NY's Great Lakes: Ecosystem / Habitat
Sections on this page: General Information
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Barrier Dune Protection - Eastern Lake Ontario Conservation Initiative- United States Environmental Protection Agency
The Nature Conservancy undertook the Eastern Lake Ontario ConservationInitiative in 1993, with Great Lakes National Program Office support. Tobegin an initiative that could achieve long-term conservation of boththe dune/wetland system (now called the Eastern Lake Ontario Megasite)and limestone barrens (now called the Jefferson County Alvar Mega-site),careful planning and targeted conservation action would be required.The Conservancy hired a Project Manager and established the followingobjectives: Natural Resources Inventory, Mapping, Identification of KeyEcological Processes and Threats, Planning and Management, LandProtection and Public Outreach.
The Beautiful Lake: A Bi-national Biodiversity Conservation Strategy for Lake Ontario
This report describes key threats to biodiversity, potential strategies to abate these threat, recommended priority action sites and indicators to assess the health of Lake Ontario's biodiversity.
Environmental Resource Mapper
The Environmental Resource Mapper is an interactive mapping application that can be used to identify some of New York State's natural resources and environmental features that are state protected, or of conservation concern.
Great Lakes Restoration Initiative
The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative was launched in 2010 to accelerate efforts to protect and restore the largest system of fresh surface water in the world — to provide additional resources to make progress toward the most critical long-term goals for this important ecosystem.
Lake Erie Biodiversity Conservation Strategy
The Lake Erie Biodiversity Conservation Strategy is a bi-national initiative designed to support the efforts of the Lake Erie LaMP by identifying specific strategies and actions to protect and conserve the native biodiversity of Lake Erie.
New York Field Office of Ecological Services- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
The Ecological Services function of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is responsible for the conservation and restoration of fish and wildlife habitat, especially wetland habitat.
New York Natural Heritage Program
New York’s Natural Heritage Program facilitates conservation of New York's biodiversity by providing comprehensive information and scientific expertise on rare species and natural ecosystems to resource managers and other conservation partners.
Significant Coastal Fish and Wildlife Habitats- New York State Department of State
There are many different kinds of coastal habitats in New York State. Some of these areas may have been designated as Significant Coastal Fish and Wildlife Habitats (SCFWH). To designate a SCFWH, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) evaluates the significance of coastal fish and wildlife habitat areas, and following a recommendation from the DEC, the Department of State designates and maps specific areas. A Technical Memorandum, developed by the Department of Environmental Conservation describes the rating system used to identify and rate Significant Coastal Fish and Wildlife Habitats.
State of the Lakes Ecosystem Conference- United States Environmental Protection Agency
Presentations from the State of the Lakes Ecosystem conference held in 2002.
State Open Space Conservation Plan- New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
New York's Open Space Conservation Plan serves as the blueprint for the State's land conservation efforts. The Open Space Plan is required by law to be revised every three years.
State Wildlife Action Plan-New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
A wildlife action plan serves as a state's guiding document for managing and conserving species and habitats before they become too rare or costly to restore. Congress charged states and territories to develop a State Wildlife Action Plan in 2002. Collectively, these plans assess the health of a state's wildlife and habitats, identify the problems they face and outline the actions that are needed to conserve them over the long term. Details on New York's wildlife action plan and more are available on this page.
