Page 5
Spring 2012
NATURAL RESOURCES PROTECTIVE ASSOCIATION
water table and into sur-
rounding water adversely
Ăī ĞĐƟŶŐ Į ƐŚ ĂŶĚ ŽƚŚĞƌ ŵĂͲ
rine life.
Erosion – where the old bath
house was located and cur-
rently close to the major
parking lot, dangerous to us-
ers of the park and surf fish-
ermen that fish in the bogs.
The invasive sands off the western
ƉĂƌƚ ŽĨ ƚŚĞďĞĂĐŚ ĂŶĚ ũĞƩ LJĨŽƌŵŝŶŐĂ
new beach that in filling in Great
Kills Channel causing it to be moved
into shallow water and making the
USCG to move the buoys further
west of its original path. By doing
this it become dangerous to naviga-
ƟŽŶ͕
ďĞĐĂƵƐĞ ƚŚĞ ĐŚĂƌƚƐ ĂƌĞ ŶŽƚ
changed which may ground a boat
and cause injuries.
^ƵƉƉŽƌƚ ŽĨ ŽƵƌ E ĂƟŽŶĂů>ŝŐŚƚŚŽƵƐĞ
Museum to create awareness of our
ůŝŐŚƚŚŽƵƐĞ ůĞŐĂĐLJ͕
ŵĂƌŝƟŵĞ ŚŝƐƚŽƌLJ
and fishing off its pier.
Cleaning up local beaches as well as
areas in the Blue Belt.
Fresh Kills park to promote the use
ŽĨ ŝƚƐ ǁ ĂƚĞƌǁ ĂLJƐ ĨŽƌ ƌĞĐƌĞĂƟŽŶĂů
ďŽĂƟŶŐǁ ŝƚŚ ĐĂŶŽĞƐ ĂŶĚ ŬĂLJĂŬƐ͘
William T. Davis, SI’s 1
st
Nat-
uralist
By Jim Scarcella
William T. Davis roamed Staten Is-
land in the early days, and SIIAS
made this his wildlife refuge on the
west shore of SI. It is truly a special
place.
E ĂŵĞĚ ĂŌĞƌ ƚŚĞ Į ƌƐƚ ŶĂƚƵƌĂůŝƐƚ ŽĨ
Staten Island to fully document the
ways our shorelines early on, “Days
Afield”, Mr. Davis’ book, is simply a
classic wildlife documentary, along
ǁ ŝƚŚ ŽƌŽƚŚLJs ĂůĞŶƟŶĞ^ŵŝƚŚΖƐ ͞
dŚŝƐ
was Staten Island“
Recently I viewed the storm water
out fall at Nome and Travis Ave,
New Springville. The fence to catch
ƉůĂƐƟĐ ďĂŐƐ ŝƐ ŵŽƐƚůLJĚĞƐƚƌŽLJĞĚ ďLJ
(
now rare) storm water event.
WůĂƐƟĐďĂŐƐ ĂƌĞ ĂƩ ĂĐŚĞĚ ƚŽ ƐĐŽƵƌĞĚ
tree roots and there are freshwater
shiners living in the six foot deep
pools of the storm sewer out fall.
The water was murky on this day,
ďƵƚ ƐŽŵĞƟŵĞƐ ŝƚ͛
Ɛ ĐƌLJƐƚĂůĐůĞĂƌ ůŝŬĞ
an Adirondack stream. I've found
credit cards, a dollar bill, and a Lexus
ŬĞLJĂƚ ƚŚŝƐ ůŽĐĂƟŽŶ͘
The best part is the babbling brook
that drowns out the noise from
Travis Ave. traffic and there is peace
and quiet.
Traveling west on the trail there are
a variety of songbirds in the vegetat-
ed forest, and about 4 footbridges
Žǀ Ğƌ ǀ ĂƌŝŽƵƐ ŝŶƚĞƌŵŝƩ ĞŶƚ ƐƚƌĞĂŵƐ͘
^ŽŵĞƟŵĞƐ ƚŚĞƌĞ ĂƌĞ ƐĂůĂŵĂŶĚĞƌƐ
under huge logs. Further west is an
eighty foot long stone wall that
must be about 200 years old.
On a tangent path to the estuarine
ƟĚĂů ŵĂƌƐŚ ŝƐ Ă ĐůĞĂƌŝŶŐ ǁ ŝƚŚ ƚǁ Ž
rows of three each (6) pilings, possi-
bly an old dock for shellfish and eels
harvest.
Traveling north from there, the path
goes through a 70 foot forest cano-
py that is rivaled only by some of
the giant trees at Wolfe’s Pond Park.
It actually feels like a rain forest,
ǁ ŝƚŚ ǀ ĞƌLJůŝƩ ůĞ ůŝŐŚƚ ƉĂƐƐŝŶŐƚŚƌŽƵŐŚ
even on a bright day.
I removed some leaves that were
gathering on a footbridge that may
have caused wood rot in the future.
There was a DOT crew nearby mark-
ing the storm water catch basin as-
semblies on Travis Ave.
Hopefully this will improve water
quality of Fresh Kills and by exten-
sion the Arthur Kill Harbor Estuary.
Visit the William T. Davis Refuge this
spring; you will be glad you did.
Bluefish
By Jim Scarcella
What more can be said about the
incredible powerful leaper of the
sea, the bluefish? Sleek,
ďĞĂƵƟĨƵůLJ ĐŽůŽƌĞĚ ǁ ŝƚŚ
deep green and blue
hues, super-fast, with an
innate willingness to
ĂƩ ĂĐŬ ĂŶĚ ĚĞĐŝŵĂƚĞ ũƵƐƚ
about anything in its path.
The bluefish is pound for
pound the strongest fight-
er in our seas.
During late summer they converge
by the thousands to eat the young
menhaden (peanut bunker) and sil-
versides (spearing). The blues locate
the bait fish and then they run at
them full speed relentlessly for mul-
ƟƉůĞ ŚŽƵƌƐ Ăƚ Ă ƟŵĞ͘
dŚĞ
menhaden, frightened for
their lives, may jump out of
the water to evade blues
only to find terns and gulls
ĂƩ ĞŵƉƟŶŐ ƚŽ ŚŽǀ ĞƌŝŶŐ ĂŶĚ
diving to snatch them with
their beaks. The terns and
gulls make such a racket it is