“Approximately 3 billion birds per year are killed by free-ranging domestic cats (including both owned outdoor cats and feral/unowned cats).” That’s more than all other causes combined. Please keep your cats indoors!
Cornell Lab of Ornithology
Read about this photo documentary.
About this photo documentary
A vast wetland sanctuary just north of New York City provides clean water, refuge for wildlife, and a lesson in resilience.
Science shows that swamps are among the planet’s most vital ecosystems. They filter and purify water, absorb floodwaters, store carbon, and shelter an astonishing diversity of life.
Here in the Hudson Valley, we are fortunate to live beside one of New York’s greatest natural treasures: the Great Swamp. Spanning more than 6,000 acres across eastern Putnam and Dutchess Counties, this vast wetland covers nearly 97 square miles—one of the largest freshwater wetlands in the state. Nestled in the Harlem Valley between two ridges of the Hudson Highlands, the Great Swamp is a living sanctuary for amphibians, reptiles, mammals, songbirds, insects, and waterfowl.
Its waters divide near Pawling, flowing in two directions. To the north, the Swamp River winds through Pawling and Dover, joining the Ten Mile River before crossing into Connecticut, where it meets the Housatonic River and eventually empties into Long Island Sound. To the south, the flow travels through Patterson and Southeast into Westchester County via the East Branch Croton River, entering the East Branch Reservoir—part of New York City’s Croton water system. The Great Swamp becomes a crucial headwater for millions of residents downstream.
Much of the surrounding watershed remains forested, providing natural filtration, flood control, and refuge for rare and endangered species. The Great Swamp’s ecological importance has been recognized at every level. It is a “National Natural Landmark” designated by the U.S. Department of the Interior, a “Critical Environmental Area” identified by Dutchess and Putnam Counties, and an “Important Bird Area” recognized by Audubon. It is also classified as a “Class I Wetland” by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and has been a priority site in the “New York State Open Space Plan” since 1992.
Located less than 70 miles north of New York City, the Great Swamp offers invaluable benefits—clean water, flood protection, open space, recreation, and wildlife habitat. Yet despite its proximity, many locals have never experienced it up close. Most see only glimpses from bridges or roadways. To truly appreciate its beauty, one must venture into its quiet heart by kayak, where cattails sway, herons stalk the shallows, and the forest reflects perfectly on still water.
This photo essay invites readers into that hidden world—revealing the living beauty of the Great Swamp and reminding us why it matters. But it is also a call to stewardship. Pollution from road salt, pesticides, fertilizers, and failing septic systems, as well as the spread of invasive species, threatens this fragile ecosystem.
“As a kid, I lived in a steel and coal town where soot covered every tree and house, the river ran with chemicals, and the sky burned red with smog. They called it progress, but it was poison – environmental deregulation in action.”
Frank Matheis