Great Kills Park

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Aerial view of the park with Crooke's Point on the left
Beach in Great Kills Park
Harbor in Great Kills Park

The Great Kills Park is a public park in Great Kills on Staten Iceland in New York City . It is part of the Gateway National Recreation Area . It is managed by the National Park Service . The park has a size of about 2.3 km² and includes salt marshes , forest areas and about 3 kilometers of beach on the four sections New Dorp Beach , Cedar Grove Beach , Oakwood Beach , and Fox Beach on Lower New York Bay . The name Great Kills comes from Dutch and means many streams .

history

In 1860 businessman John J. Crooke bought the peninsula and lived there in a wooden house on the beach. In 1929, the City of New York bought Crooke's Point and the surrounding lands and began converting them to the park. Due to the Great Depression, work was delayed and the park could not be opened to the public until 1949. In 1973 it became part of the Gateway National Recreation Area and thus National Recreation Area .

In the park is the Great Kills Harbor, which was created when Crooke's Island was connected to Staten Island with dredged sediment.

fauna

The park is regularly visited by different species of birds that use the different habitats in the park.

leisure offers

In addition to the beaches, the park offers the option of rowing boats and kayaks after obtaining a permit ( US $ 15 ). Fishing is also possible after obtaining a permit. A model airfield, picnic areas and various playgrounds are also located in the park. Asphalted paths offer opportunities for hiking and cycling.

environmental issues

NPS map of the park, which also shows the restricted areas (in gray)

Almost half of the park was used as a landfill in the past . In 2005, radium ( 226 Ra), a radioactive substance that is used in medical treatments, was found in the sand of the park . A part of this pollution, which was located at a depth of 30-40 cm, has now been removed; a total of 12 places are known to date where radioactive contamination has been detected. About 200 times higher radiation than the natural subsurface was measured at the sources. An extensive renovation is planned from August 2012. For this reason, around half of the park is currently closed to the public and some leisure activities are not open or can only be used to a limited extent.

reachability

The main entrance is on Hylan Boulevard , where various MTA bus routes operate. The Buffalo Street leads into the park. The Staten Island Railway has Bay Terrace station near the entrance. The park can be reached by boat via Great Kills Harbor.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Great Kills Park - National Parks of New York Harbor
  2. ↑ a b NPS - Things To Do - Staten Island
  3. ^ Marcia T. Fowle, Paul Kerlinger (2001): The New York City Audubon Society guide to finding birds in the metropolitan area, New York City Audubon Society, 102p ( Birding in NYC )
  4. ^ Susan Roney Drennan (1981): Where to find birds in New York State: the top 500 sites, 404p, ISBN 978-0-8156-0173-9
  5. ↑ City of New York Parks & Recreation Kayak, Canoe and Boat Launch Application Rules and Recommendations ( Memento of the original from May 21, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (PDF file; 205 kB) @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.nycgovparks.org
  6. ^ Great Kills Park at the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation
  7. ^ A b Great Kills Park Information on Radium Contamination from the National Park Service, US Department of the Interior
  8. ^ Cabrera Services Hired for First Phase of Great Kills Park Cleanup
  9. ^ Great Kills Park Environmental Cleanup Project

Web links

Commons : Great Kills Park  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Coordinates: 40 ° 32 ′ 40 ″  N , 74 ° 7 ′ 30 ″  W.