A Wetland Status and Trends Analysis for the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation

Essential to the development of the appropriate wetland protection measures in New York was the development of a state-specific information base concerning the status and trends of wetland gains and losses. The purpose of this study, which was conducted by the State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) under a grant from EPA, was to provide wetland status and trends data for the period 1975 to 1995. The three fundamental objectives of the project were to:

• identify quantitative and qualitative changes in the wetland resource base over the ten-year study period; 

• identify the principal causes of those changes;

• create a documented information base to facilitate future tracking of wetland gains and losses

The study relied on aerial photographs and other remote sensing data, as well as ground surveys and other relevant data sources to analyze freshwater wetland gains and losses in each of six ecological zones throughout the state. Once the methodologies were validated, the ecozones were examined and a state-wide GIS database was developed using ARC/INFO to facilitate future studies of changes in wetlands in the State of New York. H&C, inc. personnel were instrumental in the identification of quantitative and qualitative changes in the wetland and ecozone classifications.