Wetlands, both tidal and nontidal are vital natural resources that protect water quality, support fish and wildlife, and provide flood protection, recreation, and scenic beauty throughout Maryland. Tidal wetlands occur along the shorelines of the Chesapeake Bay, its tidal tributaries, and the Coastal Bays. They include marshes, shrub swamps, forested wetlands, submerged aquatic vegetation, and open waters. Nontidal wetlands are inland freshwater areas such as marshes, swamps, bogs, wet meadows, and bottomland forests that are usually covered or saturated with water for long periods during the growing season. The Maryland Department of the Environment manages both tidal and nontidal wetlands, the nontidal wetland buffer and waterways, including the nontidal 100-year floodplain to balance reasonable use with the protection of essential resources. Activities such as filling, dredging, constructing piers or shore erosion control structures, and other development within wetlands are regulated to ensure protection of these valuable ecosystems.