(a) flood and storm control by the hydrologic absorption and storage
capacity of freshwater wetlands;
(b) wildlife habitat by providing breeding, nesting and feeding
grounds and cover for many forms of wildlife, wildfowl and shorebirds,
including migratory wildfowl and rare, endangered or threatened species,
fish, reptiles and amphibians, insects and other invertebrates;
(c) protection of subsurface water resources and provision for
valuable watersheds and recharging ground water supplies;
(d) recreation by providing areas for hunting, fishing, boating,
hiking, bird watching, photography, camping and other uses;
(e) pollution treatment by serving as biological and chemical
oxidation basins and carbon sinks;
(f) erosion control by serving as sedimentation areas and filtering
basins, absorbing silt and organic matter and protecting channels and
harbors;
(g) education and scientific research by providing readily accessible
outdoor bio-physical laboratories, living classrooms and vast training
and education resources;
(h) open space and aesthetic appreciation by providing often the only
remaining open areas along crowded river fronts and coastal Great Lakes
regions;
(i) sources of nutrients in freshwater food cycles and nursery grounds
and sanctuaries for freshwater fish;
(j) preservation of plant species that are rare, endangered or
threatened, or exploitably vulnerable as defined in section 9-1503 of
this chapter; and
(k) preservation of communities of plants and animals that are deemed
by the commissioner to be rare in the state or in a region of the state.
8. Regulation of freshwater wetlands, in accordance with the
agricultural exemption established in title seven hereof, is consistent
with the legitimate interests of farmers and other landowners to graze
and water livestock, make reasonable use of water resources, harvest
natural products of the wetlands, selectively cut timber and otherwise
engage in the use of land for agricultural production.