The Role of the SUNY College at Oneonta Biological Field Station in the Upper Susquehanna River Watershed-Cooperstown Area Ecosystem Restoration Feasibility Study And Integrated Environmental Assessment

Agricultural and urban development causes nutrients to become concentrated at upland sites (Drexler and Bedford, 2002; Detenbeck et al., 2002). The subsequent flux of these nutrients through ground and surface water flow often overwhelms the receiving waters; the ability of lakes, rivers, and streams to normally assimilate and transport these nutrients is surpassed and results abnormally high productivity (Kadlec and Knight, 1996). Historically, wetland ecosystems have occupied a position in the natural landscape between upland sites and down-slope water bodies (Mitsch and Gosselink, 2000) often putting the water table at, or very close to, the soil surface. This condition, often combined with poor drainage, gives wetlands their characteristic hydric soils, as well as making them repository of dissolved nutrients and particulate matter. However, where wetlands once occupied approximately 1 million hectares during the 18 century New York State, by the mid – 1980’s a reduction of 60% had been recorded (Dahl, 1990).