Letter to the Editor: Protecting Ossining Wetlands

To the Editor:

Last night I had the privilege of attending a Planning Board meeting in which there was the important discussion of protecting the remaining wetlands – of any size – in the Town of Ossining. The fact that the Town of Ossining Planning Board is even having this discussion is heartening and shows - at last - our keen awareness of protecting whatever wetlands remain in our town.

A significant insight shared last night concerned the size of wetlands. Currently, the Town of Ossining Planning Board mandates that a wetlands must be ½ acre or greater in order to deserve protection. But, for instance, a wetlands stream that feeds other tributaries that in turn flow into an important river such as the Pocantico River might be less than ½ acre, might even seem to be of negligible size; yet, the significance of that stream is so substantial that the stream must be preserved.

Now that the Planning Board is discussing the possibility of zero tolerance for the destruction of wetlands, let us all support that discussion. Let us – for once – look up from the bottom line to evaluate the true cost of killing flora and fauna, the true cost of flooding, the true cost of polluting the earth, the true cost of disturbing the fragile ecosystem, the true cost of extinction. Some wise person once observed, that we do not inherit the Earth from our ancestors so much as we borrow it from our children. Let us decide to preserve for our children and grandchildren what is left of the natural world in Ossining.

Ellen Joseph