.

Benefits of wetlands include flood attenuation, bank stabilization, water-quality improvement, and fish and wildlife habitat. Desert wetlands include marshes in playa lakes, non-vegetated playas, and riparian wetlands; mountain wetlands include fens and other wetlands that form in small glacial lakes. More than one-half of Nevada’s original wetlands have been lost, primarily due to the conversion of wetlands to cropland and the diversion of water for agricultural and urban use; many others have been seriously degraded by human activities. Some wetlands have been created by mine dewatering and sewage treatment.

Nevada List of Threatened and Endangered Species

RAMSAR:

The Convention on Wetlands (Ramsar, Iran, 1971) — called the “Ramsar Convention” — is an intergovernmental treaty that embodies the commitments of its member countries to maintain the ecological character of their Wetlands of International Importance and to plan for the “wise use”, or sustainable use, of all of the wetlands in their territories. The Convention on Wetlands came into force for the USA on 18 April 1987. The USA presently has 35 sites designated as Wetlands of International Importance, with a surface area of 1,827,196 hectares.

Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge. 18/12/86; Nevada; 9,509 ha; 36º25’N 116º20’W. National Wildlife Refuge. A unique oasis ecosystem of streams, pools, and wet meadows, formed around springs supplying a tributary of the Amargosa River. The site lies within an area exhibiting the greatest biological endemism in the USA. Four species of endangered endemic fish and an endemic aquatic insect are present, and several of the region’s plants are listed as threatened or endangered endemic species. Other endemics include several mollusks and one mammal. The water table is close to the surface and soils are mostly saline, often with a well-developed salt crust. Human activities have consisted of agriculture, irrigation, peat and clay mining, and off-road vehicle use. Ramsar site no. 347. Most recent RIS information: 1992.

• State Wetland Managers
• Association of State Wetland Managers – Protecting the Nation’s Wetlands – Federal Links
• Regional Supplements to Corps Delineation Manual