The lower Mississippi alluvial plain and the prairie pothole region; Federal Programs Affectin Wetlands in the delta and the prairies; Description of federal programs affecting wetlands; Water management programs; Agricultural development and support programs; Low interest loans and farm credit; Conservation and technical assistance programs; Provisions of the tax cod affecting wetlands; Federal aid highway program; Conservation easement and wetlands protection programs; Conversion of forested wetlands of the mississippi delta; The history of development in the delta and the federal involvement; The conceptual framework for the conversion decision; The methodology for estimating the impact of federal programs; Econometric model of forested wetland conversion; Hypotheses tested with the econometric model; The nature of the data used to estimate the econometric model; Results of the econometric analysis; The magnitude of the impact of the major economic, hydrologic, and climatic factors on forested wetland depletion; Summary and conclusions of the econometric analysis; Farm-level simulation model: analysis of impact of agriculture programs, conservation programs, and tax code provisions on the conversion decision; The nature of the data used in the simulation model; Results of the farm-level simulation analysis; Summary and conclusion of the farm-level simulation analysis; Landownership characteristics in the delta and the implications for wetland conversion; Conservation opportunities in the current economic climate; Summary of the impact of federal programs on conversion of forested wetlands in the delta; The prairie pothole region; Description of the region; Cultural history; Structure of studies; Results of the simulation analysis; Swampbuster and the prospects for reduced rates of conversion.