wetland conservation: what do we have to lose?

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.) hydrophytic vegetation: vegetation that is adapted to wet conditions

Photo by L. Heady

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

Phot

o by

L. H

eady

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 hydrologically isolated 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 riverine wetlands 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

laura.heady@dec.ny.gov Hudson 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