User:Rajaatahir/Gateway National Recreation Area

Article Draft

Article body

(To add to Fort Wadsworth Unit) --> history of the site, natural features unique to this site

(to add to Sandy Hook Unit)

• The Maritime Holly Forest, the largest holly forest in the Northeastern United States, is located in the Sandy Hook unit.

Will add information to the locations below.

Staten Island Unit

The Staten Island Unit is located on the southeastern shore of Staten Island facing Lower New York Bay. It includes Hoffman and Swinburne Islands, both off limits to visitation and managed primarily for the benefit of avian species. The unit also includes the following three sites:

• Fort Wadsworth is a historic collection of masonry fortifications on the site of much earlier fortifications at the Narrows of New York Bay.
• Miller Field is a historic former airfield south of New Dorp with picnic areas, open areas and sports fields.
• Great Kills Park includes a marina where visitors can go boating, a beach with lifeguards during the summer, and nature trails. It also serves as a nesting site for osprey.

Sandy Hook Unit

Sandy Hook Unit is in Monmouth County in northern New Jersey. The barrier peninsula forms the other side of the "gateway" to New York Harbor, and includes two park sites:

• Fort Hancock served as part of the harbor's coastal defense system from 1895 until 1974 and contains 100 historic buildings and fortifications.
• Sandy Hook contains seven beaches, including Gunnison Beach, a nude beach by custom, as well as salt marshes and a maritime holly forest. Ferries from Manhattan are available in season. Fishing and using hand-launched vessels are popular here.
• The Maritime Holly Forest, the largest holly forest in the Northeastern United States, is located in the Sandy Hook unit.

Animal Wildlife

The Piping Plover, a federally threatened bird species which can be found throughout Gateway.

The recreation area is home to a variety of species of the main biological classes, including amphibians, birds, mammals, reptiles, crustaceans, and insects. The species inhabiting these areas have all been able to habituate to the built environments of New York City and New Jersey. The following species can be found throughout all of the different units of the recreation area:

• Amphibians: Eastern Gray Tree Frog.
• Birds: There are over 325 bird species that can be found throughout Gateway National Recreation Area, thus providing a good opportunity for bird watching in New York City. Some of the bird species found throughout the area are the American Oystercatcher, Piping Plovers, Osprey, Tree Swallows, American Woodcock, and Killdeer.
• Crustaceans: Atlantic Horseshoe Crab.
• Insects: Monarch Butterfly, Eastern Tent Caterpillar.
• Mammals: Foxes, Harbor Seals, Raccoons, White-Tailed Deer, Muskrat.
• Reptiles: These cold-blooded species are more likely to be seen in the warmer months, when they are more active. Diamondback Terrapins, Eastern Box Turtle, Painted Turtle, Snapping Turtle

Environmental Assessment

As the recreation area has locations throughout New York City and New Jersey, there are a variety of factors to be considered in terms of the effects of the surrounding urban environment on the park ecosystem.

• The National Park Service conducts a yearly air quality survey, which assesses the overall air quality, visibility, and ground ozone levels in the recreation area.
• (note: add more information about traffic in parts of NYC, neighborhoods surrounding the Gateway NRA, noise, visitor activities; can use the Fort Wadsworth manual from the bibliography for some of this info that pertains to the SI unit.)
• Due to the proximity of the recreation area to the surrounding built environment, there do exist interactions between wildlife and the human environment. The white-tailed deer population can be found in the Staten Island unit of Gateway. Individuals are cautioned to drive with particular attention at times when deer are most active: dawn, dusk, and during the autumn mating season. Deer can wander into road space and increase the risk of collisions.
• After the discovery of radioactive contamination in Great Kills Park in 2005, public access to parts of the park has been restricted while the NPS takes action to investigate the causes of the contamination and conduct a clean-up of the site. The National Park Service is granted authority by CERCLA to take action against any contamination on grounds under their jurisdiction. The investigation and cleanup effort at Great Kills Park follows the phases outlined by CERCLA.
• Current issues with park soil and geology include the extensive use of artificial material to fill in marshes for development. Some of these artificial soils such as those in Jamaica Bay reduced infiltration to hardened trails and roads.
• Water resources: Hydrology in the surrounding marine environments including that of Jamaica Bay has been altered by deep dredging and other engineering modifications.
• Vegetation: Gateway conducts invasive species removal and native species planting at several park sites, which benefits all treated vegetative communities.

Preservation of Natural Features

• Marsh Restoration
• Great Kills Environmental Cleanup
• Spring Creek Environmental Cleanup