John,
Marshes, wet meadows, swamps, and other wetlands in the United States need help.
According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, half of wetlands in the lower 48 states — an area about the size of Yellowstone — have disappeared since the 1780s. And those that remain are at high risk: In 2023 the U.S. Supreme Court stripped 50 years of federal protection from many of these precious areas, leaving them vulnerable to draining, filling, excavating, and other destructive processes.
Imperiled wildlife — from birds, fish, and frogs to trees and moss — need healthy wetlands, period.
Nearly 50% of threatened and endangered species use wetlands for breeding, nesting, feeding, and migration. More than 33% of them live only in wetlands. Losing these water-saturated ecosystems harms water quality, increases vulnerability to flood and climate change, and pushes thousands of animals and plants closer to extinction.
But not all endangered wetland species have designated critical habitat, even though the Endangered Species Act requires it — northern bog turtles, Suwanee alligator snappers, Florida panthers, salt marsh harvest mice, Santa Cruz long-toed salamanders, and mountain sweet pitcher plants are just a few who desperately need their wetland homes protected.
Tell the Fish and Wildlife Service to protect more critical habitat for wetland-dependent species.
