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<br />Wetland Values <br /> <br />Wetlands have many values including <br />wildlife production, recreation, aesthetics, <br />agricultural uses, groundwater replenish- <br />ment, pollution and sediment control, <br />flood prevention, and educational and sci- <br />entific uses. These values are available to <br />the individual landowner and to society as <br />a whole. Many of these values provide <br />little or no economic return to the land- <br />owner who might be able to make money <br />by converting the wetland to some other <br />use, such as cropland or building sites. <br />Fortunately for society, many farmers and <br />other landowners do maintain their wet- <br />lands because they appreciate the beauty <br />and natural values of their wetland more <br />than the extra dollars they might receive. <br />This publication is designed to help indi- <br />vidual landowners increase or enhance <br /> <br />those natural values by management and <br />to provide information on other options <br />that might result in the long-term preser- <br />vation of wetlands. <br />Wetlands provide obvious wildlife <br />benefits. Numerous species, such as <br />frogs, waterbirds, alligators, and many <br />others, depend on wetlands throughout <br />their entire life cycle. Other species, such <br />as deer, geese, and some fish, may <br />depend on wetlands for part of their lives. <br />The range of animals that live in wet- <br />lands is truly amazing. Fish, such as <br />northern pike, may use lakeside wetlands <br />as spawning grounds and migratory birds, <br />such as mallards, will use different wet- <br />lands in several states for courtship, feed- <br />ing, nesting, and wintering. Upland <br />animals, such as whitetail deer and <br /> <br /> <br />8 <br />