New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner, Basil Seggos, said that officials from local, state and federal agencies gathered yesterday to mark the 30th anniversaries of DEC’s Hudson River Estuary Program and the NY-NJ Harbor & Estuary Program.
The anniversaries were recognized at the Hudson River National Estuarine Research Reserve Conference in New York City.
“The State of the Estuary Conference is an opportunity to come together around a shared vision to improve the health of the Hudson River Estuary and the New York-New Jersey Harbor,” Commissioner Seggos said. “The health and vitality of the Hudson River and the Harbor are critical to New York State, both environmentally and economically.”
During the conference, State of the Estuary: Looking Back, Moving Forward, the federal/bi-state NY-NJ Harbor & Estuary Program released its draft Action Agenda for 2017-2022 for public comment.
The conference focused on actions needed to improve the health of the estuary, reflecting on past successes and upcoming challenges. Topics included investments in water quality, river access, and habitat conservation, as well as exploring the links between estuary health and community well-being.
The conference was organized by DEC’s Hudson River Estuary Program and the NY-NJ Harbor and Estuary Program with support from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. It was hosted by the New York University Wallerstein Collaborative for Urban Environmental Education, at the New York University School of Law.