Air Date: May 24, 1991

SEGMENTS

What's a Wetland? -- Part One

Wetlands are more than mosquito-ridden swamps. Environmentalists call them a vital life support system. They control floods, purify water and serve as nurseries for countless species up and down the food chain. In South Louisiana, Steve explores the bayou country with a wetlands expert. ()

What's a Wetland? -- Part Two / Ann Goodwin

Debate rages in Washington about the definition of wetlands. Property owners, developers and industry say the current regulations are too broad. But environmentalists claim that rule changes proposed in Congress and the EPA could sacrifice millions of acres of the crucial lands. Ann Goodwin Sides reports. ()

Inside the Wetlands Furor

Steve talks with the Boston Globe's Diane Dumanowski, an environmental reporter who has closely followed the national wetlands debate. ()

Louisana Story / Ron Schachter

The leading Congressional opponent of current Federal wetlands policy is a congressman from Louisiana, home to a quarter of the nation's wetlands. Ron Schachter reports on the escalating battle over the vast wetlands in the congressman's backyard, Louisiana's Mississippi Delta. ()

Artificial Wetlands / Henry Sessions

The Federal policy of "no net loss" of wetlands doesn't mean wetlands can't be destroyed. Developers who want to build an airport or shopping mall over wetlands can choose to "replicate" nature nearby. Henry Sessions of Oregon Public Broadcasting reports on the varying successes of these substitutes. ()

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What's a Wetland? -- Part One

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What's a Wetland? -- Part Two

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Inside the Wetlands Furor

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Louisana Story

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Artificial Wetlands

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