eAPPENDIX A: REGIONAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE REPORTS 0B e-Appendix A 1B REGIONAL ADVISORY COMMITTEES’ 2B UNABRIDGED 2015-16 REPORTS LONG5B ISLAND – REGION 1 Regional6B Open Space Advisory Committee Counties7B Nassau, Suffolk Meeting Dates: The Region 1 Regional Advisory Committee met on Friday, March 15, 2013 at Childs Mansion, Flax Pond State Tidal Wetland and Marine Laboratory, Setauket, NY, and again on April 19, 2013 at Administration Headquarters, Long Island State Parks Region, Belmont Lake State Park, Belmont, NY. Report8B and Recommendations of the Region9B 1 Regional Advisory Committee Regarding10B Open Space Conservation in the State of New York Introduction In 2010, the Trust for Public Land (“TPL”) issued a report entitled, “The Economic Benefits and Fiscal Impact of Parks and Open Space in Nassau and Suffolk Counties, New York.” The following year the Long Island Regional Economic Development Council (“EDC”) released its “Strategic Economic Development Plan for the Long Island Region.” The Region 1 Regional Advisory Committee draws from these two significant and highly relevant reports, and from the extensive knowledge and experience of its members, to address the goals of Commissioners Martens and Harvey for this iteration of the New York State Open Space Conservation Plan, as they pertain to Long Island. Healthy Public, Vibrant Economy According to the TPL report, Long Island’s parks and open space provide direct economic benefits worth more than $2.74 billion annually, making parks and open space “significant drivers” of the Long Island economy. Economic benefits are derived from revenue generated by the tourism, farming, and fishing industries and from government cost savings attributable to the 2016 NEW YORK STATE OPEN SPACE CONSERVATION PLAN A- 1 eAPPENDIX A: REGIONAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE REPORTS reduction in services required by open space and the “free” goods and services provided by functioning natural systems. Less easy to quantify but equally significant are the contributions of parks and open space to the quality of life that make Long Island a desirable place to live, work and play. Long Island’s tourism, farming and fishing industries are dependent in some way the benefits of protected open space. Long Island’s tourism industry produces $4.7 billion in revenues annually. Approximately 28 percent of tourists, an estimated 5.1 million people per year, come for the purpose of visiting Long Island beaches, parks, cultural attractions, vineyards, farms, and other open spaces. These visitors spend $615 million annually in the local economy and generate $27.3 million in sales tax revenue. Local residents also enjoy their parks and open spaces, paying $1.48 billion per year for the recreational activities they engage in at park facilities. Suffolk County is the top agricultural revenue producer in the State; direct sales in 2007 were $288 million. Long Island wineries attract 1.2 million visitors per year who spend $90 million during their visits, $33.3 million at the wineries themselves. Additional revenue is generated by visitors who come to pick strawberries in spring, gather pumpkins and apples in fall and buy Christmas trees in winter. Long Island agriculture is dependent upon the availability of open space for crop production. In 2009, New York State fisheries produced over 34 million pounds of finfish, shellfish and crustaceans with a landed value of $49.3 million, 99 percent of which occurred in Nassau and Suffolk counties. According to the EDC, when a standard economic multiplier of 4.5 is applied, this translates into a regional economic value of close to $220 million annually. Long Island fisheries support hundreds of jobs and Long Island businesses. The productivity of Long Island’s fisheries is aided by the buffering effects of protect open space in watersheds. Parks and open space can bolster private property values. People want to live and work in communities with abundant parks and preserves and will pay a premium to do so. Long Island real estate ads commonly boast, “Backs protected land,” or “near trails,” or “walking distance to duck pond.” Parks and open space can also reduce the cost of government services associated with residential development, such as police protection, road maintenance, waste management and education. Studies have shown that property tax revenue from residential development often fails to cover the cost of associated government services while the loss in property tax revenue when land comes off the tax rolls is most often offset by the savings from avoided services. Long Island’s parks and open spaces help safeguard public health by providing natural filtration of pollutants from the water and air. On Long Island, where 100% of the drinking water for 2.8 million residents comes from underground aquifers, protecting the land through which the water filters is critically important. It costs up to ten times more to produce clean drinking water A- 2 2016 NEW YORK STATE OPEN SPACE CONSERVATION PLAN eAPPENDIX A: REGIONAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE REPORTS from wells where surrounding land is heavily developed than from wells in the Pine Barrens where the land is protected. New York City estimates it will save $6.5 million by implementing an aggressive land acquisition program in its watershed rather than allowing development and treating contaminated waters. Clean surface waters are necessary for healthy and functioning natural systems that provide numerous economic and environmental benefits. An estimate 40% of commercially important fin- and shellfish species depend on tidal wetlands and adjacent shallow water systems at the beginning of their life stages for food and shelter. Marsh grass root systems and shellfish beds stabilize shorelines and protect against coastal erosion. Long Island’s freshwater wetlands and ponds provide critical habitat to many listed fish and wildlife species. Protected watershed lands naturally improve surface water quality by capturing precipitation, slowing runoff, and preventing pollutants from entering the surface waters. On Long Island, this reduces storm water management costs by $23.9 million annually. In New York’s 2012 State of the Air Report, Suffolk County was deemed dirtiest in ozone pollution. Six of the 34 counties in New York State with air quality monitors received failing grades, compared with 16 out of 34 counties in 2011. On Long Island, Suffolk remained the dirtiest county in the state for ozone pollution and its grade for particle pollution worsened. It was the only county in the state to drop a letter grade for either pollutant. Nassau’s levels for particle pollution improved slightly. Trees and shrubs can remove air pollutants that endanger human health and damage structures. Tree cover on Long Island reduces pollution control costs by $18.9 million per year. At parks, preserves and beaches across Long Island there has been a noticeable increase in use in recent years. Yoga classes meet in parks and biology classes in preserves. Parking lots at trail heads are full to capacity and nearly every car has a kayak rack on the roof or a bike rack on the back bumper. According to the TPL report, park use translates to increased physical activity which translates to medical costs savings. Approximately 611,000 Long Islanders engage in physical activity on parkland at a level sufficient to generate measurable health benefits, yielding annual savings in medical costs of $164 million. While the physical benefits of park use are compelling, other less quantifiable benefits are equally so. Richard Louv, in his two ground-breaking books: “Last Child in the Woods” and “The Nature Principle” has documented the societal benefits that result from a deeper human-natural world connection provided by access to local parks and preserves. These benefits include better academic and workplace performance, lower crime rates, stronger families less prone to fracture, and more rapid healing by patients. On Long Island, these benefits can help ease the unique tensions associated with living within commuting distance of New York City, such as soul-sucking traffic jams, aged and overburdened infrastructure, and an extremely high cost of living. 2016 NEW YORK STATE OPEN SPACE CONSERVATION PLAN A- 3 eAPPENDIX A: REGIONAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE REPORTS Unfortunately, Long Island’s park and open space resources are not evenly distributed. In densely populated neighborhoods near older industrial and commercial areas or abandoned downtowns, there are often no natural areas or parks, no physical or visual access to the water. Environmental justice is the right of all people, regardless of race, ethnicity, income or ability, to have access to parks and open space and to participate in environmental decision-making. In Nassau and Suffolk Counties, approximately 30 Potential Environmental Justice Areas (PEJAs) have been identified. These PEJA’s represent population blocks with at least 51.1% reporting to be members of a minority or at least 23.59% reporting household incomes below the federal poverty level. PEJA neighborhoods stand to benefit most from open space conservation. Creating green spaces where there are none, transforming brownfields to parks for recreation and exercise, and restoring natural systems for a cleaner environment can help revitalize communities, attract businesses and homebuyers, and improve the health and wellbeing of residents. Perhaps the most pressing issues facing Long Island that can be addressed by the conservation of open space are the impacts