Although designed to prevent the loss of Oregon’s
wetlands, mitigation projects in the state destroyed more wetlands
than they created, according to a state study. While Oregon has
some of the strongest wetland protection laws in the nation, it
still allows wetlands to be drained and developed if their
destruction is offset by creating, restoring or enhancing other
wetlands. The study, which examined 72 projects in the Portland
metropolitan area, found that overall the projects resulted in a
net loss of wetlands. Most projects failed to comply with permit
requirements, and their planning, implementation and monitoring was
usually inadequate. The study also found a bias toward replacing
emergent wetlands – wetlands with grasses and weeds – with
open-water duck ponds. The number of wetlands projects in the
Portland area more than doubled since the end of the study in 1990,
and there are now approximately 450 of them throughout the state.
To receive a free copy of the 25-page Monitoring and Evaluating
Wetland Compensatory Mitigation Projects in Portland, Oregon, write
the Division of State Lands, 775 Summer St., NE, Salem, OR
97310-1337 (503/378-3805).
* John
Rosapepe
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline Wetlands program wasn’t.
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