Our Mission

Enviroscapes was founded by Sean Goodwin and Edward Blanar to focus on their main passion: the restoration of native landscapes. The name "Enviroscapes" reflects the interrelationship between the cleanup of environmentally impaired land and the need to restore these sites to an environmentally and ecologically sound condition. Enviroscapes mission is to improve the overall environmental and ecological value of degraded sites through the planting of native species with the ultimate goal of improving air, water and soil quality for the benefit of our wildlife and our planet.

Until the 1980s the federal government acted in accordance with the notion that wetlands were part of a hostile wilderness that needed to be tamed. The Army Corps of Engineers, in particular, has a history of draining swamps, part of a long process of wetland reduction. Wetland area in the lower 48 states has declined from over 220 million acres in the 16th century to a current 105.5 million acres, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Only recently have the many benefits of wetlands come to be widely recognized. Besides providing habitats for birds and aquatic and threatened species, wetlands are useful for water storage and purification, flood prevention, timber and food production, education and research, and recreation. Nineteen seventy-two saw the passage of the most important act of wetland regulation, the 404 program of the Clean Water Act, which mandates permits for the release of dredged or fill materials into U.S. waters. While the 404 program was part of a broader environmental movement, the Emergency Wetlands Resources Act of 1986 signaled a new concern with protecting wetlands.

- CSA Discovery Guide, Wetlands: History and Restoration