The water north of Queens will remain, polluted as usual, but the makeup of the area will be changed forever. The loss in wetland marshes that are home to so many different species of fish and fowl are disappearing at an alarming rate. A new study shows that in the last six years, the amount of marsh swallowed by the bay has nearly doubled.
From The New York Times:
Using satellite imagery of the bay, along with field observations, the report found that about 33 acres of tidal wetlands are lost every year, nearly twice the 18-acre annual loss found in a previous study by the state released in 2001. The latest report was compiled by the Jamaica Bay Watershed Advisory Committee, a New York City body, and experts at the National Park Service’s Gateway National Recreation Area, which includes the bay.
“The dramatic increase in the rate of marsh loss we found is shocking,” the report says. “Given the short time that appears to be remaining for the marsh islands, this may be our last chance to save Jamaica Bay.”
While experts are not in agreement on what causes the severe losses, scientists suspect that one principal reason is nitrogen pollution from the treated outflow of four city sewage treatment plants on the bay. Large amounts of nitrogen can kill delicate marsh plants, and without the root structures to hold sediment in place, the marsh islands could be quickly washed away.
If only the city made the effort to clean up several sewage treatment plants, the levels of nitrogen emitted into the bay would drop. Scientists say this is the main reason the landscape is changing, although there could be a few more reasons related to climate change, such as rising sea levels.
Of course taking the steps to implement change is always hard to come by when you mix environmental concerns with the bureaucracy of New York. Politicians need to step up and call for action. This piece by the Times is great, but it needs to be replicated across the New York media establishment. Only an extreme amount of public pressure can do it. So call up your representatives, The Daily News, The Observer and all of the city rags so they start talking about it. There isn't much time left.
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