OMWM? IMM? What’s in an Acronym?
by Jim Zajac
OMWM (Open Marsh Water Management) is a term that’s been applied in recent years to describe a variety of techniques for dealing with the ditches and mosquitoes common to salt marshes such as Accabonac. Now we’re informed by the recently published SCVCWMLTP&FGEIS (Suffolk County Vector Control Wetlands Management Long-Term Plan & Final Generic Environmental Impact Statement) that OMWM is no longer the term of choice: in favor these days is IMM (Integrated Marsh Management), which is meant to connote a more holistic approach, keeping marsh health as its paramount concern.
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Photo Courtesy: Mike Bottini
Comprised of several volumes and thousands of pages, the recently published Suffolk County plan promises a new dawn for the county’s 17,000 acres of marshland but sends mixed signals to those of us concerned specifically with Accabonac Harbor. On the positive side, the report classifies Accabonac as among the 46 top priority sites in the county for larvicide reduction and progressive restoration efforts. On the other hand, the report recognizes the limited financial resources available and generally pushes back to the distant future any hope for major restoration projects anywhere. The APC, at the request of Peconic Baykeeper Kevin McAllister, has endorsed the recommendations of the county’s Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ). They challenge several aspects of the Vector Control report, including its failure to make an appropriate distinction between mosquito control to prevent disease and mosquito control to abate nuisance. The APC intends to continue monitoring Vector Control’s plans as they move forward and to work on keeping improvement of Accabonac as a priority for the county.
More information on the Long-Term Plan and Final Generic Environment Impact Statement is available from Suffolk County Mosquito Control: www.suffolkmosquitocontrolplan.org/.
For more information about the Council on Environmental Quality, see: www.co.suffolk.ny.us/webtemp3.cfm?dept=11&id=219
