City Comptroller Scott Stringer expressed disappointment in DEC’s decision. “The Graniteville wetlands are a miracle, and they spared a community the worst of Sandy. I am deeply disappointed that DEC chose to ignore calls from Staten Islanders and allow a precious natural resource to be paved over in the name of development,” Stringer said.
Written by Sydney Kashiwagi. Read more from the article: https://bit.ly/39yh4GJ.
Situated between the neighborhoods of Old Place and Graniteville, this 42-acre woodlands has been growing in isolation for many decades, inside a triangle of land surrounded by strip malls and chain stores. Thousands of mature trees live here, some soaring 100 feet over the adjoining marshes of the Graniteville Swamp. Soon, more than half of this forest may be bulldozed to make way for a 28-acre development that will include a gas station, 838 parking spaces, and BJ’s Wholesale Club.
Written by Nathan Kensinger. Read more from the article: https://bit.ly/2WZ1VZS.
In this northwest corner of the Forgotten Borough, Velardi-Ward is one of dozens of Staten Islanders who have been waging a battle largely outside of the wider city spotlight, a stand against City Hall that they feel is a matter of life and death for the people who live in this part of the city.
Written by Alexis Sottile. Read more from the article: https://bit.ly/3g6IR3o.
After extensive surveys found there was no presence of an endangered turtle, a commercial development planned for a site next to a wetland area in Mariners Harbor has entered the public comment period.
Written by By Annalise Knudson. Read more from the article: https://bit.ly/32Zt2YB.
During Superstorm Sandy, low-lying areas like Canarsie, Red Hook and Midland Beach were among the worst hit but some neighborhoods escaped with the help of their local wetlands, which serve as a natural defense against storm surges. In the northwest corner of Staten Island some residents have been fighting to preserve their wetland site from an impending development sanctioned by City Council in 2017.
Written by Avery Miles. Read more from the article: https://bit.ly/2X3qqoT.
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.
By The Environment TV.
“It’s Not Over” street and door-to-door flyering continues for Graniteville, Staten Island residents to protest the destruction of 15+ acres of wetlands and forests to make way for a new BJs and other stores along South Ave and Forest Ave. The Coalition for Wetlands and Forests is concerned about more destructive flooding from Hurricane Sandy type storms, increases in and forced flood insurance, loss of homes and property and all the effects that come with overcrowding.
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.
Karaoke Fundraiser
When: December 9th, 2018. 1-5 PM
Where: Liedy’s Shore Inn
The Coalition for Wetlands & Forests Presents a Karaoke Fundraiser at Liedy’s Shore Inn.Proceeds benefit the Coalition’s efforts to save The Graniteville Wetland.
