Hudson River Watershed

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Hudson River Watershed The New York – New Jersey Harbor estuary is one of the most important estuaries in the metropolitan area. The estuary contains rich and diverse ecosystems where many animals and plants live. Over time, more and more people have started to live around the estuary and many factories were built. This causes pollution and wastes to be disposed by people and factories. Most people do not realize how closely connected we are with the environment and how closely connected we are to the Hudson River Watershed. Our society needs to understand that what we do in our daily lives affects the watershed. In order to protect and improve the state of the Hudson River watershed, our society needs to focus on natural areas, pollution, wildlife, and the things that can be done to improve them. Wetlands are “among the most productive ecosystems in the estuary, performing critical, irreplaceable functions”(New York 7). Firstly, wetlands are areas such as coastal marshes and swamps that usually have water in them or get flooded by water. Wetlands are very important to the health of our ecosystem because they provide shelter and food for various types of wildlife. Not only do they provide homes for wildlife, but wetlands also help to “purify our waters by trapping sediments and pollutants in runoff”(New York 7). Wetlands also contain very dense plants, which help in absorbing and stopping water from storms and protect coastal land. However, the New York – New Jersey Estuary has been losing wetlands since the Dutch began colonizing the area. Approximately “85 percent of the coastal wetlands that existed in the 1800s have been filled or drained”(New York 7). Furthermore, pollution and fragmentation have been other causes for the loss of our wetlands. Wetlands play a big role as they can protect the Hudson River. Floatable debris is a form of pollution that

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