Secretary of Interior Kenneth Salazar called Jamaica Bay “one of the great urban parks of America,” but asked caretakers to think creatively about the parkland’s future.
Salazar made the statements during a July 26 harbor summit, hosted by National Parks Service and the Harbor Conservancy. Regional leaders gathered to discuss how government, nonprofit and industry can work together to achieve the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Hudson-Raritan Estuary Comprehensive Restoration Plan, which includes Jamaica Bay.
“I believe that America is at a time when we can embark and embrace a new agenda for conservation for America,” Salazar told the audince. “And I think that here in New York and New York Harbor we can move forward and create what will be a star relative to the great urban parks of America in the 21st century. I think the assets are here, I think the vision is here I think the New York Harbor Conservancy has done a lot to move us all forward.” Keep reading about Salazar’s statements.
Orgies are nothing new on Plumb Beach, according to local lore. But, while residents may complain about the anonymous romps, group sex has been going on there for millions of years.
Horseshoe crabs use beaches like those in Jamaica Bay as their mating grounds because their location in a bay or cove protects them from surf. They come ashore in our area in May, during new and full moons and deposit thousands of eggs in the sand at once, before returning to the waters.
In the above video, Don Riepe, director of the Northeast Chapter of the American Littoral Society and the Jamaica Bay guardian, tells Sheepshead Bites about the anatomy of horseshoe crabs and the mating ritual.
Though it may look menacing, the horseshoe crab is harmless to humans. Its claws deliver only a gentle pinch and it’s tail is no stinger, just a means for righting itself when turned over on the beach. Still, it’s a tough little bugger, surviving several periods of mass extinction throughout Earth’s history. Early traces of the horseshoe crab family began popping up during the Paleozoic Era, 540 million years ago.
Photo courtesy of frogma.blogspot.com, edited by Sheepshead Bites
OMG! Al Gore was right! Nature is mad and we’re ALL GOING TO DIE!
Okay, maybe that’s a little overkill. But, crickie, a pelican in Jamaica Bay?! Was it trying to escape the oily sea of destruction and misery that was once known as the Gulf of Mexico? Are temperatures making it warm enough that it’s finding New York City a comfortable habitat? Is it just lost?
Actually, according to this bird-watching website, the American White Pelican – one of the largest birds on the east coast – do make occasional stops in New York State, but rarely do city birders have a chance to see them. This guy was first spotted in the Queens section of Jamaica Bay last week, and was still observed to be there over the weekend.
I’m no birdwatcher, but the idea of seeing a pelican in Jamaica Bay gets me a little giddy; it’s a beautiful bird and it’d be cool to get into Queens and check it out.
Here’s another photo of the same pelican from 10000birds.com. You can check out their site for even more images:
Update: This story originally included four photos from 10000birds.com. At the request of that site’s owner we’ve reduced the number to one. Head over there for more images; it’s a worthwhile click.
Seen from the deck: subway bridge opening // Courtesy of Don Riepe
Ever needed a break from city living? The cars, buses, trains; streets teaming with people and noises and smells… the hurrying everywhere. A trip out of town will cost you, but Sheepshead Bay’s blessed with a local, cheap option: a beautiful Saturday afternoon sail along Jamaica Bay, learning about its history and wildlife.
That’s what I did on a recent Saturday afternoon on-board the Golden Sunshine; a three-hour cruise around Jamaica Bay, from Brooklyn to Queens.
If you’re looking to escape the city streets for a few hours and relax while learning about the natural wonders so close to home then consider taking a ride on one of the Jamaica Bay cruises. These three-hour cruises depart from Pier 2 at Emmons Avenue and Bedford Avenue. The first is this Saturday, May 29, from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m., and the second cruise will set sail on Sunday, June 27, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Riders will be regaled with a narrated tour of Jamaica Bay while sipping on wine and snacking on fruit and cheese among other refreshments. They will also get the chance to see various types of nesting and migrating bird.
Tickets for the cruise are $45 per person. To reserve a spot on the boat send a check for $45/person to: American Littoral Society, c/o Don Riepe, 28 West 9th Road, Broad Channel, NY 11693. For more information call (718) 318-9344 or e-mail: driepe@nyc.rr.com
What better way is there to spend a weekend afternoon than sailing on the open water and observing untouched beauty of nature?
You know spring is near when the South Brooklyn coastal communities are getting ready for the birds. Our area, blessed by the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, is a stopping point for more than 325 species of migrating birds.
Over by the golf course near Flatbush Avenue on the Belt Parkway, locals are kicking off the season with a word – and drawing – of warning to drivers getting on the highway. Scores of Canadian geese take to the area, many landing in the golf course itself. Sections of the fence are down to allow the birds access to the shore, but not before a perilous journey over the Belt.
Drivers, heed this advice: drive slowly on this section of the Belt Parkway (not that you have a choice).
An agreement to improve the overall water quality and mitigate marshland loss in Jamaica Bay through a total of $115 million in new investments was announced last Thursday, Feb. 25 by Mayor Michael Bloomberg, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Pete Grannis, Deputy Mayor for Operations Edward Skyler, Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Commissioner Cas Holloway and Natural Resources Defense Council Executive Director Peter Lehner.
The city will dedicate $100 million to installing new nitrogen control technologies at wastewater treatment plants located on Jamaica Bay. These investments, made in concert with $95 million the city already has committed for nitrogen control upgrades, aim to reduce the nitrogen loads discharged into Jamaica Bay by nearly 50 percent over the next ten years.
The city also will invest $15 milstruction lion [sic] for marshland restoration projects around the bay. As part of the agreement, the DEC will exempt the city from $45 million in potential penalties for construction delays in nitrogen upgrades at other wastewater treatment plants and those dollars will be invested in future clean water projects.
“Jamaica Bay is without question one of the most bountiful wildlife habitats in the entire Northeast,” said Bloomberg. “It is important to the people who live in the area for its rich biodiversity, the recreation it offers, and the protection the marshlands provide from flooding. This agreement is an outstanding example of government and citizens’ groups working together to meet a major goal of our sweeping PlaNYC agenda: improving the quality of waterways around the city.”
The silver lining in the recent devastation of Plumb Beach is that community leaders, and city, state, and federal agencies are finally considering long term solutions to erosion issues at Plumb Beach.
Congressman Anthony Weiner once again brought together officials from Department of Transportation, Parks Department, National Parks Service, Community Board 15, and Sheepshead Bay/Plumb Beach Civic on Tuesday, December 1, to survey erosion’s threat to the important ecological zone and the Belt Parkway.
After surveying the damage, all came to a consensus: more needs to be done to protect the beach and highway. Continue Reading »
The devastation caused to Plumb Beach this weekend by the remnants of Hurricane Ida was “No surprise,” according to members of Sheepshead Bay/Plumb Beach Civic Association and experts. As recently as January, officials from the community, city, state, and federal agencies convened at the Plumb Beach bathhouse to discuss protection of the increasingly dangerous bike path and the threatened Belt Parkway. The problem is greater, though, affecting the ecology and wildlife of the entire area.
The meeting, called by Congressman Anthony Weiner to survey nature’s threat, ended with calls for solutions. At the time, the surging waters appeared to be passing underneath the bike path. Water soaked the grass adjacent to the highway, suggesting that erosion was occurring beneath the Belt Parkway as well, undermining its stability. While SBPB Civic proposed a plan to shore up the coast and add more sand and rocks underneath the bike path to strengthen it, nothing has happened. Continue Reading »
This weekend’s storms sparked by Hurricane Ida battered the Plumb Beach coastline, leaving a trail of destruction and providing fuel for a new wave of jurisdictional battles between NYC Parks Department and the U.S. National Parks Service.
The tale of devastation was drawn in the sand, as rubble from the bike path dotted the shore, carving lines to the water. Trees lay like fallen solders, their sides partially submerged and their roots reaching into the air. The water clawed sand out from under roots and rock, leaving everything without ground to stand on. In all, as the hurricane swept up the northeastern coast, it pushed back Plumb Beach’s protective break-line several feet, felling dozens of trees, and crumbling about 100 yards of the bike path. Continue Reading »
