Though the city says the bike path is complete, bikers now ride on the Belt Parkway because the path is unusable.
In addition to the statements Congressman Anthony Weiner gave, there were two things worth noting on Plumb Beach yesterday, both of which indicate the city is ignoring problems in the area and creating a dangerous situation.
First is that the Parks Department has declared reconstruction work on the Plumb Beach bike path complete. However, any visitor would agree that it’s hardly the case.
Kathy Flynn, SBPB Civic President, with Rep. Anthony Weiner
The ocean is more than just a neighbor to residents of waterfront Brooklyn and Queens, it’s a threat. And one that needs to be taken seriously.
Congressman Anthony Weiner gathered local leaders and the press on what remains of the sands along the Belt Parkway this afternoon to deliver that message to city and state authorities, and urge preparedness in the face of Hurricane Earl. Currently a category 4 storm, Earl is positioned to sweep across the Eastern coast this week.
Blame the bureaucrats and the locally elected. But don’t blame the guys down there every couple of days, working to keep what’s there from sinking further into the sea. A reader sent in photos of these fellahs at work this week, as well as some of the same people from December. These city contractors have been there on-and-off since the storm hit, placing sandbags and pushing back water and muck from the parking lot after the storm. What remains of Plumb Beach remains because of the hard work these people put in. And they deserve some thanks, even if it is their job, because Plumb Beach is the way it is because so many are not doing their jobs.
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.
How many of us have lived in Brooklyn almost all of our lives and still are not aware that there is accessible waterfront other than Sheepshead Bay? How many of us, thanks to storms that washed out a portion of it, just recently became aware of the fact that there is a well-trafficked bicycle path running through Sheepshead Bay?
Bikers, joggers and walkers hoping to enjoy the Plumb Beach bike path are facing yet another obstacle: a massive tree fell and is blocking the path just east of the parking lot. This is, of course, just a few dozen feet away from where the path is fenced off following a November storm that destroyed a large segment of the path. At the time, the city said the path would be fixed during the spring to be ready for patrons to utilize for the 2010 season. Though the area was prepped for reconstruction back in May, no further work was been done.
Since we live in a seaside community, most of the photos I see of our neighborhood are sunsets/rises over the water (or just photos of those freakin’ swans!). So, in an effort to diversify the midweek photo, I generally avoid selecting those kinds of shots too frequently. But sometimes they’re just stellar.
Look at the color in this one! How could I not choose it? This photo was actually taken last year by the Brooklyn Heights-based photoblogger at Ugliphoto.com. Go check out his site to see more great photos. He says he’s just a beginner – but that looks like a pro shot to me.
Photo of a man walking his dog on the beach courtesy of nolastname.
This lovely photo was contributed by reader nolastname, who also tells us that Plumb Beach, in the early morning hours, is a great place for a man and his best friend to catch a lovely sunrise. Even a mostly cloudy day, it looks beautiful.
Any readers (male or female) find this spot to be the most lovely spot for walking your pet?
Readers of our Twitter feed got an early update about Plumb Beach work. During a drive-by last Thursday, I noticed a battalion of workers going to town around the fenced-off portion, where the path had crumbled back in November. I tweeted, “Work being done at plumb beach today. Wonder whats up.”
This, people, is the kind of hard-hitting reporting that making following us on Twitter a necessity.
But back to reality. I went down to the beach on Friday to see what the workers were doing. They were already gone, and so was the bike path. The two damaged portions of the Plumb Beach bike path have been totally removed and the site has been prepped for new asphalt.
We’ll be watching out for the new pavement and let you know as soon as the bike path is open. But don’t expect it to stay open long. With nothing more than sandbags protecting the bike path and the Belt Parkway, and government agencies refusing to take the problem seriously, it won’t be long before the bike path washes away again.
Plumb Beach is named as it is because of the beach plumbs that grow there, ripening in August. But we’re wondering if it should be named after another kind of vegetation growing wild there. Just check out the photo (one of several), taken by a reader walking along the paths:
Last year, reader complaints hit such a fever pitch that we wrote a feature on city programs to remove poison ivy. Well, it’s that time of year again, and we’re hoping to head off problems as the three-leafed menace starts taking root in public places.
So remember: if you see three-leafed vines growing in public parks, on school property, on trees along the sidewalk – call 311 and inform your city councilman. Poison ivy is more than a nuisance, it can cause serious injury and potentially death.
