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<br /> <br /> <br />RiDers arui floodplains provUk 7/Umrrous recrealiond. <br />opportunitu-s-im;ludin.rt hiking, camping, hunting, ji,h- <br />ing, boating, swimrru.'ng, bird.wall:hing, picnickin,ft, jog- <br />ging, plwtograph)', ift skating, and simply observing <br />nature. <br /> <br />Above: Buydisl, Boulder Cm:1r. Pathwa)', Boulder, <br />Colorado. <br /> <br />Below. Canoer, ,Vanlllhola River, ."lort!! Carolina. <br /> <br /> <br />- <br /> <br />ii.. <br /> <br /> <br />- <br />12 <br /> <br />generally more biologically diverse than the surrounding uplands and encom- <br />pass a broader range of moisture and soil conditions and a greater diversity <br />of flora and fauna than wetlands do. The Soil Conservation Service estimates <br />that there are 16 million acres of riparian land along streams, canals, lakes, <br />reservoirs, and tidal shorelines of rural, nonfederal portions of the United <br />States. Bottomland hardwood forests also are a major riparian ecosystem, <br />and they account for about 52 million acres, mostly in the South. <br />Healthy riparian ecosystems provide community structure for raptors, <br />safe passage corridors to water for mammals, habitat for amphibians, and <br />cover and nutrients for fish. At elevations below 3,500 feet, they take the form <br />oflush strips of streamside vegetation that interrupt the desert landscape. <br />These linear communities provide habitat for up to 80% of the \Vest's wildlife <br />species, and are essential for maintaining its healthy fish and wildlife popula- <br />tions. Cottonv.'Ood groves provide a high canopy and open understory essen- <br />tial to certain birds of prey for hunting, while mesquite bosques provide lower, <br />denser vegetation ideal for colonial nesting by white\ving doves. Also depen- <br />dent on riparian habitats are grey squirrels, river otters, muskrats, summer <br />tanagers, canyon frogs, tree frogs, and dove-tailed hawks. <br /> <br /> <br />Arid region Jloodplaim, altlwugh apparently tWolale, actual/;' provide habitat jor mosl desert wiidiifr species. <br />Channel, flaodplm.n, arui riparian habitat, Icer,u Riur, 1on/() ,Vatlonal Forest, Arizona <br /> <br />Cultural Resources <br /> <br />As used in this report, the cultural resources of floodplains include their <br />historic and archaeological sites, their scientific, recreational, and aesthetic <br />uses, as well as the harvest of the floodplains' natural and cultivated products. <br />Because water has always been basic to human survival, transportation, and <br />commerce, many sites of historic and archaeological significance lie in flood- <br />plains. Floodplains provide opportunities for hiking, camping, hunting, fish- <br />ing, boating, swimming, bird-watching, picnicking, jogging, photography, ice <br />skating, nature observing, as well as for scientific study and research, educa- <br />tional activities, and less tangible aesthetic benefits. Floodplains can provide <br />urban communities with a tremendous open-space and greenbelt resource. <br />Inland floodplains are great sources of commercial timber. 1\.1uch of the <br />82 million acres of commercial forested wetlands in the 49 continental states <br />lies within floodplains. The standing value of southern wetland forests alone <br />is $8 billion. The floodplains along larger rivers are prime agricultural lands <br />because of their flat terrain, abundant water supplies, and rich alluvial soils <br />periodically replenished by flooding. From 1956 to 1975 about 60% of the <br />U.S. commercial fish and shellfish harvest was made up of wetland-dependent <br />species. Several billion dollars are generated annually from this harvest and <br />from wetlands-dependent sport fishing. <br />