Dear Birders of Brooklyn,NYC and NYS: I am bringing you this critical issue to your attention over Brooklyn's Floyd Bennett Fields grasslands ( formerly an decommissioned airport) now threatened by potential development discussions ( info also based from the recent Blue Ribbon Panel set up by US Senator Charles Schumer and Congressman Anthony Weiner, which last Tuesday eve I attend a listening session/public hearing at Floyd and Mr Markowitz spoke as well) ). Brooklyn Borough President, Marty Markowitz a NYC elective city official is trying to tell the Federal Gateway National Parks Service to turn it into more recreation amusement emphasis. Floyd Bennett is located on the southeastern part of Brooklyn , NYC, a critical bird migration hotspot where for the few past week Buff-breasted Sandpipers were feeding right next to the Aviator Sports complex ( which itself opened the Pandora's box for more potential commercial development ). Mr Markowitz's zeal obviously has no idea of the potential habitat loss and impact to threatened and fragile grass birds that use Floyd Bennett , especially rare birds including RED KNOT(seen on the runway in 2007) and Upland Sandpiper recorded on the Ebird Cornell database ( Check out the list http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ and see "View and Explore Data"). Since 2003, over 215 species have touched down or used Floyd for breeding or migration purpose.The grasslands have been impacted over the years and it needs a buffer perimeter which currently is impacted by overabundance of speeding cars and motorcycles ( the main old airport runway ) using Aviator Sports purposes. I am hoping you will be deeply concerned and act on Brooklyn Birds' behalf to stop this nonsense and save the last grassland spot in Brooklyn and which grasslands of this size is rare for NYC. This preserve , though it is not pretty in some spots, is a rich bird spot where in recent days also saw Bairds Sandpiper and numerous raptors ( frequent Peregrine Falcon) as well as some wintering owls ( Saw-whet, Long-eared, Snowy sometimes, Barn and on occasions Short-eared) I hope you will act on behalf of New York City birders. You can contact Mr Markowitz's office or further, contact Gateway NPS administrator ( google Gateway National Park or NYC Harbors Parks ) or the Director of the Interior Ken Salazar. A city official should not delve into Federal natural habitat ( but they do). Regards, Peter Dorosh President Brooklyn Bird Club If you want to contact Mr Markowitz's office , go to this website http://www.brooklyn-usa.org/ Check out the following articles from the NEW YORK POST of 9/20 and 9/23 >From the NEW YORK POST Updated: Mon., Sep. 20, 2010, 5:07 PM Floyd Bennett 'next hot spot' By RICH CALDER Last Updated: 5:07 PM, September 20, 2010 Posted: 5:36 AM, September 20, 2010 Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz wants the feds to turn Floyd Bennett Field into the next hot green space. The city made Governors Island and Brooklyn Bridge Park overnight hot spots this summer by boosting transit services there -- especially ferries. Markowitz said that bringing ferry, water taxi and jitney service to the 1,400-acre former Navy airfield in Mill Basin that's now an underused federal park must be considered. Increasing its limited bus service and creating bike lanes leading to and from it are other options, he said. He plans to make his pitch tomorrow night during a public hearing on the future of Floyd Bennett Field, the borough's biggest open space and one of the nation's lowest ranked federal parks. It begin 6 pm at Aviator Sports Center on Flatbush Avenue. The pitch, Markowitz says, will also focus on how Floyd Bennett Field is perfect for hosting “cultural celebrations” and other big events, such as "antique shows" similar to a famous three-week show held annually in Brimfield, Mass. that attracts 6,000 vendors and hundreds of thousands of visitors. The meeting will be run by a Blue Ribbon Panel created by Sen. Charles Schumer and Rep. Anthony Weiner to guide the National Park Service draft a plan on how to boost services and cleanup Floyd Bennett Field. Improving transit options and educational opportunities at the park are among the ideas the panel says it plans to review. Since the park is on the Queens border, a similar meeting will be held in that borough on Sept. 27. Floyd Bennett Field was the city’s first commercial airport. In 1972, it became part of the federal Gateway National Recreation Area system. NEW YORK POST is a registered trademark of NYP Holdings, Inc. nypost.com , nypostonline.com , and newyorkpost.com are trademarks of NYP Holdings, Inc. Copyright 2010 NYP Holdings, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy | Terms of Use Markowitz wants large antiques show, drive-in movies atFloyd Bennett Field | More Print 6:40 PM, September 23, 2010 ι By RICHCALDER Brooklyn Borough President MartyMarkowitz wants the feds to turn Brooklyn’s biggest open space intoa massive antiques road show. During a meeting Monday night on thefuture of Floyd Bennett Field in Mill Basin, Markowitz said the 1,358-acre formerNavy airfield is perfect for hosting antique shows similar to a famousthree-week show held annually in Brimfield, Mass. that attracts 6,000 vendorsand hundreds of thousands of visitors. “I’m not talking about a fleamarket,” he later told the Post. “This could be huge.” His other pitches for the underusedsite include giving the borough its own drive-in movie theater there and alsousing the parkland for cultural celebrations and even family reunions. A blue ribbon panel created by Sen. CharlesSchumer and Rep. Anthony Weiner is pushing the National ParksService for greater cleanup and to boost transit services and programming atFloyd Bennett Field, which is the lowest-rated federal park in the nation. About 100 community members convenedat the Aviator Sports Center to discuss the park’s future and makerecommendations on how to improve. Among the better ideas brought up ata table of local residents that this reporter sat in on was changing the mainentrance to a little-used roadway near heavily-used Aviator, instead of theexisting entrance further south on Flatbush Avenue by the Marine Parkway Bridgeinto the Rockaways. Others include adding ferry service,increasing bike access and opening up access to the entire waterfront. A second community meeting will beheld Monday at the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge in Queens. Go to www.rpa.org/floydbennettfor more information on the meeting and the Blue Ribbon Panel. -- NYSbirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/maillist.html 2) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NYSB.html 3) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
