
New York State law could protect Long Island wetlands from federal restrictions
Just a short hike into a 200-acre woodland in Manhasset lie a series of shallow basins in the forest floor left behind by retreating glaciers. After a dry August, the basins are empty, but in spring they will fill with snowmelt and rain and teem with wildlife: spotted salamanders and wood frogs, waterthrushes and rusty blackbirds, woodland bats and a resident pair of coyotes. Small freshwater wetlands like this provide habitat for dozens of species, offer protection against flooding and help cle