Despite a national focus on saving wetland systems in the U.S., evaluations
of wetland resources and management outcomes have been limited. A fifty-st
ate survey of wetland managers was conducted in order to collect informatio
n on (1) wetland resources, (2) management actions taken, and (3) managemen
t impact on the resources (wetlands). An overview of the general status of
state knowledge of the quantity and quality of their wetland resources is p
resented. Results indicate that most states have a rough estimate of the re
sources and most have wetland conservation plans and intend to develop bett
er databases of wetland resources. However, few states track management act
ions relevant to wetlands and fewer have any idea of the success or impact
of past management actions. The ability to assess program effectiveness is
key to implementing adaptive management frameworks. A number of lessons lea
rned suggest a basic framework for future wetland management that includes
state planning, better quantification (mapping) of wetlands, development of
methods to measure wetland quality, and tracking of wetland management act
ions and outcomes. This framework could also be used as an outline for the
development of a mon adaptive approach to wetland management.