Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Wetlands initiative headscratcher

From Save Ridgewood Reservoir:

The following quote is from Mayor Bloomberg's PlaNYC 2030:

"Many New Yorkers don't realize there are thousands of acres of wetlands in the five boroughs," said Mayor Bloomberg. "Wetlands are robust ecosystems that perform crucial environmental functions like trapping pollutants, capturing stormwater runoff, sequestering carbon dioxide, and moderating storm surges. In PlaNYC, we promised to study wetlands and build on wetland successes like the impressive Staten Island Bluebelt stormwater project managed by the Department of Environmental Protection, as well as the thousands of acres of wetlands managed by the Parks Department." The mapping efforts and policy evaluation called for in the report complement ongoing City efforts that protect wetlands, including: - Acquiring additional wetlands as part of the Bluebelt network, Parks system, and upstate watershed land; - Implementing the comprehensive Jamaica Bay Watershed Protection Plan for the restoration of tidal marshes and other aspects of the Jamaica Bay ecosystem; - Implementing the Sustainable Stormwater Management Plan to reduce point and non-point source water pollution; and - Revising the City Environmental Quality Review (CEQR) Technical Manual that guides the process that City agencies use to identify the effect their actions may have on the environment.

If the mayor thinks that New Yorkers will take his "green" mandate seriously, perhaps he should start by reversing his plans to develop the Ridgewood Reservoir's important natural habitats.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

"sequestering carbon dioxide"

When will this bovine excrement stop!
Fact is mature trees are net producers of CO2. And when the tree does die and is left to decompose in a "natural" way, it releases all the CO2 it absorbed during it's life faster then it absorbed it. Decomposing organic matter dwarfs the amount of CO2 humans creat.

Anonymous said...

Or develop the waterfront, or develop Newtown Creek, or develop the Flushing Airport, or develop Willets Pont....

Where in the f* are all the green groups?

Oh I know, funded by the real estate controlled Metropolitan Waterfront (Developer) Alliance.

Anonymous said...

It will be developed.More people,no room.....YOU CAN'T FIT 5 QUARTS IN A GALLON CON.TAINER. I figure in 40 years they'll be building on top of the cemetery's.

Anonymous said...

Trees are the "lungs" of the city. It is true that trees can produce CO2 naturally at night as a part of photosynthesis, but during the day they create oxygen and it is the oxygen that they and other plants create that are responsible for all animal life.

Can anyone argue that the air is cleaner now that the natural forests have been removed?