In November, word came from both the State Department of Environmental Conservation and the State Historic Preservation Office that Albany planned to protect the Ridgewood Reservoir from future destruction. The NYC Parks Department first made a promise to preserve the reservoir’s habitats over the summer, but the state decided to also step in. DEC is planning to add the reservoir to its official state wetlands map, which would prohibit most changes to the habitats in the basins. On top of that, the SHPO is moving forward with adding the Reservoir to the State and National Registers of Historic Places, which would require another level of scrutiny for any future construction plans proposed for the site. The battle to protect the Ridgewood Reservoir has been waged for many years by the Ridgewood Reservoir Education and Preservation Project, NYCH2O and the Newtown Historical Society with support from area civic associations, including JPCA, as well as CB5. This news was a great way to end 2017 for the activists involved.