A new study indicates the wetlands that support the Kenai River
system are drying up -- but at a much slower rate than other
developed areas of the state and the Lower 48. The study, which
was commissioned by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and
conducted by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, analyzed total
wetland acreage in the lower Kenai River area between 1950 and
1996. It was done in order to determine what effects development
in the Kenai, Soldotna and Sterling areas has had on the
wetlands that support the Kenai River Watershed. Fish and
Wildlife researchers Jonathan Hall and Sheila Kratzner looked at
aerial photographs and maps from 1950, 1977 and 1996. Using
advanced measuring equipment, they were able to map and compare
the data to determine how much wetland acreage was lost. The
results are both an indication that the river is in good shape
and a warning that wetland loss in the watershed is real,
according to Phil North, the EPA's Kenai watershed coordinator.
"We have lost a significant