1. Fred Mushacke, Dave Fallon, Evan Picard- NYS Conservation Dept., 205 Belle Mead Rd. E. Setauket, NY e-mail: fmushac@gw.dec.state.ny.us Ph. (631) 444-0465 Status and Trends of Tidal Wetlands In New York’s Marine District

4. Wetland Values: Marine food production production up to 4 tons /acre/year

6. Tidal Wetlands Program History 1973 Tidal Wetlands Act (Article 25)- Protect and Preserve Tidal Wetlands and their values 1974 Tidal Wetland Inventory- Identify and Classify all Tidal Wetlands in the Marine District. 1977 Tidal Wetlands Land Use Regulations (Part 661) Become Effective- Regulate all types of activities within 150 ft (NYC), 300ft Nassau/Suffolk and Westchester from the Tidal Wetlands boundary 1989 Tidal Wetlands Re-Inventory – Evaluate effectiveness of tidal wetlands regulatory program and conduct a trends analysis.

7. West Pond AcresAcres AcresAcres 1974 1999-2004 1974 1999-2002

8. Areas of Quantitative and Qualitative Assessment in the Peconic Bay Estuary Hubbard Creek Cedar Beach Creek Corey Creek Dickerson Creek Goose Creek Oyster Ponds Haywater Cove West Creek Southampton Riverhead Southold AcresAcres 1974 2002-2005

9. New Rochelle West Pond

10. West Pond 1966 LIS Dosoris Pond

11. West Pond 1974 IR 2005 IR Area of vegetated intertidal marsh 21.8 acres. Area of vegetated intertidal marsh 8.6 acres.

12. West Pond 1974 - 21.8 acres; 2005 - 8.6acres. 13.2 acres lost, 0.42 acres lost/year

13. NYS Department of Environmental Conservation West Pond July 6, 2006 Comparing the changes from 1974 to 2005 reveals a loss of 60.6% or 0.42 acres/year of vegetated marsh, Spartina alterniflora.

14. New Rochelle West Pond

15. Flax Pond 1974 IR 2004 TC

16. 1974 - 2004 Flax Pond Digital (GIS) Comparison 14 acres loss = 22% loss / 30 years = 0.46 acres/yr 1974 - 73 acres 2004– 57 acres Smith’s pond

17. NYS Department of Environmental Conservation Quantitative, incremental increase in sediment deposition

18. Cedar Beach Corey Creek Little Peconic Bay Bayview S O U T H O L D West Creek

19. 1974 Tidal Wetland inventory CIR 2002 NYS true color SAV aerial Cedar Beach

20. 1974 Tidal Wetlands- 19.72 acres 2002 Tidal Wetlands 11.16 acres 8.56 acres lost over 28 years Rate 0.3 acres/year 43% loss Cedar Beach, Southold

21. Cedar Beach Marsh Island Loss

22. Findings Large acre wetland complexes, qualitatively studied, show no apparent loss of vegetated marsh Spartina alterniflora. Wetland islands appear to sustain greater loss than land based marshes. With the exception of Jamaica bay losses (44acres/year), Losses throughout the island, in the marshes studied, are occurring at ½ -3/4 an acre/year To date no “smoking gun” cause or impact has been found. Each wetland complex seems to have a unique loss fingerprint, some are easily speculated due to past impacts others remain puzzling. Based on current trends, of the 15 areas studied, approx. 1395 acres (8%) of S. alterniflora marshes have been lost since 1974. That’s 5580 tons of organic material/year unavailable to the marine ecosystem.

23. Potential Factors Causing Loss Sediment Budget Disruption Ponding Wind and Wave Erosion Ice scraping, gouging, tearing and expansion Sea Level Rise Maintenance of man-made structures

24. Next Steps/Strategies Obtain funding to complete LI Trends Analysis Assess areas for TW loss Determine reasons for losses Develop management plans Become partners with towns, villages and local groups Begin remediation process DEC web site: www.dec.state.ny.us/website/dfwmr/marine/twloss.html

25. NYS Department of Environmental Conservation Issues to Consider What is the extent of tidal wetlands loss ? What are the causes? What effect will the loss of primary productivity have on endangered marine species? How will they be resolved?

26. Acknowledgements Dave Fallon Evan Picard New York State Police Suffolk County Planning National Park Service Soil Conservation Service

27. NYS Department of Environmental Conservation

28. East side of Broad Channel, Jamaica Bay ice rafting of Spartina marsh tussock

29. Youngs Island

30. 1974 IR 1999 TC

31. Stony Brook Harbor, Youngs Island, July 17, 2001

32. 1974 - 1999 Stony Brook Harbor Digital (GIS) Comparison 40.62 acres loss = 57.5% loss / 25 years = 1.62 acres/yr 1974 - 70.6 acres 1999 - 30.0 acres

33. 1974 - 2004 Flax Pond Digital (GIS) Comparison 14 acres loss = 22% loss / 30 years = 0.46 acres/yr 1974 - 73 acres 1999 – 58 acres

34. Fred Mushacke, Dave Fallon, Evan Picard- NYS Conservation Dept., 205 Belle Mead Rd. E. Setauket, NY e-mail: fmushac@gw.dec.state.ny.us Ph. (631) 444-0465 Tidal Wetlands Loss In New York’s Marine District Tidal Wetlands; Here Today,

35. . Tidal Wetlands Program History 1973 Tidal Wetlands Act- Protect and Preserve Tidal Wetlands and their values. 1974 Tidal Wetland Inventory- Identify and Classify all Tidal Wetlands in the Marine District. 1977 Tidal Wetlands Regulations Become Effective- Regulate all types of activities within 150 ft (NYC), 300ft Nassau/Suffolk of Tidal Wetlands boundary

36. New Rochelle

37. Cedar Beach Corey Creek Little Peconic Bay Bayview S O U T H O L D

38. N.J. CT. Nassau Westchester Queens Brooklyn Location Of Jamaica Bay Jamaica Bay

39. 2004 Flax Pond True Color Aerial

40. Findings Large acre wetland complexes, qualitatively studied, show no apparent loss of vegetated marsh Spartina alterniflora. Wetland islands appear to sustain greater loss than land based marshes. With the exception of Jamaica bay losses (44acres/year), Losses throughout the island, in the marshes studied, are occurring at ½ -3/4 an acre/year To date no “smoking gun” cause or impact has been found. Each wetland complex seems to have a unique loss fingerprint, some are easily speculated due to past impacts others remain puzzling. Based on the complexes assessed approx. 1395 acres of S. alterniflora marsh have been lost.

41. 1974 IR 1999 TC Mt. Sinai Harbor

42. Mt. Sinai Harbor west, July 17,2001

43. 1974 - 1999 MT. Sinai Harbor Digital (GIS) Comparison 46.67 acres loss = 48.96% loss / 25 years = 1.86 acres/yr 1974 - 95.3 acres 1999 - 48.7 acres

45. Corey Creek Marsh Loss and Reduced Plant Density

46. Corey Creek Dredged Spoil Revegetation

47. South Manhasset Bay

48. 1974 IR 1994 IR

49. Sheets Creek, Manor Haven July 17, 2001

50. 1974 - 1994 Manor Haven Digital (GIS) Comparison 1974 - 8.91 acres; 1994 - 3.42 acres 5.49 acres loss = 61% loss / 20 years = 0.25 acres/yr

52. 15 acres lost = 24.6% loss / 24 years = 0.62 acres/yr Goose Island, South Oyster Bay island group

54. 1974 - 2004 Flax Pond Digital (GIS) Comparison 14 acres loss = 22% loss / 30 years = 0.46 acres/yr 1974 - 73 acres 1999 – 58 acres

55. Tussocks and Ice in the Winter Ice can bring about erosion, deposition, and the formation of new tussocks. From: Glenn Richard slide presentation: The Birth and Growth of a Salt Marsh: A Sedimentological History of Flax Pond

56. Inlet changes 1974 - 2004

57. 1999 1994 1974 1924 Tidal Wetlands Lost 1924 - 1999 Jamaica Bay Wetlands Loss Jamaica Bay Tidal Wetlands Acres Lost/Year

58. 1924 1974 1999 East High Meadow

59. East High Meadow, Jamaica Bay oblique flying SW across marsh June, 2003

60. NYS Department of Environmental Conservation