Brief overview of the issues raised by DEC's Draft Piermont Marsh Reserve Management Plan being presented this Monday night in Village Hall The DEC has reduced the scope of the eradication of Phragmites from the Marsh, and now acknowledges that Phragmites provides valuable ecological services, including - most importantly for Piermont - serving as a buffer that reduces the destruction from storm surges. DEC has also instituted a number of monitoring and research protocols. However, DEC's plan remains seriously flawed. While the overall project size has been reduced to 40 acres to be done in three phases, DEC reserves the right to expand at some future date. 40 acres is approximately equivalent to 30 football fields. This is not a small area. The treatment area would be mowed, then treated with glyphosate-based herbicide, then mowed again. This would be repeated on a yearly basis for at least several years. Additionally, black plastic would be used along any land boundaries. DEC quotes a recent (12/2017) EPA determination that "...glyphosate is not likely to be carcinogenic to humans." But this only gives one side of the argument, in what remains a hotly debated issue in the scientific community. Last year, California EPA determined that glyphosate should be listed as a known carcinogen. A number of European countries, including Belgium, the Netherlands, and France either have in place or are instituting bans on the use of this chemical. DEC purports to protect human populations from exposure to the herbicide by selecting a treatment area that is approximately half a mile from both Piermont and Palisades, but does not address the impact of the herbicide on the living ecosystem of the Marsh and specifically the wildlife - turtles, birds, fish, etc. - that lives in or depends on the Marsh. The DEC's goal of re-establishing a marsh of the past remains fundamentally futile. Phragmites is uniquely well adapted to the present polluted conditions of the water and will re-invade, absent an indefinite cycle of chemical treatment. Phragmites' unique ability to accrete soil makes it potentially more viable than other plants as water levels rise due to the effects of climate change. However, sea level rise, if sufficiently pronounced, may well increase salinity levels to the point at which even Phragmites could not survive. The only certainty in the Plan is that an already fragile ecosystem would be further poisoned by the addition of herbicide. Aesthetic consequences of eradication remain a concern, as the treatment area is likely to be an eyesore for several years, disrupting the visual sweep of the Marsh. Marthe for the PMA Steering Committee | 
