National Wetlands Newsletter Examines Sudden Wetland Dieback in the Northeast Sudden wetland dieback (SWD), large areas of dead vegetation and bare peat, has marked New England salt marshes from Maine to New York. First noted in Massachusetts in 2002, sightings have increased as scientists and resource managers have learned to recognize its symptoms and distinguish it from other common processes. Now identified at over 40 sites, SWD remains a topic with more questions than answers. Dr. Susan Adamowicz, a Land Management Research and Demonstration Biologist for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, examines this phenomenon and looks at what steps have been taken to understand it in the current edition of the National Wetlands NewsletterR (November/December 2006). Like those of other coastal zones, New England's salt marshes provide significant ecological and societal values. Brown marsh, a phenomenon similar to SWD, has affected thousands of hectares-devastating marshes in Gulf Coast states with only limited recovery. Cascading effects into fisheries production and shoreline protection have not yet been catalogued, but may well be significant. But because salt marshes are less extensive in the Northeast and have been affected by over 300 years of intensive use, development, and destruction, protecting remaining acreage is that much more important. The November-December issue was funded in part by a grant from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Contributors include Leopoldo Mirando-Castro, Daniel Murphy, and David Gordon, who examine two coastal restoration projects undertaken in part by the FWS Coastal Program and Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program; Clyde Morris and Karla Tanner, who provide insight about converting salt ponds into wetlands in the Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge; and Hannibal Bolton, who describes the National Fish Habitat Action Plan. "Many of the articles in this issue highlight the importance of coordination among interested stakeholders. Whether one is converting salt ponds into wetlands, restoring a valuable ecosystem, or protecting sensitive habitat, collaborative conservation can be seen throughout," said NWN Editor Rachel Jean-Baptiste. For more than two decades, the nationally recognized National Wetlands Newsletter has been a widely read and respected journal on wetlands, floodplains, and coastal water resources. The newsletter, published by the highly respected Environmental Law InstituteR, analyzes the latest topics in wetland regulation, policy, science, and management through feature articles written by local, national, and international experts from a variety of perspectives. For more information on National Wetlands Newsletter, and the articles contained in the November/December 2006 issue, please contact: Rachel Jean-Baptiste Editor, NWN 202-558-3101 [EMAIL PROTECTED] ### The Environmental Law Institute is an independent, non-profit research and educational organization based in Washington, DC. ELI serves the environmental profession in business, government, the private bar, public interest organizations, academia, and the press. Visit ELI online at www.eli.org.
