New York Birders,
I know that many of you are concerned with the damage done to the West Pond of
Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge by Hurricane Sandy, and that you may be wondering
what decision-makers at Gateway National Recreation Area are planning to do
about the situation. As President of New York City Audubon, which has been
actively involved with Gateway regarding planning for the refuge, I thought it
advisable to inform the New York area birding community of Gateway's current
position and of NYC Audubon's efforts regarding any planned restoration.
In October 2012, the storm surge from hurricane Sandy breached the East and
West Ponds of the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, allowing water from the bay to
flow freely and turning both ponds into lagoons. While the East Pond was
quickly repaired by the Transit Authority as part of its efforts to restore
train service to the Rockaways, the West Pond has remained breached. I know
many of you are concerned with the damage done to the West Pond and wonder what
decision-makers at Gateway National Recreation Area are planning to do about
the situation--and what you can do to ensure that their response adequately
addresses the needs of birds and birders.
Gateway is considering a number of alternatives, including doing nothing
and allowing nature to take its course. The Draft General Management Plan for
Gateway National Recreation Area calls for “leaving West Pond breached until a
study is completed under a more regional effort to reestablish freshwater
wetlands.” This study will begin soon, likely early October, pending the hiring
of an outside consultant.
NYC Audubon has been involved in the ongoing discussions with Gateway’s
management about the pond and is in the process of drafting our own
recommendations. Our initial proposal to Gateway, presented in June at the
Jamaica Bay Task Force Meeting, was intended as a starting point for discussion
and to indicate to Gateway that we are very interested in what plan is adopted
and that we intend to stay fully involved with the Gateway planners as the
process move forward.
NYC Audubon recommends that the National Park Service design the restoration of
the West and East Ponds to maximize habitat for the species of greatest
conservation need in Jamaica Bay, while building long-term resiliency to
climate change and sea-level rise as well as improving wildlife protection and
opportunities for public viewing. You can see more details about our current
vision for the West Pond at
www.nycaudubon.org/jamaica-bay-west-pond-restoration.
While we are still assembling the research and analysis that will support
our proposal and plan, we also welcome input from our members, the birding
community at large, and conservation professionals. Our proposal is not written
in stone. However, at this point in time, we would be opposed to doing nothing
and letting nature "do its thing."
We realize that our proposal would change the nature of the West
Pond, but believe, again contingent upon the results of our scientific studies,
that it is possible to provide more and better habitat for a wider variety of
species, particularly ones that have been identified as priority species for
the New York area.
It is vitally important that the New York birding community make
itself heard on this issue, and I would encourage each of you to do so. If you
are not a member of NYC Audubon, I would encourage you to become one. First, it
would provide you with an organization directly involved in the planning
process and second, through our website, our monthly electronic newsletter, The
eGret, and our quarterly newsletter, The Urban Audubon, you will have sources
you can use to be updated on what is happening. Please visit our website,
www.nycaudubon.org/ for more information. Second, you should visit our website
at www.nycaudubon.org/gateway-gmp for directions and advice about commenting
on the draft General Management plan. We need many more people to object to the
chosen alternative, which emphasizes recreation over nature. Third, write to
our senators and congressional delegation to insist that dollars allocated for
the restoration of the wildlife refuge be spent on the ponds.
As president of NYC Audubon, I hope you will share your concerns and thoughts
about the future of the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge with me, and I hope that
this information will encourage you to take action today.
Harry Maas, President, New York City Audubon
New York City
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