Protection of Endangered Species and Habitats in the Hudson River - New York Bight Watershed The watershed of the Hudson River-New York Bight, which feeds into the New York-New Jersey Harbor, is very much alive! This watershed contains a variety of upland and wetland habitats that support a high diversity of native species, including many rare species. In fact, twenty-three federally listed (endangered or threatened) species live in the Hudson River-New York Bight watershed and the marine waters of the New York Bight. Listing a species brings it under the protection of the U.S. Endangered Species Act. The Act's purposes are to conserve endangered species or threatened species, conserve the ecosystems upon which they depend, and take steps toward species recovery. The Act defines an endangered species as one in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its range. A threatened species, as defined by the Act, is any species likely to become an endangered species within the foreseeable future throughout all or a significant portion of its range. Click on the symbols on the map to learn about an endangered species or habitat. back Map courtesy of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service