by By Jeffrey K. Stine
Forest History Society, 2008
I must admit to harboring serious skepticism when I saw this book from the Forest History Society. How could anyone summarize the history of American attitudes and public policies toward the nation’s wetlands in a mere 60 pages? Few natural resource management issues are more complex and politically controversial than the use and protection of wetlands, since they’re inextricably interwoven with issues of forest and wildlife management, agriculture, and land development nationwide.
But if anyone could tackle this policy arena in a concise manner, it would be historian Jeffrey Stine. Presently the curator for Environmental History and chair of the division of medicine and science at the Smithsonian’s Museum of Natural History, Stine has a significant professional resume, including major publications on the history of science and environmental policy. A reading of his professional biography and a quick review of the 50 “suggested readings” at the end of the book will temper any skepticism you might have about this slim volume.
Stine’s introduction and first chapter chronicle the turbulent history of popular attitudes and public policy toward wetlands, from early settlement to the late 20th century – a period when most public policy sought to transform these lands for agriculture and development. At the time of European settlement, wetlands covered 11 percent of the present nation, some 221 million acres. By the end of the 20th century, these wetlands had been reduced by over 50 percent to 105 million acres. Stine concludes that “to the extent that wetlands constituted a public policy concern prior to the 1960s, they were largely within a framework of elimination.”
He describes the astounding exploitation of the nation’s wetland forests, primarily by logging and conversion of southern wetlands for agriculture. It was especially dramatic in cypress swamps from 1890 to 1925, with cypress lumber production exceeding 1 billion board feet in 1913.
Next, he examines the gradual awareness in the early 20th century that the destruction of wetlands was having major negative impacts on wildlife, especially waterfowl. Numerous conservation organizations, such as the National Wildlife Federation and the Izaak Walton League, along with biologists in several federal agencies, were instrumental in passage of the Migratory Bird Hunting Stamp Act, enacted by Congress in 1934 to raise funds for wetlands conservation. The several successful attempts to craft wetlands protection in the 1970s and 1980s are credited with reducing the rate of net acres lost, notably the implementation of best management practices in the 1977 Clean Water Act. These efforts were further supported by the growing understanding of the role of wetlands in reducing coastal storm damage and recharging aquifers.
Stine describes the policy debates at all levels of government – from local communities to the Supreme Court – and the myriad attempts to conserve remaining wetlands by regulation, landowner incentives, public or private acquisition, and litigation. In summarizing these debates, he cites a statement by two legal scholars in 1995: “Wetlands conservation and regulation may be the most controversial issue in constitutional law. It pits America’s most biologically productive and rapidly diminishing ecosystems against the rights of private ownership and property development….” These tensions remain, echoing ancient negative attitudes toward “swamps,” and repeatedly resulting in ineffective policy compromises that fail to adequately protect these vital wildland resources.
The final two chapters sum up where we are today, citing progress to date and the increasing support of conservation organizations, forest industry, and government agencies for wetlands conservation. But the controversy remains. Even though growing ecological knowledge is aiding efforts to protect and restore wetlands, Stine concludes that “the contest over wetlands is neither a scientific nor a technical debate but a political one.”
Stine has written a remarkably balanced and perceptive analysis of wetlands history and policy. It is an essential primer for landowners, journalists, government decision makers, foresters, and wildlife managers who can make a difference in resolving our nation’s most significant remaining natural resources protection and management challenge.
This book is available for purchase from The Forest History Society