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, I I I \1 I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I Value of wetlands Wetlands are believed essentii,al to the recovery of endangered fish such as the razorback sucker and Colorado squawfish. These areas provide warmer, slower~moving water and an abundance of microscopic food. Young endangered fish grow significantly faster in these areas, which may then enabl~ them to become large enough to then fend for themselves in the main river channel and escape p.redation by other adult fish. Wetlands also help control flooding, filter water pollutants, replenish groundwater supplies and provide habitat for hundreds of species of plants and wildlife. In fact, wetlands produce more plant and animal material than any other habitat type on earth, including the rain forests of Brazil. Riparian, or riverside, areas have been called "streams of lifen and the "lifebloodn of the arid West. Scientists estimate that 60 to 90 percent of all terrestrial wildlife species require wetlands for their survival. Riverside wetlands are particularly beneficial. In Colorado, for example, an estimated 90 percent of the state's fish and wildlife species depend on riparian areas, which account for less than 1.5 percent of the state. Wildlife that commonly use' riverside wetlands along the Colorado River basin include deer, elk, rabbits, raccoons, squirrels, muskrats, beavers, mink, foxes, coyotes, fish, frogs, turtles, snakes, ducks, geese, songbirds, shorebirds, quail, pheasants, owls, hawks and eagles. Biologists believe that boosting riverside wetlands may help keep other native fish, birds, plants and mammals from becoming endangered. Restoring wetland habitats also can help replenish native willows and cottonwood trees, which can provide roosting areas for eagles, herons and many other birds: Wetland losses The number and size of life~supporting wetlands has been cut drastically across the United States. According to a 1990 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Congressional report on wetlands, over the last 200 years on a statewide basis, Colorado has lost an estimated 50 percent of its wetlands'; Utah has lost roughly 30 percent; and Wyoming, about 38 percent. Habitat loss is one of the key reasons for the decline of many fish and wildlife species. Historically, upper Colorado River basin floodplains frequently were inundated during spring runoff. Today in the upper Colorado River basin, stream~side wetlands have been drained or cut off from the river by dikes, and many of the rivers' "backwaters" have disappeared.