Urge lawmakers to pass legislation in the state budget to protect 1 million acres of wetlands!
New York’s wetlands’ regulations are outdated and grossly inadequate, leaving millions of acres of valuable wetlands vulnerable to being destroyed or polluted. In fact, NYS has already lost at least 60% of its wetlands—over 1.5 million acres.
Governor Hochul and the New York State Senate have proposed to update and improve the state’s wetlands program in their respective budget proposals. If enacted in the final state budget that is due on March 31, this policy would protect over 1 million acres of wetlands across the state. Protecting wetlands will safeguard drinking water sources, shield communities from flooding, help fight climate change, and provide habitat for fish and wildlife.
CCE has been fighting to modernize New York’s wetlands’ protections for nearly two decades—we are closer than ever to finally getting the job done and we need your help! Email elected leaders today and urge them to protect New York’s freshwater wetlands in the final state budget due on March 31.
Why are our wetlands so important? Wetlands, regardless of size, provide numerous benefits to people, environment, and economy of New York State. Wetlands:
Protect clean drinking water: Often referred to as “nature’s kidneys,” wetlands absorb pesticides, nitrogen, and other contaminants before they pollute drinking water sources.
Absorb floodwaters: Wetlands save billions of dollars in property damage annually by acting as a buffer against storm water and absorbing floodwaters. One acre of wetlands can store 1.5 million gallons of storm water.
Provide habitat for wildlife: More than half of all threatened or endangered species depend on wetlands during their lifecycle.
Help fight climate change: Wetlands can store 81 to 216 metric tons of carbon per acre, helping to fight climate change.
Thank you for taking action!
Sincerely,
Your friends at CCE