USDA Wetlands Report
During the last 400 years agriculture, urbanization, transportation,
and industrialization have resulted in large modifications in the
landscape. The importance of wetland ecosystems was not
understood or appreciated. When wetlands were considered at
all, it was often in a derogatory way resulting from the perceived
infestation of these "swamps" with pestilence, disease, and
loathsome creatures. Wetlands were equated with wastelands
Farmers were not considered industrious unless they "reclaimed"
these areas through ditching, draining, or filling for the higher use
of agriculture or development. The technology and persistence
applied to wetland draining has resulted in large wetland losses in
most areas of North America. In North Carolina alone, about 90%
of the bog and fen habitats have been lost. Federal, state, and
local programs provided assistance and incentives for destruction
of wetlands as early as the mid-1800s (e.g. Swamp Lands Acts
of 1849, 1850, 1860). Today, as human populations in most
watersheds grow, stress accumulates in the integrated natural
systems. This stress is manifested in a decline in the health and
resilience of the ecosystem.
The public now has a new awareness of the importance of
wetland ecosystems. That is because of a number of educational
programs initiated by public agencies such as the Natural
Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), US Fish and Wildlife
Service (FWS), and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) like
Ducks Unlimited and the World Wildlife Fund. The Clean Water
Act of 1972 initiated the use of regulation to protect wetlands
under Section 404. However, wetlands are still being lost at an
astonishing rate
1
Select the correct answer.
Read the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Wetlands Report. Then, answer the question.
What is the main reason this report was created?
OA. to list the areas in North America that have wetland areas and explain how regulations help to preserve them
OB. to describe the ways that wetland areas were changed by people and emphasize the negative impacts of their
loss
OC. to outline the multiple ways that farmers reshaped wetland areas and make recommendations for reclaiming
habitats
OD. to detail past perspectives on wetland areas and name organizations that work to educate the public about
OE
their value
to criticize the use of technology to modify North American wetland areas and advocate for their protection
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What’s the main reason this report was created?