We are down to the wire. As of this writing there are less than 7 days left for public comment on the status of the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge restoration plan and the fate of the West Pond breach. Will it be restored to pre-hurricane Sandy conditions? That depends on us. Last Thursday many birders attended a public meeting at the refuge headquarters to meet with parks personnel to discuss the various plans currently on the table and one thing was clear; public comments matter. It would seem obvious that a Wildlife Refuge would prioritize to fix the breach and valve system, but the unique governing structure at Jamaica Bay has made this an unexpectedly heavy lift. Jamaica Bay falls under the umbrella of the Gateway National Recreation Area, not the US Fish and Wildlife or The National Park Service. So while the biodiversity is part of the discussion, it doesn't trump all else. This is why our voices are so critical at this time. Please take a few moments to comment and urge Gateway to restore the West Pond to pre-hurricane Sandy conditions and replace the valve system to maximize management of water levels to better serve the local and migratory wildlife using it.
Anyone who has been touched by this special place please use this opportunity to share your thoughts and concern. Here is a direct link to the comments page: http://parkplanning.nps.gov/commentForm.cfm?documentID=60140 A link to the overview page: http://parkplanning.nps.gov/document.cfm?parkID=237&projectID=44691&documentID=60140 Thank you and good birding! Sean Sime Brooklyn, NY -- NYSbirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NYSB.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
