The estuarine fauna and their habitats in Padilla Bay, Washington, have been the subject of a variety of studies during the last 20 years, although there has been no review or synthesis of these studies. Concern for the habitats along the coasts of the United States has increased in recent years. To address this concern, several classification schemes have been proposed for coastal habitats (Ray 1975; Cowardin et al. 1979; Dethier 1990; Simenstad et al. 1991). Recently, Ray (1994) has proposed a Coastal Habitat Classification Scheme to provide an overall framework for evaluating coastal habitats. An early step in this process of evaluating coastal habitats is the collection and summary of existing information. The objective of this report is to collect the available data on habitats in Padilla Bay, Washington, and to review the information relevant to the habitats identified in the Coastal Habitat Classification Scheme.

As the global rate of marine introductions increases, exotic species exert greater economic and ecological impacts, affecting ecosystems and human health. The complexity of marine ecosystems challenges our ability to find easy solutions to prevention, management, and control of introductions. This book highlights issues of timely importance in marine bioinvasion science. Selected topics explore the potential evolutionary consequences and ecological impacts of introduced organisms, examine the feasibility of biological control, and describe patterns of introduction. These papers were presented at the Second International Conference on Marine Bioinvasions, which featured new marine invasion research from around the world. These papers should be of interest to scientists, students, and managers with an interest in marine bioinvasions and the application of knowledge to management concerns.

“Wetland Habitats of North America is essential reading for everyone who studies, manages, or visits North American wetlands. It fills an important void in the wetland literature, providing accessible and succinct descriptions of all of the continent’s major wetland types.” Arnold van der Valk, Iowa State University “Batzer and Baldwin have compiled the most comprehensive compendium of North American wetland habitats and their ecology that is presently available—a must for wetland scientists and managers.” Irving A. Mendelssohn, Louisiana State University "If you want to gain a broad understanding of the ecology of North America’s diverse wetlands, Wetland Habitats of North America is the book for you. Darold Batzer and Andrew Baldwin have assembled an impressive group of regional wetland scientists who have produced a virtual encyclopedia to the continent’s wetlands. Reading the book is like a road trip across the Americas with guided tours of major wetland types by local experts. Your first stop will be to coastal wetlands with eight chapters covering tidal wetlands along the Atlantic, Gulf, and Pacific coasts. Then you’ll travel inland where you can visit any or all of 18 types ranging from bottomland swamps of the Southeast to pothole marshes of the Northern Prairies to montane wetlands of the Rockies to tropical swamps of Central America and desert springs wetlands. All in one book—I’m impressed! Every wetlander should add this book to her or his swampland library. Ralph Tiner, University of Massachusetts–Amherst