ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This report was prepared primarily by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Southern New England - New York Bight Coastal Ecosystems Program in Charlestown, Rhode Island: Joseph Dowhan, Project Leader; Thomas Halavik, Senior Biologist; Andrew Milliken, Senior Biologist; Andrew MacLachlan, GIS Specialist; Marcianna Caplis, Outreach Specialist; Kelly Lima, GIS Technician; and Andrew Zimba, Cartographic Technician.

This report was funded in part by the New York - New Jersey Harbor Estuary Program, administered by Region II of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, with the greater costs being borne by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The Habitat Work Group of the Harbor Estuary Program also provided direction and support throughout the writing of this document. Several members of this group deserve special recognition and thanks, especially Bob Dieterich, Carolyn Summers, Eugenia Flatow, Greg Capobianco, David Burg, Frank Steimle, Karen Chytalo, John Waldman, Len Houston, and Andrew Willner.

There have been numerous contributors to this study and report, of which the majority have come from a solid core of knowledgeable, experienced, and devoted professional biologists in the various federal, state, city, and local natural resource agencies and private conservation organizations in this region. Particular gratitude is expressed to the coordinators, directors, and staff of the State Natural Heritage Programs and Fish and Wildlife agencies in New York and New Jersey, the natural resource agencies of the City of New York, the chapters and field offices of the Nature Conservancy in these same states, and the many outstanding U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologists in the field offices, refuges, and regional office in the Northeast Region (Region 5).

Portions of the Harlem Valley Calcareous Wetlands Complex and Dutchess County Wetlands chapters were originally prepared for the Service by Erik Kiviat of Hudsonia, Ltd. The Preakness Ridge chapter was originally prepared for this office by Kathleen Strakosch-Walz of The Nature Conservancy, New Jersey Field Office. Sections of this report on marine mammals and sea turtles were based on a report for this office by Sam Sadove, then of the Okeanos Ocean Research Foundation, on the status and distribution of marine mammals and sea turtles in the New York Bight. Reports on Great South Bay, Moriches Bay, Hempstead Bays, and South Oyster Bay originally prepared for this office for the Northeast Coastal Areas Study by Marilyn England, National Audubon Society, Islip, New York, were utilized for this report.

The following individuals to whom the Service owes a great debt of gratitude and appreciation are specifically acknowledged for their contributions to this report. Deepest apologies are offered in advance for any inadvertent omissions or misspelled names of those who have given so much of their time, knowledge, and experience in support of this project.

Fish and Wildlife Service: Sherry Morgan, Mark Clough, Kevin Moody of the New York Field Office; Nancy Schlotter, Charles Merckel, Robert Murray, David Edelstein of the Long Island Field Office; Cliff Day, Dana Peters, Annette Scherer, Peter Benjamin of the New Jersey Field Office; Greg Breese of the Delaware Bay Estuary Program; Steve Atzert and Kelly Wolcott of Cape May National Wildlife Refuge; Alison Banks, Tracy Casselman, Vincent Turner of E.B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge; Bill Koch, Terry Villanueva, Craig Bitler, Jackie Record of Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge; Libby Herland of Wallkill River National Wildlife Refuge; Bill Kolodnicki and Bob Parris of Long Island National Wildlife Refuge Complex; Laurie Richardson, Paul Nickerson, Debbie Mignogno, Anne Hecht, Mary Parkin, George Haas, Diane Pence, and Earl Possardt of Region 5 (Northeast) Regional Office, Hadley, Massachusetts.

U.S. Geological Survey: Christopher Polloni, Andrew McIntire, Woods Hold Field Center.

National Biological Service: Paul Buckley, Rhode Island Cooperative Research Unit; Charles Smith, New York Cooperative Research Unit.

Environmental Protection Agency: Robert Dieterich, Region 2 Water Management Division.

National Marine Fisheries Service: John Catena, Doug Beach, Northeast Regional Office, Gloucester, Massachusetts; Frank Steimle, Sandy Hook Lab; Stephanie Brady, University of Massachusetts, Cooperative Marine Education Unit; Gordon Waring, Woods Hole Lab.

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers: Len Houston, New York District.

National Park Service: John Tanacredi, Bob Cook, Don Reipe, Ann Scaglione, Bruce Lane, Jeanne MacArthur, Gateway National Recreation Area; Jim Ebert, Fire Island National Seashore.

U.S. Department of Agriculture: Robert Neville, Forest Service; David Smart, Natural Resources Conservation Service, New Jersey Office.

State of New York: Kathryn Schneider, Carol Reschke, Rachel Novak, Paul Novak, Steve Young, David Hunt, Greg Edinger, Nancy Davis-Ricci, New York Natural Heritage Program, New York Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC); Robert Miller, Nongame Species Unit, NYSDEC; Alvin Breisch, Peter Nye, Endangered Species Unit, NYSDEC; John Ozard, Gerry Rasmusen, Wayne Richter, Significant Habitat Unit, Wildlife Resources Center, NYSDEC; Bryan Swift, Salvatore Cozzolino, Biometrics Unit, NYSDEC; Harry Knoch, Mike Scheibel, Ken Meskill, Region 1 Wildlife Division, NYSDEC; Gordon Colvin, Kenneth Koetzner, Karen Chytalo, Arthur Newell, Division of Marine Resources, NYSDEC; Richard Fox, Stephanie Hendrix, Division of Shellfisheries, NYSDEC; Byron Young, Kim McKown, Region 1 Fisheries, NYSDEC; Ed Woltmann, Division of Freshwater Fisheries, NYSDEC; Bruce MacMillan, George Profous, Region 3, NYSDEC; Fran Dunwell, Hudson River Estuary Management Program, NYSDEC; Kathy Hattala, Hudson River Fisheries Unit, NYSDEC; Betsy Blair, Chuck Neider, Hudson River National Estuarine Research Reserve, NYSDEC; Maynard Vance, Region 4, NYSDEC; Tom Hart, Greg Capobianco, Division of Coastal Resources and Waterfront Revitalization, Department of State; Raymond Corwin, Central Pine Barrens Joint Planning and Policy Commission; Gordon C. Tucker, New York State Museum.

State of New Jersey: Tom Breden, Andy Windisch, David Snyder, New Jersey Natural Heritage Program, New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP); Larry Niles, Dave Jenkins, Jim Sciascia, Nongame and Endangered Species Program, NJDEP; Paul Castelli, Lee Widjeskog, Division of Fish, Game and Wildlife, NJDEP; Robert Cartica, Office of Natural Lands Management, NJDEP; Tom McCloy, Bruce Halgren, Bruce Freeman, John Makai, New Jersey Marine Fisheries; Jim Joseph, Lorie Mayer, Bureau of Shellfisheries, NJDEP; Walter Murawski, Arthur Lupine, Bob Soldwell, Freshwater Fisheries, NJDEP; Larry Thornton, Office of Science and Research, NJDEP; Don Smith, Ann Gallo, Hackensack Meadowlands Development Commission; William C. Vibbert, Island Beach State Park; Robert Zampella, Pinelands Commission.

New York City: Carolyn Summers, Betsy Adamson, Tom Baudanza, Elizabeth Reicheld, New York City Department of Environmental Protection; Marc Matsil, Deborah Lev, David Kunstler, City of New York Parks and Recreation. A special note of recognition and appreciation goes to this group of biologists who helped to enlighten us on the value of remnant and historical habitats in the urban core.

The Nature Conservancy: Dennis Wolkoff, Larry Master, Frank Biasi, Eastern Regional Office; Robert Zaremba, Amy Lester, New York Regional Office; Sara Davison, Susan Antenen, Marilyn Jordon, Cathy Brittingham, Long Island Chapter; Olivia Millard, Dave Tobias, Jim Curatolo, Lower Hudson Chapter; Peg Olsen, Michael Batcher, Eastern New York Chapter; Stephanie Gebauer, Albany Pine Bush Preserve; Michael Catania, Elizabeth Johnson, Kathleen Strakosch-Walz, New Jersey Field Office.

National Audubon Society: Carl Safina, Marilyn England, David Miller.

Many other individuals and their organizations also contributed substantially to this study, particularly in providing data on the resources of the area and in sharing their expertise on the species and habitats in the watershed. They include: Katherine Parsons and Brian Harrington, Manomet Observatory for Conservation Sciences; Stuart Buckner, Town of Islip, David Burg, New York City Audubon Society; Margery Oldfield, Seatuck Foundation, Inc.; Sam Sadove (formerly with) Okeanos Ocean Research Foundation; Eugenia Flatow, Coalition for the New York Bight; Janet Crawshaw, Catskill Center for Conservation and Development; Jeff Kasner, Diane Mazarakis, Town of Brookhaven; Steven Clemants, Brooklyn Botanical Garden; Jeff Glassberg, New York City Butterfly Club; Stuart Findlay, Institute for Ecosystem Studies; Andrew Willner, Steve Barnes, Baykeeper - American Littoral Society; Erik Kiviat, Hudsonia, Ltd; Chuck Keene, Museum of the Hudson Highlands; Dan Driscoll, Helderberg Escarpment Planning Committee; Jack Focht, Trailside Museum, Palisades Interstate Park Commission; Paul Huth, Mohonk Preserve; Edward Johnson, Staten Island Institute of Arts and Sciences; Mike Kudish, Paul Smiths College; Ken Able, Joanna Burger, Richard Lathrop, Rutgers University; Michael Litwa, Town of Babylon; Vito Minei, Bob Nuzzi, Suffolk County Division of Environmental Quality; David Moore, New Jersey Conservation Foundation; Robert Pirani, Regional Plan Association; Bob Shoelkopf, Marine Mammal Stranding Center; Nancy Slowik, Greenbrook Sanctuary; C. Lavett Smith, American Museum of Natural History; Steve Tettelbach, Long Island University; John Waldman, Hudson River Foundation; Rich Kane, Joan Walsh, New Jersey Audubon Society; John Zarudsky, Town of Hempstead; Bernard Blum, Friends of the Rockaways.

Return to table of contents