Wetlands provide critical water quality and ecological benefit for fish and bird populations in the Bay and its watershed. Wetlands, and their function, are being lost due to sea-level rise, land-use change, and invasive species.

The CBP has a goal to restore 25,000 acres of tidal and nontidal wetlands by 2010. Both CBP and Department of Interior resource managers need information on the factors affecting wetland loss and function, and techniques for their conservation and restoration. The USGS will:

• Improve information on the water-quality function of wetlands in stream corridors and near-shore estuary settings;
• Address factors causing the loss of wetlands and techniques for their conservation and restoration; and
• Document the relation of wetlands habitat to the health of fish and bird populations.