I love your response Nick. I hadn’t thought of it in terms of natural history, and you’re absolutely right.
But besides the procedural issues, SNAD provides environmental protections to our Greenbelt which ensures that trees, slopes, and other elements of the natural environment are preserved, and prevents new developments and expansions from overwhelming our public facilities and streets. Our SNAD Greenbelt provides an effective tool to hold off the ravages of climate change by providing a “cool belt” of green space, shading and low density. The health of the land environment impacts the health of the Hudson, in terms of water temperature, algae blooms, toxins etc. And we must remember that our Hudson River empties into the Atlantic ocean. So preserving SNAD is more than maintaining an attractive setting in which to live (or to live nearby), it’s impact is global.
Thank you for thinking outside of the box, and seeing the bigger picture.