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WASHINGTON — As the public comment period closed on a to rescind and eventually replace the Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule yesterday, the ̽����ѡ submitted a letter to the EPA and Army Corps of Engineers outlining reasons to preserve the 2015 rule which clarifies which bodies of water, including wetlands and small waterways, are eligible for protection under the 1972 Clean Water Act.

“Wetlands are the most productive ecosystems in the world, yet they have suffered more loss and degradation than any other type of ecosystem,” said Julie Hill-Gabriel, Vice President of Water Conservation at the ̽����ѡ. “Their importance to birds cannot be understated. About one-third of North American bird species including the Bald Eagle, Wood Stork, American Bittern and Prothonotary Warbler use wetlands for food, shelter, or breeding,” she said.

These waters filter pollution and provide drinking water for more than 117 million Americans; rivers, wetlands, lakes, and streams provide recreational opportunities for millions powering a robust outdoor economy.

The letter from ̽����ѡ can be read

Learn more about ̽����ѡ’s efforts to protect America’s waters at /water.

The ̽����ѡ protects birds and the places they need, today and tomorrow, throughout the Americas using science, advocacy, education and on-the-ground conservation. ̽����ѡ’s state programs, nature centers, chapters and partners have an unparalleled wingspan that reaches millions of people each year to inform, inspire and unite diverse communities in conservation action. Since 1905, ̽����ѡ’s vision has been a world in which people and wildlife thrive. ̽����ѡ is a nonprofit conservation organization. Learn more at  and @audubonsociety.

Contact: Anne Singer, asinger@audubon.org, 202-271-4679