NYS Releases Draft Ocean Action Plan

This week the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation and the New York State Department of State released the New York Ocean Action Plan (OAP) for public comment. See, http://www.dec.ny.gov/docs/fish_marine_pdf/oceanactionplan.pdf

Designed as a 10-year plan, according to the DEC website, the OAP outlines the following four interconnected goals that reflect New York’s priorities for immediate action:

1.Ensure the ecological integrity of the ocean ecosystem;
2.Promote economic growth, coastal development and human use of the ocean in a manner that is sustainable and consistent with maintaining ecosystem integrity;
3.Increase resilience of ocean resources to impacts associated with climate change; and
4.Empower the public to actively participate in decision making and ocean stewardship

The geographic area encompasses the State’s ocean waters stretching from New York City to the end of Long Island, including ecological connections to offshore waters out to the edge of the continental shelf. Additionally, given the interconnectedness of ocean waters with nearshore waters, the ecological relationship with several estuaries and their habitats will also be examined: the Peconic, Hudson River, and NY-NJ Harbor Estuaries, Long Island Sound, and the lagoonal bays of the south shore of Long Island-Great South Bay, Jamaica Bay, Moriches Bay, Hempstead Bay, and Shinnecock Bay.

Suffice it to say there are a lot of land use related issues discussed in the draft report and something all land use lawyers and planners on coastal communities across the State (especially on LI) should read and consider providing comments.

Public hearings are scheduled as follows:
•February 10, 2015: 10:00am – Noon at the Meadows Edge Restaurant, Suffolk County Parks Office, West Sayville
•February 10, 2015: 7:00pm – 9:00pm at Riverhead Town Hall, Riverhead
•February 24, 2015: 7:00pm – 9:00pm at Operation Splash, 202 Woodcleft Avenue, Freeport
•February 26, 2015: 2:00pm – 4:00pm at the Long Beach Public Library, Long Beach
•Location in New York City to be determined.

Written comments regarding this proposed Ocean Action Plan will be accepted until March 9, 2015. Comments should be submitted to Debra Abercrombie, NYSDEC Bureau of Marine Resources, 205 N. Belle Mead Rd., Suite 1, East Setauket, NY 11733 or emailed to debra.abercrombie@dec.ny.gov. For more details see: http://www.dec.ny.gov/lands/84428.html