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Show 'Save Wetlands1 Theme for Nat'l Wildlife Week "Save Our Wetlands" will be the theme for the 39th annual National Wildlife Week. More than 10 million students, teachers and members of state and local conservation groups are expected ex-pected to take part in the week-long week-long nationwide observance from March 14 through 20, according to Thomas L. Kimball, executive vice president of the National Wildlife- Federation, the 3.5 million-member conservation education organization that sponsors the event each year with its state affiliates. "Wetlands are a priceless and irreplaceable part of our national heritage," said Kimball. "They are important not only to wildlife but to man. They support a vast range of plants and wildlife, they aid in the natural purification of our water supplies, they provide unique scenic and recreational areas and a good part of our food supply." "The problem with our wetlands," Kimball continued, "is that some developers regard them as wastlands, to be drained or filled and 'improved' 'im-proved' with buildings. We have bulldozed them and scarred them with drainage ditches until wetlands cover just a fraction of the area they once occupied. After 23 more years of intensive development, develop-ment, particularly in coastal areas, that more than half of the original wetland area has been lost forever. "The steady loss of wetlands habitat has been a major factor in lengthening our lists of threatened and endangered species," said Kimball. "We must preserve what is left and manage these precious areas in a responsible way. Everyone has a stake in saving our wetlands and that is why we chose this year's theme." On the positive side, Kimball noted that about 22 million acres of wetlands are now being preserved by the federal and state governments and private organizations. "We are making some headway," he observed, "but much more needs to be done." The Utah affiliate of the National Wildlife Federation is the Utah Wildlife and Outdoor Recreation Federation. Program and display materials are available through local organizations or through the Utah Federation. Interested parties should contact David H. Wallace, President, 1073 North 450 West Sunset, Utah 84105 or call at 825-5082 (home) or 777-6425 777-6425 (work). i |