While the U.S. Supreme Court’s Sackett decision has struck down many existing wetland protections, the state of Colorado is not letting that stop it.
According to the Center for Biological Diversity, Jared Polisthe state’s governor signed a law that effectively restores protections previously provided at the federal level.
According to the U.S. Geological Survey, wetlands are important because they provide habitat for plants and animals that don’t live anywhere else. Depending on the location and specific composition of a wetland, it can also help prevent erosion, improve water quality, and provide protection from flooding.
In Colorado, wetlands are mostly seasonal and, even at their peak, cover just 3 percent of the state’s land. But they’re vital to 26 percent of the state’s amphibians, birds, mammals and reptiles, the Center for Biological Diversity reveals. Other species thrive in wetlands or require them for part of their life cycle.
Alli Henderson, a co-director of the Center for Biological Diversity, said in a statement: “As climate change worsens the Colorado River megadrought, failing to restore protections for our irreplaceable wetlands and seasonal streams would be a death sentence for many wetland-dependent wildlife.”
The Royal Society says that having a large number of species ensures that everyone has enough air to breathe and food to eat. Plus, in Colorado specifically, Henderson says, “snow-fed streams, wetlands and marshes … also protect our communities’ drinking water and act as natural firebreaks,” the organization says.
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So supporting wetlands is good for all of us, and Colorado is taking the lead in making sure we thrive. The state can join others in preserving biodiversity, like those fighting for endangered species, trying to understand why some plants die while others thrive, and supporting animals with declining populations.
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