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Wetlands are critical habitats for birds, fish and other wildlife. Wetlands control floods, filter sediments and pollutants, and protect shorelines. From Long Island Sound and the Hudson River Estuary to the Great Lakes and small wetlands in local communities, Audubon New York is working to conserve and restore these natural treasures.

Major wetland issues in New York State

• Clean-up of Long Island Sound;
• Enforcement of the federal and state wetlands laws;
• Promotion of estuary clean-up plans; and
• Support to wetland sanctuaries and refuges.

For further information regarding our Wetlands Campaign please contact:

Graham Cox, Forest/Wetlands Coordinator
Audubon New York
200 Trillium Lane, Albany, NY 12203
(518) 869-9731; fax (518) 869-0737

Regardless of size, freshwater wetlands contain a diverse range of plant and animal species, including some species that are exceptionally rare. These important communities provide essential habitats for many species of migratory waterfowl, for numerous threatened, endangered, or species of special concern, such as the Bald Eagle and Osprey, and for countless other amphibian, avian, fish, and wildlife species to nest, breed, and feed. Numerous freshwater wetlands can be found on Audubon Important Bird Areas (IBAs) throughout the state, with some host to very unique habitats that support a large diversity of bird species. Freshwater wetlands also provide countless other environmental benefits from flood protection and stormwater runoff control, to filtering pollutants, pesticides and sediments from the water, which benefit the state’s economy by increasing eco-tourism opportunities, and improving water quality. These benefits illustrate the need to protect the State’s freshwater wetlands to the greatest extent possible.

Currently, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has the authority to regulate wetlands 12.4 acres or greater that are mapped, while the federal government (EPA and Army Corp.) has authority over the rest. However, a 2001 Supreme Court ruling in Solid Waste Agency of Northern Cook County v. United States Army Corps of Engineers limited the federal government’s authority to regulate certain "isolated" wetlands under the Clean Water Act. "Isolated wetlands" are wetlands that are not connected by navigable surface water to waters of the U.S. Since that time, the federal government has backed away even further from protecting these extremely important areas, and now the state must step in and fill the gap.

Legislative History: The bi-partisan Clean Water Protection/ Flooding Prevention Act (A.2048 / S.2081) would decrease the size threshold for DEC regulation of freshwater wetlands to 1 acre or larger, thus increasing the states ability to protect these ecosystems. This legislation also greatly increases the state’s ability to properly manage these habitats for the benefit of all New York’s citizens, birds, and wildlife by removing the mapping requirements for regulation. This legislation has passed the Assembly, but stalled in the Senate. New York is the only State in the northeast to not have a size restriction on their regulation of small freshwater wetlands.