This Website
The Suffolk County Wetlands Stewardship Program (WSP) website was established by the County to provide interested parties with an efficient means of accessing information about the WSP. It will serve as a repository of schedules of WSP planned activities; documents developed by the County, its committees, and its expert consultants including maps, photographs and minutes of meetings; contacts at the County and WSP committees; a link to an FTP site for sharing large documents; and links to other sites with related information and materials.
Wetlands Stewardship Program
The Wetlands Stewardship Program is a cooperative venture between the Wetlands Stewardship Committee (Committee) and various Suffolk County (County) Departments (Environment and Energy as the committee chair, Health Services as Stewardship Program project manager, Public Works as project sponsor, and Planning and Parks as key partners).
In March of 2007 Suffolk County approved Resolution No. 285-2007, adopting the Suffolk County Vector Control and Wetlands Management Long-Term Plan (Long-Term Plan) and associated environmental documents.
The Long-Term Plan was developed to control mosquitoes (protect public health), reduce pesticide usage, and manage and protect wetlands. A major goal is to reduce larviciding by 75 percent, as measured in acres treated, over 12 years; currently, 4,000 acres of tidal wetlands are routinely larvicided. Another key goal is to continue to reduce adulticiding. In recent years, less than two percent of Suffolk County has received non-emergency adulticide treatments.
Based on the recommendations included in the Long-Term Plan, the County created the Wetlands Stewardship Committee consisting of representatives from government agencies, policy-makers, estuary program representatives and non-profit organizations. The Committee reviews and approves all major wetlands restoration proposals and projects with the principal goal of enhancing wetlands health and function.
The Committee will meet at a minimum on a quarterly basis to vote on wetlands management projects. The Committee will be supported by professional staff at the County Departments of Environment and Energy, Health Services, and Public Works. Suffolk County Capital Program 8730 (Wetlands Planning) is also a source of funding for the Wetlands Stewardship Program. A “Wetlands Management Work Group”, consisting of technical experts from agencies, Non-Governmental Organizations, and academia, will meet more frequently, and will report to the Committee. The Work Group will conduct many of the functions formerly performed by the Long-Term Plan’s “Wetlands Subcommittee” (i.e., will guide monitoring, assessment, and project design).
Program Features
The Wetlands Stewardship Program (WSP) will address the assessment and management needs of all tidal wetlands in Suffolk County (approximately 17,000 acres), not just those wetlands of concern with respect to vector control. Marsh health will be the paramount objective.
The scope of activity will generally be limited to tidal wetlands. However, freshwaters and freshwater wetlands which are closely hydrologically connected and integral to a tidal wetlands subsystem, may be considered on a case-by-case basis. All County-sponsored wetlands management initiatives will be subject to Wetlands Stewardship Committee review and approval. Federal, state, town, and village jurisdictions are encouraged to participate in the Stewardship Committee (e.g., in terms of project review), but are not required to do so. Within three years of implementation of the Long-Term Plan, the WSP will develop a Wetlands Stewardship Strategy (WSS) to address the assessment and management needs of all tidal wetlands in Suffolk County.
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