Please tell me the positives and negatives to owning 4-5 acres of wetlands around my New York home?

Question

The home sits higher up on the property and has a small brook about 300 feet away from the home. Past the brook is about 4-5 acres of wetlands consisiting of small trees and brown colored brush.

Should I be excited or concerned about this?


Thank you very much

Answer 1

Hi, this is exactly how my home is set up.

Pro's:
~ less yard work (you aren't allowed to touch the wetlands)
~ you get to see more animals than you normally would
~ Picturesque
~ Higher property value (possibly)
~ Great for kids - learn about nature, lots of space

Con's:
~ The blasted animals never leave
~ Worry about deer ticks
~ 4-5 acres of wetlands is hard on the upkeep if you try to beautify it
~ You need to build and maintain a bridge if you want to mow any parts that aren't wetlands / you want to maintain
~ It's harder to mow around a creek. I've almost dunked my tractor twice, and my neighboor has gone on at least 3 unplanned baths.
~ You have to watch the neighboorhood kids - they'll all try to swim / ice skate in the creek and / or camp on your wetlands... and you will be legally responsible if they get hurt.
~ The area grazing animals tend to show up in your yard because the bushes are large and untouched. (cows, horses, etc)

Finally, check with the owner about the possibility of flooding. Not only is it very inconvenient to have your house doused in mud every year or so, but it is bad for the structure and can cause mold problems. If its on higher ground, you should be ok... but I'd double check the history if there's any chance of flooding. Have fun with your new yard!

Answer 2

Wetlands are protected and cannot be developed. If you disrupt a wetland you have to replace it by a magnitude (I forget exactly how much more something like 10 times the size that you removed).

Wetlands are important elements of a watershed because they serve as the link between land and water resources. Wetlands protection programs are most effective when coordinated with other surface and ground-water protection programs and with other resource management programs, such as flood control, water supply, protection of fish and wildlife, recreation, control of stormwater, and nonpoint source pollution. This fact sheet discusses the "why" and "how" of integrating these programs.
Why Use an Integrated Approach?
The quality of the Nation's wetlands and other water resources is directly linked to the quality of the environment surrounding these waters. However, resource protection programs have historically focused on single goals or a small set of goals. These programs have succeeded in identifying and controlling, to some degree, the larger point sources of pollution. Now it's time to use an approach that addresses the interconnections between water resources and the land, air, and water environment surrounding the resources.

What's a Watershed?
A watershed, also called a drainage basin, is the area in which all water, sediments, and dissolved materials flow or drain from the land into a common river, lake, ocean, or other body of water.

A watershed-based approach to water and wetlands protection considers the whole system, including other resource management programs that address land, air, and water, to successfully manage problems for a given aquatic resource.

The watershed approach thus includes not only the water resource, but also the surrounding land from which the water drains. This area can be as large as the Mississippi River drainage basin or as small as a back yard.

How Does EPA Encourage an Integrated Approach?
EPA's Office of Water is actively pursuing a Watershed Protection Approach within EPA and with other agencies. EPA's Wetlands Division incorporates a watershed approach in much of its work with other agencies, States and other organizations. Current activities include the following:
developing guidance linking wetlands protection programs to watershed planning efforts
funding State watershed projects through State Wetland Protection Grants
integrating a watershed approach into Federal floodplain management activities
supporting a series of national and regional meetings on wetlands and regional watershed planning.

Answer 3

well if your house is very near wetlands, that means it is very near the water table too. So you should see how much higher your home is than the wetlands. Water levels are not constant, they rise and fall.

Also, wetlands are a breeding ground for mosquitos. However the pluses are cool birds come around, and the chances are that nobody is going to build on the wetlands so you have extra privacy.