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Introduction to wetlands
Cattails and Sitka spruce, salamanders and great blue herons, white-tailed deer and juvenile salmon - wetlands are overflowing with life. In all, some 212 species of wildlife and many species of plant life depend on western Washington's wetlands for survival.

Code violations 
See a wetland getting filled, drained, or cleared? Here are emergency phone numbers and an online form to notify the Dept. of Local Services code enforcement 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Wetland maps and data

Hydrography of King County- interactive map
View and query info about geographic features including wetlands. In the layers list, click the carat next to "Environmentally sensitive areas" check the box next to the layer, "Wetland (1990 SAO)". Identify wetland size and wetland rating referred to in sections 21A.24.320 to 21A.24.350 of the King County code referenced below.

1990 King County Wetlands Inventory Notebooks
King County's largest wetland survey includes known wetlands in 1990 unincorporated area with aerial photos showing estimated wetland edge, measurements and animal and plant survey data. Scanned notebooks are provided in Adobe Acrobat format.

Wetland permits, guidelines and regulations

Wetland and Stream Reporting Guidelines
Guidelines to help residents prepare wetland and stream reports that are sometimes required for development permits. Includes Wetland Delineation Report Criteria, field procedures and standards used to map individual wetlands in King County. Provided by the Department of Development and Environmental Services. Contacts: Wetland and stream reporting guidelines.

King county code >> Critical areas  >> Wetland classifications (Acrobat PDF format)
County rules on development standards, restrictions, and requirements as well as permitted uses in and around King County wetlands and other sensitive areas. Codes pertaining specifically to wetlands can be found under sections 21A.24.320 to 21A.24.350 of this document. Contacts: DLS Critical (Sensitive) Areas Review.

Washington State Dept of Ecology - wetlands
This site provides considerable information about wetlands including Washington regulations, permitting, and mitigation, references for landowners interested in stewardship, educational materials, and sources for beautiful wetlands artwork.

Wetland programs and projects

Mitigation Credit Program
Unavoidable damage to wetlands can be mitigated through this permit program, which enables applicants to pay King County to complete wetland related projects in other places.

Go to the Small Habitat Restoration Program
Small Habitat Restoration Program (SHRP)
A King County group that restores and enhances streams and wetlands in small projects throughout the county. The program seeks your suggestions for good projects.

Fish and wildlife enhancement project- Cedar River wetland 79 
Restoration project to improve fish and wildlife habitat in Cedar River Wetland 79 near Maple Valley.

Wetland plant cooperative
A King Conservation District program providing wetland plants to organizations and community groups for habitat restoration projects.

Wetland biodiversity

Biodiversity in King County
Learn why biodiversity is important and what threatens it, and read the latest assessment report for King County.

King County wildlife: beavers
Describes beaver problems, how they develop and their solutions and includes natural history information.

Wetland publications

Characteristics of the low-elevation Sphagnum-dominated peatlands of western Washington: a community profile
Also known as "the bog book", this publication provides a compilation of data and findings about Sphagnum-dominated peatlands from existing local sources, most of which are unpublished as of November, 2001.

Wetlands and Urbanization: Implications for the Future
The Puget Sound Wetlands and Stormwater Management Research Program (PSWSMRP) was a ten-year regional research effort documenting how urbanization affects wetlands. The studies examined the impacts of stormwater on the five major structural components of wetlands: (1) hydrology, (2) water quality, (3) soils, (4) plants, and (5) animals. The fourteen papers in this monograph are divided into four sections: Program Overview, Descriptive Ecology, Assessment of Stormwater Effects, and Management Guidelines.

Wetland publications
Major studies and technical publications related to wetlands.