New York County Environmental Assessment Nassau county By: Katelyn Stancliffe Tamarac Elementary 5 th grade

Abstract The aim of my study is to find more information about strengths and challenges facing a county in New York. My county is Nassau County NY. To conduct this study, I researched using multiple websites and newspaper articles. One website that I used was the Department of Environmental Conservation site. Throughout my research, I learned that: Wetlands are being filled in and built on top of for industrial uses and housing. Because of Nassau County being mostly city and suburbs, it is more populated than other parts of New York. Many people who live in this county need to drive to New York City for work. This means that there more cars on the roads, and this produces smog, contributing to global warming. 86% of Nassau County’s energy comes from gas. There are no wind power plants or solar power plants in Nassau County, and there are no plans for building any. Nassau County does not make use of a lot of renewable energy. Based on my research, I think that Nassau County, NY should slow down on filling in and building over wetlands, promote carpooling or the use of energy efficient cars, and install solar and wind plants.

Where is your county, and what is the terrain like? Nassau county is located in southern New York, on Long Island. No mountain ranges Flat 166 miles of beaches Terrain

Population and Location Challenges Population- 1,349,233 (2012) Very close to New York city. People commute to work. Challenge: More cars which cause SMOG. This contributes to Global Warming.

Habitats and Challenges Forests Challenges: Trees are being cut down for development. Wetlands Challenges: Being filled in and built over top of for housing and industries. Little Farmland One farm, Crossroads at Grossman’s, teaches people from the inner city about where their food comes from.

Major Industries Social and Healthcare / Education Uses a lot of gas powered vehicles causes air pollution. Uses a lot of paper products that are being thrown away.

Rivers and Watersheds Eel creek and the Pathogen Watershed are all water sheds in Nassau county. Rivers in Nassau county include Mill River. Oil spills, chemical spills, and pollution are just some of the things that pollute Nassau counties water sources.

Energy 86% of Nassau County’s energy comes from gas. Challenges of gas extraction: Chemicals they use for fracking gets into groundwater, which can make people sick. There are no wind power or solar power plants in this county, and the county doesn’t plan on building any in the future.

Waste There are many landfills and incinerators buy not many recycling and composting companies – The EPA announced plans to build a water treatment system to collect liquid seeping from the Dewey Loeffel Landfill Superfund site. Brian Nearing, “Treatment Plant to Open at Nassau Toxic Dump.”

Around 1600, what Native American communities lived in your county? The Poospatuck tribe has a preservation in Nassau County, which is one of the smallest in New York State.

A Fun Fact about my County is…  Nassau county doesn’t have any mountain ranges.

References  “About Nassau County.” Nassau Land Trust. Accessed April 22,  “About Us: Crossroads Farm at Grossman’s.” Nassau Land Trust. Accessed April 22,  Brian Nearing. “Treatment Plant to Open at Nassau Toxic Dump.” The Green Blog, November 26,  Nassau County. “Nassau County: Long Island, New York,”  “Nassau County, New York.” Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia, April 22,  Native Languages of the Americas. “Native American Tribes of New York,”  New York State DEC. “Energy and Climate: The Energy/Climate Change Connection.” New York State Department of Environmental Conservation,  ———. “List of Compost Facilities in New York State.” New York State Department of Environmental Conservation,  ———. “Nassau and Suffolk Counties: Trends in Wetland Loss.” New York State Department of Environmental Conservation,  ———. “NYS Watersheds: Management, Monitoring, and Assessment.” New York State Department of Environmental Conservation,  ———. “Registered Electronic Waste Recycling Facilities.” New York State Department of Environmental Conservation,  New York State Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation. “Walt Whitman Birthplace State Historic Site,”  North American Environthon. “About Us.” North American Environthon,  NRDC. “Renewable Energy for America: Renewable Energy Map.” Natural Resources Defense Council,  Richard Frisbie. “Early Nassau & Suffolk County History.” Hope Farm Press,  US EPA. “AirCompare: Are You Breathing Clean Air? How Does Your City Compare?” AirNow, February 15,  ———. “How Clean Is the Electricity I Use? - Power Profiler | Clean Energy.” United States Environmental Protection Agency, April 22,  Vink, Jan. Nassau County Profile Cornell Program on Applied Demographics. Accessed March 15,