parks. Fresh Kills will be almost
three times the size of Central Park
with a surface area the equivalent of
Manhattan from the Battery to 23
rd
Street. Projected activities include
hiking, kayaking, mountain biking
and cross-country skiing. New York
City planned an equestrian center to
be part of a plan to attract Olympic
attention to the five boroughs. Bird-
watching is already an active and
integral part of the operation of the
site. Projected uses of the sprawling
area may include an amphitheater
for concerts and its seemingly limit-
less acres have allowed the replace-
ment of the Jersey Street Sanitation
garage without sacrificing wetlands
at Arlington Marsh, as had been an-
ticipated.
Forty five percent of the site is land-
fill, limiting development as struc-
tures cannot be built on the possibly
shifting surface. The park is about
40% waterway and wetlands, 40%
NATURAL RESOURCES PROTECTIVE ASSOCIATION
grassland and 20% woodlands.
Goats assisted in phragmites remov-
al and that portion of the project be-
came world famous. Living shore-
lines (soft shores) aim to remove
bulkheads and promote natural are-
as of the estuary. The Parks Depart-
ment sponsors a 24 hour Bio-Blitz
twice each year to survey life in the
230 acre area. The most recent blitz
uncovered 10 fish species, 68 bird
types, 137 different plants, 6 mam-
mals and 12 types of shoreline mat
materials. More information is avail-
able on the iNaturalist.org website.
Staten Island students from grades 6
-12 are recruited to assist in water
monitoring and other ongoing pro-
grams. Many college level activities
are already taking place.
Other ongoing programs already in
place or planned include nature
hikes (which will begin in May).
Kayaking, one of the most popular
activities draws participants from
throughout the city. Registration for
kayaking opens the first day of the
month in which it is scheduled and
fills up quickly. Discovery Days are
scheduled for May 15
th
and June
25
th
. The Hawk Watch in the fall co-
incides with kite flying.
There are five sections delineated for
use; North, South, West and East
Parks and the Confluence, where the
four parks meet as well as the two
streams that cut through the park.
East Park is the first area designated
to be opened fully for park use with
an entrance on Richmond Avenue at
Yukon Avenue to be cut through the
existing berm within three years.
Roadways that were used for the
landfill operation will be opened to
facilitate movement between the
West Shore Expressway and the mid
-Island.
Everyone involved in the park design
is excited. Birdwatchers and natural-
(continued next page)
Page 4
Spring 2016
ists are excited. Potential active us-
ers of the park including hikers,
kayakers and cyclists, are pumped.
The day is near for park enthusiasts
to come out and play. There are
many volunteer opportunities now.
Google “Fresh Kills Park” for the
website and either get involved or
follow along at home.
EAST SHORE RIDE
By Jim Scarcella
In early spring, I decided to take a
bike ride to see what changes hu-
manity and the tides /weather
brought forth to the East Shore.
Starting at Father Vincent Capo-
danno Boulevard and Seaview Ave,
turning north, the new Parks Dept.
Ocean Breeze Track and Field Facil-
ity is open and it dominates the land-
scape. To manage the traffic for
track meets, there are two new traf-
fic signals on the Blvd.
Parks also is managing the field be-
tween the boardwalk and the street.
At one time there was a population
of rabbits here.
The road salt piles at Parking lot 4
are successfully secured, Calcium
chloride can be detrimental when its
excessive use poisons our water-
ways. Also, I stopped to pay my
respects to the memorial to Chaplain
Capodanno at Sand Lane.
Up next
was Gateway Fort
Wadsworth, part of National Park
Service. The Park is in need of capi-
tal funding for road and ecological
shoreline restoration.
Next up was Arthur Von Briesen
Park at the intersection of Bay Street
and School Road. This park has
beautiful woodland paths that weave
uphill, to a plaza with spectacular
views of the Verrazano Narrows
Bridge, Brooklyn and Lower NY Bay.
Back to biking on Bay Street, there
is actually a portion of the street to
'Share the Road'. The day of the
week was Sunday, there were no 18
wheelers and I was cautious and
safe.
The Alice Austen House at 2 Hylan
Blvd. with Matthew Buono Beach is
the next accessible shoreline. The
wood picket fence and a piece of the
shoreline path were removed by
