In an article entitled "Drought proves bonanza for wetlands, waterfowl", Pentagraph.com carries the following AP report:
A lingering drought that stymied Illinois' grain crop has helped wetlands thrive along the Illinois River and that could mean bigger flocks of waterfowl during hunting season, officials said.
Wetland plants that drown in standing water during typical summers have flourished during the state's sixth-driest March through July on record, providing food for migrating ducks, geese and other waterfowl, said Josh Stafford, a research scientist with the Illinois Natural History Survey.
Do we need wetlands? Yes. Are the wetlands in the United States under universal assault, justifying prosecution of folks such as Mr. Rapanos, who have only the most tangential connection to the issue (see "WETLANDS" under "CATEGORIES" on the right-hand side of this page) ? No. Yet we hardly ever read, in the "mainstream media", stories like this one. Kudos to the AP for, at least in this instance, balanced coverage of the status of wetlands.