>>> NOW THAT THE CUOMO BRIDGE

STANDS AS ITS REPLACEMENT, THERE

WILL BE NEW LIFE FOR THEALD

TAPPAN ZEE BRIDGE ONCE IT'S

DISMANTLED.

THAT LIFE WILL BE UNDER WATER.

GOVERNOR ANDREW CUOMO ANNOUNCED

PARTS OF THE OLD BRIDGE WILL BE

SENT TO THE SOUTH SHORE OF LONG

ISLAND, TO CREATE AN ARTIFICIAL

REEF.

AS PART OF OUR PROPORTION, THE

CHALLENGE OF CLIMATE CHANGE

INITIAL REPORTING ON THE HUMAN

IMPACT OF CLIMATE CHANGE, WE'RE

LOOKING AT HOW WE ALL WILL

BENEFIT FROM THIS INCREDIBLE

WIN-WIN FOR THE ENVIRONMENT.

HERE WITH THE DETAILS IS NEW

YORK EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE

NATURE CONSERVANCY OUR GOOD

FRIEND BILL ALLFELDER.

THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE.

>> THANKS JACK.

>> WHERE DID THE IDEA COME FROM?

>> THE GOVERNOR'S TEAM, AND I

WAS SPEAKING AT THE EVENT WITH

THE GOVERNOR, AND THE STORY HE

TOLD, WHICH I LOVE SO MUCH WAS,

YOU KNOW, WHERE AFTER THIS LONG,

USEFUL LIFE, WHERE IS BRIDGE

HEAVEN?

HE SAID, WELL, IT'S UNDER WATER.

AND SO THIS BRIDGE THAT HAS

SPENT ITS LIFE, THE ICONIC

TAPPAN ZEE IS NOW HEADED UNDER

WATER OFF THE SHORES OF LONG

ISLAND.

THEY'RE COMBINING THE BRIDGE

WITH OTHER BARGES, FORMER TUG

BOATS THAT USED TO WORK ON THE

EARIE CANAL, OTHER QUARRY

MATERIAL AND THEY'RE ACTUALLY

GOING TO ADD THIS, THERE ARE

ABOUT 12 LOCATIONS AROUND LONG

ISLAND IN THE SOUND AND ALONG

THE SOUTH SHORE WHERE NEW YORK

DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL

CONSERVATION ALLOWS FOR THESE

ARTIFICIAL REEVES AND THEY'RE

GOING TO BE USING THIS IN ABOUT

HALF OF THOSE, RANGING FROM AS

CLOSE AS THE ROCKAWAYS AND AS

FAR OUT AS SHINNECOCK.

>> IT'S DARN COOL.

>> WAIT A MINUTE, ARE YOU

DROPPING JUNK IN THE OCEAN

FLOOR?

WHY IS THAT A GOOD THING FOR THE

ECOSYSTEM?

>> IT'S GOOD BECAUSE IT'S

STRUCTURE.

AND NATURE LOVES VARIABILITY AND

DIVERSITY.

SO WHAT WILL HAPPEN IS ONCE

THESE PORTIONS OF THE BRIDGE AND

THE OTHER FORMER BOATS AND

THINGS LIKE THAT GO UNDER WATER,

THEY'RE GOING TO START TO GET

COATED REALLY FAST IN UNDERSEA

VEGETATION, SPONGES, CORALS.

I THINK ACTUALLY A LOT OF NEW

YORKERS DON'T REALIZE THAT WE

HAVE NATIVE SPECIES OF CORAL

HERE, ONE SPECIES OF HARD CORAL,

A FEW SPECIES OF SOFT CORAL.

THE FISH WILL START SHOWING UP

REALLY FAST.

WHEN YOU GET SMALL FISH, YOU GET

THE MEDIUM FISH TO EAT NEGATIVET

ON THE OCEAN --

>> THOSE TYPES OF THINGS THAT

COULD CREATE ESSENTIALLY

HAZARDOUS CIRCUMSTANCES?

>> THAT'S EXACTLY RIGHT.

>> YOU SAID THESE ARTIFICIAL

REEFs BECOME THE DESTINATION FOR

FISHING AS A CONSEQUENCE OF

THAT, AND SOME OF THE IDEAS,

PROTECTING THE SHORELINE.

>> BOTH ARE TRUE.

I'M A SCUBA DIVER AND I HAVE TO

SAY I'M ALSO A CONSERVATIONIST,

I LOVE THE NATURAL WORLD, BUT

THERE IS SOMETHING EXHILARATING

ABOUT SCUBA DIVING ON A WRECK,

SEEING AN OLD BOAT, WONDERING

ABOUT ITS HISTORY, DOING

RESEARCH ON IT, THINGS LIKE

THAT.

AND, YOU'RE RIGHT, I MEAN,

FISHING IS A REALLY IMPORTANT

PART OF OUR COASTAL OCEAN

ECONOMY HERE.

OBVIOUSLY, COMMERCIAL FISHING,

BUT RECREATIONAL FISHING,

THERE'S SOMETHING LIKE HALF A

MILLION PEOPLE ENGAGED IN

RECREATIONAL FISHING OFF OF LONG

ISLAND AND EVEN IN NEW YORK

CITY, NEW YORK HARBOR.

SO THAT'S IMPORTANT.

AND WE'RE ALSO BUILDING REEFS

OFF STATTEN ISLAND IN THE COMING

YEARS.

THERE WILL BE REEFS DESIGNED FOR

SLOWING WAVE ENERGY AND STORM

SURGE DURING FUTURE HURRICANES.

THESE ARE KIND OF LIKE NATURAL

BUILT SOLUTIONS THAT MIMIC THE

NATURAL WORLD, BUT KIND OF GET A

HUMAN BOOST TO MAKE OUR WILDLIFE

HABITATS BETTER, BETTER PROTECT

US IN A CLIMATE CHANGING WORLD

AND BOOST THE ECONOMY ALL AT THE

SAME TIME.

>> THESE ARE VERY NUANCED WHEN

YOU THINK OF THE SHORELINES AND

THE VAST EXPANSES OF WATER.

HOW ARE WE ABLE TO GAUGE OR ARE

WE ABLE TO GAUGE AT SOME POINT

IN TIME HOW SUCCESSFUL THESE

ARE?

>> WELL, I THINK IT'S MORNT TO

MONITOR THE CONDITION.

AND, OF COURSE, REEFS GLOBALLY

ARE IN TROUBLE.

CLIMATE CHANGE --

>> GREAT BARRIER REEF IN

AUSTRALIA, ICONIC, ALL SORTS OF

REPORTS OF THE DAMAGE THAT'S

BEING DONE.

AND IN MANY INSTANCES,

IRRETRIEVABLE DAMAGE.

>> THIS IS THE KEY POINT, BACK

TO YOUR POINT ABOUT HOW DO WE

MONITOR?

THAT'S WHAT WE HAVE TO CHECK.

WHAT IS THE EXTENT OF THE LIVING

CORALS, IF THEIR CORAL REEFS ARE

HERE IN NEW YORK, WHAT IS THE

COVERAGE, WHAT SPECIES ARE

SHOWING UP?

IT IS IMPORTANT TO DO THAT

MONITORING.

WHAT I WANT PEOPLE TO KNOW IS

THAT WHILE THE OCEANS ARE

WARMING AND ACIDIFYING AS A

RESULT OF CLIMATE CHANGE, IF WE

CAN DO THINGS LIKE REDUCE THE

AMOUNT OF SEDIMENTATION, SO ONE

OF THE BIG PROBLEMS WITH THE

GREAT BARRIER REEF IS ALL THE

AGRICULTURAL RUNOFF AND SEDIMENT

THAT HEADS OUT THERE PUTS

ANOTHER LAYER OF STRESS WHICH

DOESN'T ADJUST AS WELL TO THE

ACIDIFY CATION IN THE WARMER

WATER.

HERE IN NEW YORK WHAT'S

IMPORTANT FOR US TO DO IS

IMPROVE OUR WATER QUALITY SO IT

WOULD, IN A SENSE, BE DUMPING

JUNK IN THE OCEAN IF WE DON'T

CLEAN UP OUR WATER BECAUSE THEN

YOU HAVE THE STRUCTURE WITH

LOUSY WATER QUALITY AND NOTHING

CAN INHABIT IT.

BUT AS LONG AS WE'RE IMPROVING

OUR WATER QUALITY THEN WE CAN

SEE THESE NATURAL MARINE

COMMUNITIES COME BACK, WHICH

HELPS PROVIDE MORE VIBRANT

COASTAL HUMAN COMMUNITIES.

THAT'S KEY FOR RESILIENCY IN A

CLIMATE CHANGING WORLD.

>> BILL, EVERY IMWE GET A

CHANCE, I ALWAYS FEEL LIKE I'M

SMARTER, I LEARNED MORE THINGS

THAT ARE IMPORTANT FOR US ALL TO

KNOW ABOUT.

IT'S A PLEASURE HAVING YOU JOIN

US.

>> THANKS, JACK, IT'S ALWAYS A

PLEASURE, THANK YOU.

>> THANK YOU, TAKE CARE.