Chautauqua Lake is just one body of water which will be affected by the adoption of the updated New York state wetlands regulations that went into effect on Jan. 1. Photo by Mike Smoker

The state Department of Environmental Conservation has scheduled at least two upcoming webinars to explain the state’s new freshwater wetlands regulations that took effect Jan. 1.

The DEC previously hosted a webinar on Jan. 15 which covered expanded jurisdictional protections for wetlands, conducting remote wetland assessments and the transition from regulatory to informational maps and associated implications they have on planning and development. The replay of the entire online seminar can be found at meetny-gov.webex.com/recordingservice/sites/meetny-gov/recording/3b8abf60b5a1103dbffd0206e582b719/playback

According to T.J. Pignataro, state DEC Region 9 assistant public information officer, “about 2,200 attendees, including municipal officials, joined the webinar,” he said in an email.

However, DEC officials have said that more training webinars to better explain the new Wetlands regulations are scheduled to happen soon, in conjunction with other organizations.

Pignataro said that the Hudson River Estuary Program will host a webinar on Thursday, Feb. 6, from noon to 1:30 p.m. The webinar will be specific to the Hudson River region. It will focus on Wetlands of Unusual Importance and New York State’s New Freshwater Wetlands Regulations. Additionally, the New York Planning Federation will offer another online seminar at noon, Thursday, Feb. 27, to provide further learning opportunities for stakeholders, including municipalities. To register, email nypf@nypf.org.

Adoption of the updated wetlands regulations have gone into effect across New York state on Jan. 1. and includes Chautauqua Lake. The regulations implement new statutory requirements under the state’s Freshwater Wetlands Act that will safeguard an estimated one million additional acres of wetland habitat, according to Sean Mahar, interim DEC commissioner.

According to the DEC, freshwater wetlands are lands and submerged lands-commonly called marshes, swamps, sloughs, and bogs-that support aquatic or semi-aquatic vegetation. Protecting freshwater wetlands is essential for preserving biodiversity, as wetlands provide critical habitats for numerous plant and animal species. These ecosystems improve water quality by filtering pollutants, mitigate flooding by absorbing excess rainfall, and play a significant role in carbon sequestration.

More information can be found at dec.ny.gov/regulatory/permits-licenses/general-permits/freshwater-wetlands.

In 2024, the towns of Ellicott, Ellery, Busti, and North Harmony, as well as the villages of Bemus Point, Celoron, Lakewood, and Mayville passed resolutions opposing the state wetlands designation. In August County Executive PJ Wendel asked for a statewide delay for the regulations to take effect while state Sen. George Borrello, R-Sunset Bay, introduced legislation that would exempt navigable freshwater lakes from the new regulations.