The main purpose of this report is to document how wetlands in the Meadowlands area changed from the 1950s to the 1990s. The emphasis is on quantitative changes (i.e., changes in extent; acreage) and not on qualitative changes in wetlands. The report also presents other information that provides a valuable perspective on these and prior changes.

The report is organized into the following sections: Study Area, Methods, General Scope and Limitations of the Study, Appropriate Use of this Report, Rationale for Preliminary Functional Assessments, Results, Conclusions, Acknowledgments, and References. Two appendices provide keys to hydrogeomorphic wetland classification and the functional assessment findings for subbasins. Thematic maps are contained in a separate folder on the CD version of this report.