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[♪upbeat music♪]
[cow mooing]
[J. Prettyman] This farmland may look ordinary,
but for regulatory project managers with the Corps of Engineers,
there's a lot more going on than meets the eye.
We're going out to an area where they have wetlands,
and we're going to make sure that the mapping is correct on those wetlands.
[Prettyman] On a typical day out in the field,
Zach and Mary are evaluating the impacts of proposed construction
in US waters and wetlands.
We're acknowledging that it's not a net gain of acreage...
[Prettyman] On this site visit, Mary is reviewing a proposal for a use of marshland
both as a recreation area and as enhanced habitat for wildlife.
The current leaseholder on the land
is a private duck club and wants to build islands,
build small ponds, in order to have more use of the land
for enjoying water fowl, whether it's looking at it or hunting.
[Prettyman] 120 miles south, Zach is evaluating farmland
for its value as a mitigation site.
A property like this--it's about 500 acres, undisturbed land with a lot of wetlands--
it's great for holding water when the water first gets here when it rains,
and then it also filters water as it moves off-site down the creek.
[Prettyman] These wetlands are interconnected to other bodies of water,
which we all depend on for clean water.
Any time anyone wants to convert the land from one use to something else,
we kind of look at how they're going to impact those wetlands
and especially if they're going to make any of them disappear.
[Prettyman] Water isn't the only thing being protected.
Oh, wow. That's a good one. >>This is a big gravid female.
Yeah. Here's a tadpole shrimp. This is an endangered species.
These things are like little dinosaurs.
[Prettyman] At the end of a day in the field, Zach and Mary are just one essential part
of the Corps' regulatory team balancing reasonable economic development
while protecting the nation's aquatic resources.
John Prettyman, Sacramento.
[♪upbeat music♪]