By Alex Davidson
City Councilman Joe Addabbo (D-Howard Beach) called on city officials to allow the city Department of Parks and Recreation to take control of several plots of wetlands around or near Kennedy Airport to ensure they are protected and preserved.
Addabbo urged the city during a June 20 hearing to put acres of property it already owns under the jurisdiction of the Parks Department to guarantee the protection of the sensitive coastal environments. He cited the dwindling wetlands in New York City, which is down from a high of 100 square miles to the 14 square miles today.
“From a strictly environmental perspective, it is imperative we preserve our natural heritage,” Addabbo said. “We must also consider the benefits wetlands provide to educational efforts, real estate values and the integrity of the city's infrastructure.”
During the joint hearing between the Council's Parks and Recreation Committee and the Council's Select Committee on Waterfronts, Addabbo said several properties in Queens are currently owned by the city but must be protected by the Parks Department.
Addabbo listed the following properties: 400 acres of sensitive habitat in the Arverne Urban Renewal Area in the Rockaways; several small lots between Brookfield Park and Springfield Park just north of Kennedy Airport; two lots on the easternmost portion of Kennedy Airport bordered on the northeast by Thurston Basin; and several other scattered lots throughout the Rockaway Peninsula.
Wetlands play an integral role in the ecosystems of coastal regions. They serve as filters for runoff water, effectively limiting pollution into Jamaica Bay and other such regions, and serve as nesting grounds for animals who live in shallow water and grasses.
The Howard Beach councilman said about 80 percent of the Queens harbor region's wetlands have disappeared. The total disappearance of the wetlands in Jamaica Bay, which some 20 percent of all species of birds in North America call home, could have devastating effects on the environment throughout the United States.
“We should take advantage of this opportunity to protect our wetlands,” Addabbo said.
Reach reporter Alex Davidson by e-mail at TimesLedger@aol.com or by phone at 718-229-0300, Ext. 156.
