Without the natural buffer of the Graniteville wetlands, homes will be at risk during the next big storm. There is no doubt that waters will rise and flood our community. If, as a result, FEMA redraws the flood plain maps, residents are forced to get flood insurance that currently isn’t required, homes will suddenly be unaffordable for many neighborhood residents.
Written by Ed Szczepanski and Paula Segal. Read more from the article: https://bit.ly/305gE7O.
Staten Islanders know that the borough is a unique hybrid of urban amenities plus natural resources and wildlife. The Graniteville area is one of the best examples of this; it’s a great city neighborhood straddling the Graniteville Wetlands and Forest. During Superstorm Sandy, those wetlands and trees were all that stood between neighborhood homes and devastating destruction.
Written by Gabriella Velardi Ward and Paula Segal. Read more from the article: https://bit.ly/32YhFjE.
After more than a year of community opposition to a commercial development planned for a site next to a wetland area in Mariners Harbor, the biggest obstacle the developers now face may be in the form of a reptile. It’s believed that the eastern mud turtle, which is on the New York State list of endangered species, may reside in the area behind United Cerebral Palsy at 2324 Forest Ave.
Written by Annalise Knudson. Read more from the article: https://bit.ly/305gE7O.
The controversial plan to build a BJ’s wholesale Club and several other retail outlets on South Avenue is moving forward. But some say the move will put nearby residents at risk of flooding since the construction would disrupt nearby wetlands.
Written by Anthony Pascale. Read more from the article: https://bit.ly/2D85p5x.
Since Houston, Texas was founded nearly two centuries ago, Houstonians have been treating its wetlands as stinky, mosquito-infested blots in need of drainage. Even after it became a widely accepted scientific fact that wetlands can soak up large amounts of flood water, the city continued to pave over them. In recent days, the flooding caused by Hurricane Harvey has raised water levels in some parts of the watershed high enough to completely cover a Cadillac. The vanished wetlands wouldn’t have prevented flooding, but they would have made it less painful, experts say.
Written by Ana Campoy & David Yanofsky. Read more from the article: https://bit.ly/2PjcLpl.
NY/NJ Baykeeper has a significant interest in preserving open space in Staten Island, particularly in a neighborhood as already well developed as Graniteville. Adding yet another unnecessary retail development in place of a beautiful wooded area raises significant concerns, as it is not supported by local need or desire. The fact that this particular development abuts a significant tract of protected tidal wetlands only compounds the issue, putting even more green space at risk of loss.
Written by Debbie Mans. Read more from the letter: https://bit.ly/30naqA4.
It is important to know that the Graniteville Swamp is the headwaters of Old Place Creek. Development in the marsh and pine oak-dominated forest will greatly compromise the system’s ability to control neighborhood flooding, and discharge storm water safely out to Old Place Creek.
Written by Beryl A. Thurman. Read more from the article: https://bit.ly/39yh4GJ.
On July 7, 1997, roughly nine acres of land in the neighborhood of Graniteville were assigned to the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation. This area of land is within the site known as Graniteville Swamp, which is five times the size of the acreage assigned to the Parks Department. On June 1, 2000, another addition was made to what is now known as Graniteville Swamp Park. This little sliver of land, in addition to the original portion obtained by the Parks Department, account for close to nothing when they are compared to the size of the swamp.
Written by Anthony Licciardello. Read more from the article: https://bit.ly/39Sog0q.