To the Editor,

I am writing to you and your readers to draw attention to an issue of significant importance to all of us here in St. Lawrence County. Over the past four months I have been studying the causes and effects of habitat fragmentation and the future consequences of these practices on biodiversity conservation.

Habitat fragmentation is caused by a variety of human land conversion practices including road construction, housing developments, and land clearing for agriculture.

Roads may act as a primary form of habitat fragmentation, but the alteration of landscapes by private property owners increases that fragmentation. Through fragmentation we lose animal and plant species that are unique to the St. Lawrence area, and vital components of the St. Lawrence ecosystem.

The fragmenting of landscapes not only negatively impacts the individual animal and plant species, but it changes the way these ecosystems work as a whole to provide pivotal services that we as humans cannot replicate. The University of Vermont estimated the value of the world’s ecological services (water, nitrogen, carbon, and phosphorous cycles) at $33.7 trillion dollars per year.

services are provided to us for free within our environments, however, our careless actions and the lack of incorporation of environmental needs into land-use planning has already caused us to begin paying the price.

To preserve the environmental quality of St. Lawrence County for current and future generations it is important for all of us to act as conscious stewards of our land. For example, local land trusts including the St. Lawrence Land Trust (www.stlawulandtrust.org), Indian River Lakes Conservancy (www.indianriverlakes.org ), and Tug Hill Tomorrow Land Trust (www.tughilltomorrowlandtrust.org) are groups that works with willing land owners to conserve ecologically and culturally important elements of the landscape while allowing for landowners to maintain private ownership of their land.

By protecting land from deforestation and development we ensure the health of our local water, air, plants, and animals. Subsequently, we directly provide for our future well-being as residents of the North Country.

Hannah Follender, Canton