Forty-three percent of the surface area of Alaska is wetlands. On a state-wide basis, less than 2 percent of all wetlands have been developed. However, in many developing areas and communities, wetlands may be the only land type available for development. In urbanized and developed areas of Alaska, such as the Anchorage Bowl, it is estimated that over half of the wetlands have been lost to transportation corridor construction, utility installation, buildings, and other development projects. Wetland loss fragments habitat and disrupts migration of fish that use wetlands as resting places on their lengthy migrations, and it is also critical rearing habitat for young salmon. Wetland loss is also linked to altered native riparian vegetation, [...]
