Session I keynote: Agriculture and wetlands compatibility

Abstract

The U.S. Swamp Lands Acts of the mid-nineteenth century set the stage for a negative mind set regarding wetlands that would persist to the present. Nowhere has that mind set been as persistent as in agriculture. Issues surrounding the definition of wetland, property rights, and the role of science go largely unresolved. While wetlands and agriculture were incompatible a century ago, their differences have been ameliorated through technology, education, and cultural shifts. Today, there are many good examples of cooperation and compatibility between agriculture and wetlands.