Introduction

In the late 1800's, the United Shoe Machinery Corporation built its factory in Beverly, Massachusetts, on a filled in marsh.  At the time a local newspaper reported that filling in the wetlands with the crushed gravel was the "right thing to do."  Later, in the 1960's, Beverly's high school was built on swamp land.  Population and economic concerns led the community to choose both sites for construction because it was believed that marsh and swamp lands lacked value.  Today, the importance of wetlands is better understood.  In addition to being valued as a habitat for a variety of plant and animal species, wetlands also help to prevent flooding and to filter pollutants from the water.