Thank you Jason for immediate response and action.
I hope this nest will survive until the weekend.
Gus
---- On Thu, 27 May 2021 14:01:31 -0400 Smith, Jason Y (DEC)
<jason.sm...@dec.ny.gov> wrote ----
> div.zm_-5476009931034783622_parse_-1648336103378843337 P { margin-top: 0;
> margin-bottom: 0 }Gus,
> Some potential good news. I was able to contact NPS and they will try and
> get to the area by Saturday morning to put up a symbolic fence around the
> nest.
> It leaves them vulnerable for the next few days...but hopefully they can get
> the area marked off before anything happens.
> Jason
> Jason C. Smith |Biodiversity Ecologist
> New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
> 47-40 21st Street, Long Island City, NY 11101
> Phone: 718-482-4919 | Fax: 718-482-4502
> Email: jason.sm...@dec.ny.gov
> "We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we
> created them" -Einstein
>
>
>
>
> From: Smith, Jason Y (DEC)
> Sent: Thursday, May 27, 2021 12:34 PM
> To: gusk...@zoho.com <gusk...@zoho.com>
> Subject: Oystercatchers at Plumb Beach Gus,
> I'm a biologist with the NYDEC out of the Long Island City regional office.
> A co-worker forwarded me your email about the Oystercatcher nest at Plumb
> Beach.
> While I am not familiar with this nest in 2021, I am very familiar with
> where the Oystercatchers have tried to nest in the past on that beach.
> Unfortunately, it has never ended well.
> Both the National Park Service and the NYC Parks & Recreation are
> responsible for managing that property and it is generally managed as a
> recreational access area and not as protected area for nesting shorebirds or
> waterbirds. Plumb Beach primarily serves as a kayak/wind surfing launch, and
> a rest area for vehicles travelling on the Belt Parkway. As you note, there
> is a lot of recreational foot traffic through there. And folks with dogs
> usually take them off their leash there to run. Which is prohibited, but
> largely goes unenforced as there are no permanent staff there.
> The area just north of Plumb Beach, Marine Park does have an area that is
> preserved for wildlife. Here is a link to the NYC Parks website for the
> preserve: Forever Wild : NYC Parks (nycgovparks.org)Forever Wild : NYC
> ParksMost of the Marine Park Preserve consists of salt marshes and uplands
> that flank Gerritsen Creek, the westernmost freshwater inlet of Jamaica Bay.
> Jamaica Bay is an 18,000-acre wetland estuary that provides a unique
> environment for both wildlife preservation and urban recreation. Enclosed by
> the ...www.nycgovparks.org
> This area is the reason why Plumb Beach is so attractive to Oystercatchers.
> So, in a way it was the NPS and NYC Parks' way of finding a compromise for
> the two land use issues in the area. If the Oystercatchers would only nest
> across the channel(north of the marina and south of the bridge crossing the
> channel between Plumb and Marine Park) from where you are likely seeing them
> (as you go around the bend towards the wetland north of the beach) that
> would eliminate the conflict. That area isn't currently suited obviously,
> otherwise the Oystercatchers would nest there. But it could be set up to.
>
> The area where they are (likely) nesting is suited, if not for the high
> level of recreational activity. Even without any dogs off their leash.
> I will however reach out to colleagues at the NPS and make sure they are
> aware of the nest and ask if they can demark the area. Unfortunately,
> American Oystercatcher are not protected under NYS law as a threatened,
> endangered, or special concern species. So, I cannot require them to take
> any action. But they have tried to help Oystercatchers nesting in precarious
> locations in the past, so there is hope.
> From a longer-term solution perspective, I will reach out to NYC Parks and
> see if they can't provide some signs near the concessions/restroom area that
> alert visitors to the potential for encountering beach nesting birds (and
> migratory shorebird stopovers too...both NPS and Parks acknowledge the area
> for important horseshoe crab spawning area that it is). And re-enforce the
> dog leash law for the area. Again, I cannot require them to do so.
> To your point Gus, this area has seen a lot of nesting attempts by American
> Oystercatchers over the last several years. It may be time to reconsider how
> the area is viewed, and maybe a solution which allows for some areas to be
> sheltered from recreational activities can be found in the future.
> I will try to keep you updated as to any progress I am able to make with
> protecting the current nest.
> Best,Jason
> Jason C. Smith |Biodiversity Ecologist
> New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
> 47-40 21st Street, Long Island City, NY 11101
> Phone: 718-482-4919 | Fax: 718-482-4502
> Email: jason.sm...@dec.ny.gov
> "We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we
> created them" -Einstein
>
>
>
>
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