Environmental groups in New York state want Gov. Kathy Hochul to enact strict protections for wetlands.
The state passed a sweeping wetland protection law in 2022. Now, regulations are being finalized before taking effect on Jan. 1. The New York-based advocacy group Nature Conservancy is pushing the governor to limit development in wetlands due to the critical roles they play.
The marshy wetland areas across Long Island help prevent flooding by absorbing heavy rainfall and filtering the rain as it sinks into the aquifer that provides drinking water. According to Jessica Ottney Mahar, the Nature Conservancy's New York Director of Policy and Strategy, they're nature's "workhorses."
"When we lose wetlands, we lose all of the benefits that they bring to our communities," Ottney Mahar said. "It is that flood prevention. It's that storage of water during droughts. It's the connection to our bays and harbors, and it's also storing carbon, which is another big state goal."
Long Island's freshwater wetlands are mostly located in the center of the island, like the Pine Barrens; many of the wetlands along the coasts are saltwater. All of them support wildlife habitats up and down the food chain and contribute to the natural beauty that fuels Long Island's tourism economy.
“It's not just about protecting the salamanders and the frogs, but it's all of the birds and other wildlife that are a really important part of Long Island's lifestyle — the quality of life, participating in and viewing nature, taking walks in nature," said Alison Branco, Nature Conservancy's New York director of Climate Adaptation. "These habitats support not only us in our drinking water but also the wildlife that we like to enjoy.”
