and East River marshes in Guilford, Pataguanset Marsh in East Lyme, and Wheeler Marsh at the mouth of the Housatonic. The most extensive marsh system reaches up the Connecticut River, grading from salt marshes to brackish marshes and finally to the fresh-water meadows near Hartford.

The largest salt marsh in the state was originally the Quinnipiac and Mill Rivers Marsh. New Haven was founded in 1638 in the middle of this marsh, a perfect siting for defense against Indians or other marauders. However, the growing city expanded by filling in and draining the marsh, so that today the size of the marsh is greatly reduced. Other marshes have suffered similar fates, and today less than half of the state's original acreage of coastal wetlands remains.'

Salt marshes and mud flats harbor several species of plants and animals that are, or have been in the past, used by people. For many years, salt-marsh grasses were harvested for cattle fodder and roofing thatch, especially tall salt-water cordgrass. These practices have almost

Wheeler Marsh, at the mouth of the Housatonic River, is one of Connecticut's most spectacular remaining salt marshes. While many marshes have been filled and their grassy flats cut by mosquito-control ditches, Wheeler Marsh is relatively unaltered.

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