wetland conservation · presentation outline. photo by l. heady. what is a wetland? photo by l....
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Wetland Conservation: What Do We Have to Lose?
Photo by L. HeadyLaura Heady NYSDEC Hudson River Estuary Program and Cornell University Woodlands and Wetlands: What Communities Need to KnowDecember 5, 2016
Hudson River Estuary Program
- vital estuary ecosystem- clean water- resilient communities- conservation of fish, wildlife, and habitats- preservation of river’s natural scenery- enhanced opportunities for education, river access, recreation, and inspiration
Working to achieve six key benefits:Photo by Laura Heady
Photo by Laura Heady
Photo by Amanda Higgs
Photo by Laura Heady
Photo by Laura Heady
Photo by Laura Heady
Hudson River Estuary Program
Our website: http://www.dec.ny.gov/lands/4920.html
How many of you think wetlands are important?
Photo by L. Heady
How many of you feel confident about how to conserve and protect wetlands?
• What is a Wetland?
• Value and Function of Wetlands
• Threats to Wetlands
• Wetland Conservation
Presentation Outline
Photo by L. Heady
What is a wetland?
Photo by L. Heady
What is a wetland?
“Wetlands are areas saturated by surface or ground water sufficient to support
distinctive vegetation adapted for life in saturated soil conditions.”
http://www.dec.ny.gov/lands/305.html
“Wetlands are areas saturated by surface or ground water sufficient to support
distinctive vegetation adapted for life in saturated soil conditions.”
http://www.dec.ny.gov/lands/305.html
Wetlands are identified by three main components:1.) hydrology: indicators of water (inundation or saturation)
2.) hydric soils: soils with indicators of prolonged saturation
3.) hydrophyticvegetation: vegetation that is adapted to wet conditions
Photo by
No two wetlands are alike!The diversity of freshwater, non-tidal wetlands in Ulster County includes:
Photo by L. Heady
dwarf shrub bogfloodplain forest
hemlock-hardwood swamphighbush blueberry bog thicket
perched bogpitch pine-blueberry peat swamp
red maple-blackgum swampred maple-hardwood swamp
sedge meadowvernal pool
wet meadowPhoto by L. Heady
emergent marshPhoto by L. Heady
hardwood swampPhoto by L. Heady
woodland poolPhoto by L. Heady
Photos by L. Heady
Photo by L. Heady
salt marshestuarine rocky shoretidal tributary mouth
brackish meadowbrackish tidal marsh
freshwater tidal swampfreshwater intertidal mudflats
supratidal pool
The diversity of tidal wetlands in the Hudson River estuary includes:
Value and Function of Wetlands
Photo by L. Heady
Value and Function of Wetlands
*filter and store water *slow/store flood water
*prevent erosion*wildlife and plant habitat
*recreation
and more!
Photo by L. Heady
Wetlands are hydrologically connected to the surrounding landscape through surface water and groundwater.
www.geoscape.nrcan.gc.ca
Wetlands can slow down and absorb significant amounts of rainwater, runoff, and snowmelt before flooding. This can prevent or reduce flooding downstream.
A single acre of wetland can store
1-1.5 million gallons of floodwater!
(United States EPA)
Photo by L. Heady
Flood Control
Photo by L. Zucker
Some wetlands help maintain water table levels by recharging ground-water. This is especially important for communities that rely on drinking water wells.
Groundwater Recharge/Discharge
Most wetlands discharge groundwater, thus providing a continuous flow of source water to surface waters.
Clean Water
We all need clean water! The U.S. spends more than $2 billion annually for clean water initiatives.
It’s easier to prevent pollution than to clean contaminated water.
For more information:http://esa.org/ecoservices/wate/body.wate.fact.html Photo by L. Heady
Clean Water
Wetlands purify water. They can:
• remove 20 to 60% of metals
• trap and retain 80 to 90% of sediment from runoff
• eliminate 70 to 90% of entering nitrogen.
For more information:http://esa.org/ecoservices/wate/body.wate.fact.html Photo by L. Heady
“In many instances, it is less expensive for a community to maintain open space that naturally maintains water quality, reduces runoff, or controls flooding than to use tax dollars for costly engineered infrastructure projects such as water filtration plants and storm sewers.”
These functions add up to economic benefits!
USFWS estimates that up to 43% of threatened and endangered species rely directly or indirectly on wetlands for their survival.
Although wetlands cover only around 5% of the land in the lower 48 state, they are home to 31% of plant species.
Approximately one-half of all North American bird species nest or feed in wetlands.
(EPA, USFWS)
Photo by L. Heady
Habitat
Photo: USFWS Photo by C. Bowser
Photo: Laura Heady
Outdoor enthusiasts enjoy hunting, fishing, bird watching, and recreating in streams and wetlands.
In 2011 in New York:5.5 million people (16 and over) fished, hunted, or wildlife watched: -1.9 million anglers
-823,000 hunters-4.2 million wildlife watchers (USFWS 2014)
Recreation
Photos by L. Heady
In 2011, residents and nonresidents spent $9.2 billion on wildlife recreation in New York.
(USFWS 2014)
Photo by L. Heady
Recreation
Pho
to b
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Hea
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2010 study found thattourism and park/preserve operations generate a positive economic impact on the local area of $12.3 million and support 358 local jobs.
Local Case Study: Shawangunk Ridge
What are threats to wetlands?
Photo by L. HeadyPhoto by L. Heady
Wetland Degradation
hydrologic alterations(fill, drainage, etc.)
pollutants(leaky landfills, runoff, etc.)
inadequate buffers
invasive species
Photo by L. Heady
• USFWS estimates that more than half of New York State’s wetlands have been lost since colonization.
• Between 1985 and 1995, the Hudson Valley had a net loss of wetlands of almost 3,000 acres.
•Overall in NYS, wetland gains were in rural areas and losses were in urbanized areas, where benefits of wetlands were also lost.
Wetland Loss
Wetland Conservation
Photo by L. Heady
• New York State regulates activities in wetlands ≥12.4 acres, or wetlands with the designation of “Unusual Local Importance,” and adjacent areas that extend 100 feet from the wetland boundary.The DEC requires permits for certain activities, such as construction or excavation, to prevent impairment to wetland functions.
• Regulated wetlands must be on the Freshwater Wetlands Map.
• Freshwater wetlands are regulated under NYS Article 24 of Environmental Conservation Law (http://www.dec.ny.gov/lands/5133.html).
(continued on next slide)
Photo by L. Heady
What freshwater wetlands are protected in New York?
• The federal government regulates activities in wetlands of any size that meet certain criteria (under Section 404 of the Clean Water Act). It does not generally regulate the adjacent area or buffer zone around each wetland, but can impose restrictions in those areas on a case-by-case basis.
• The Army Corps of Engineers (ACOE) is the agency responsible for federal wetlands protection.
• To be eligible for federal protection, a wetland must be associated with a permanent waterway. This leaves many hydrologicallyisolated wetlands unprotected. (The determination of jurisdiction is made by the Army Corps of Engineers.)
What freshwater wetlands are protected in New York?
For the most part, New York State protects “larger” wetlands (≥12.4 acres) with 100-foot adjacent area.
Photo by L. Heady
In short, what wetlands are protected in New York?
For the most part, Federal jurisdiction protects wetlands connected to permanent waterways, but leaves many “isolated” wetlands unprotected.
Wetlands can also be protected through municipal efforts.
Changes to Federal jurisdiction in the last decade left many “isolated” wetlands vulnerable.
61% of palustrine and riverinewetlands on NWI maps in Ulster County are “small” (<12.4 ac) and geographically isolated.
(Zucker & Lau 2009)
Photo by L. Heady
Center for Watershed Protection
Photo by S. Cuppett
“Direct and Indirect Impacts of Urbanization on Wetland Quality” December 2006
“Development in urban and rural areas now is the cause of more than 60% of national wetland loss. Several national assessments have noted deficiencies in current federal and state regulatory programs…These regulatory gaps can best be closed by increased local management and regulation of wetlands.”
From the NYSDEC website:
“The science of wetlands…has matured in the past 20 years. The old perception that all wetlands are marshy and have open water has been placed in a new context. We now know that only about 14% of our wetlands fit this cattail-marsh-with-a-duck image. Most of our wetlands are shrub or forested swamps, and many lie along rivers and streams in the floodplain riparian zone. In the past, many of these critical wetlands were missed in the mapping process.”
Take Home Messages1.) There are a variety of wetland types in the region.
2.) Wetlands have tremendous value and provide important services that support human and natural communities, such as flood control and clean water.
3.) Many wetlands are not protected by existing State and Federal regulations.
4.) Local communities have opportunities to conserve vulnerable wetlands and the services and economic benefits they provide to residents.
Photo by L. Heady
Photo by L. Heady
For more information:
Connect with NYSDEC:Facebook: www.facebook.com/NYSDECTwitter: twitter.com/NYSDECFlickr: www.flickr.com/photos/nysdec
Laura HeadyConservation & Land Use Coordinator
[email protected] River Estuary Program and Cornell University
Thank you!
Photo by Laura Heady
Otter Creek Video
Photo by L. Heady
http://youtu.be/ucb-Y8iipng
Conservation Law Foundation video on Vermont flooding