The "DRAFT Report of the New York State Seagrass Task Force: Recommendations to the New York State Governor and Legislature” is now available for public comment.
A draft report that presents recommendations about the management of New York’s declining coastal seagrasses was recently released for public review and input. The report and upcoming public meetings will provide assessments of current seagrass populations and management recommendations to protect and restore this critical marine habitat.
Seagrass is a rooted, flowering plant found in New York's coastal waters. Seagrass - most notably, eelgrass - provides invaluable spawning, nursery, and maturation habitat for several commercially and recreationally important fish and shellfish. Seagrass also improves water quality, is an integral part of marine nutrient cycles, and is an important component of the marine and coastal food webs.
While historic seagrass acreage in New York has not been documented, historic photography and records indicate that there may have been 200,000 acres in 1930; today, only 21,803 acres remain. Challenges facing seagrasses include nutrient-heavy runoff and other discharges, decreased water quality and clarity, large phytoplankton blooms, habitat degradation, fishing gear and boating activities, and climate change.
In 2006, the state Legislature established the New York State Seagrass Task Force and charged the group with developing recommendations to restore, research, preserve, and manage seagrass. The Task Force has been researching, monitoring and analyzing seagrass threats, trends, and data. State agencies, recreational and commercial fishing and boating industries, estuary programs, academia, municipalities, and not-for-profit entities worked together to develop a draft report of recommendations that, when final, will serve as a blueprint for efforts to protect and restore New York’s seagrasses.
The Task Force Report is available at: http://www.dec.ny.gov/lands/4932.html (on the right-hand column under "Related Links") Comments must be submitted to: Karen Chytalo, NYSDEC Bureau of Marine Resources, 205 N Belle Meade Rd., Suite 1, East Setauket, NY 11733, or fwmarine@gw.dec.state.ny.us by November 25, 2009. Please reference "NYS Seagrass Task Force Report" in the subject of the email.
Three Public Meetings have been scheduled:
Meeting 1: Nassau County Date: Tuesday November 10, 2009 Location: Baldwin Public Library, 2385 Grand Avenue, Baldwin, NY 11510 Time: 6:00pm-7:30pm
Meeting 2: Suffolk County Date: Thursday November 12, 2009 Location: Riverhead Town Hall, 200 Howell Avenue, Riverhead, New York 11901 Time: 5:00pm-6:30pm
Meeting 3: New York City Date: Tuesday November 17, 2009 Location: National Park Service Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge Visitor Contact Station, Gateway National Recreation Area Time: 3:00pm-4:30pm
The Oct 21 Environmental Notice Bulletin (ENB) Notice is available at: http://www.dec.ny.gov/enb/20091021_not0.html (last notice at bottom of page). Skip to Content