“I think this issue is worth having the students consider because it is a local example of a global concern: development versus preservation, and how a society can work towards a compromise that sustains the ecosystem and neighborhood livability while allowing some regulated development (i.e. obeying the rules regarding flood zones, buffer zones etc.)...Wetlands are among the most endangered ecosystems, and they are among the habitats most important to protect because of their unique ability to absorb and sequester carbon in a time of global climate change."

Jim Hartmann / Environmental Science / West Linn High School