Robert Moses State Park (Long Island)

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Robert Moses State Park
A lifeboat on the beach at Robert Moses State park

A lifeboat on the beach at Robert Moses State park

location Fire Island , New York (State) , United States
surface 3.54
Geographical location 40 ° 37 ′  N , 73 ° 17 ′  W Coordinates: 40 ° 37 ′ 23 "  N , 73 ° 16 ′ 48"  W
Robert Moses State Park (Long Island) (New York)
Robert Moses State Park (Long Island)
Setup date 1908
administration New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation
f6

Robert Moses State Park - Long Island is a state park in southern Suffolk County , New York . The park covers an area of ​​875 acres (3.54 km²) and extends at the western end of Fire Island , an island off the south coast of Long Island . The park is famous for its 5 mi (7.5 km) stretch of beach on the Atlantic Ocean . Access to the park is provided from Long Island through the Robert Moses Causeway across Great South Bay .

The park was created in 1908 as Fire Island State Park , making it the oldest on Long Island. It was renamed in honor of Robert Moses , an influential city planner and former President of the Long Island State Park Commission .

geography

The state park encompasses the west end of Fire Island, one of the central barrier islands off the south coast of Long Island. The west end with Democrat Point curves slightly to the north and offers protection for the Fire Island Inlet behind it , a canal that connects Great South Bay and the Atlantic Ocean. A few hundred meters north is Jones Beach Island with the Gilgo State Park , to which the Gilgo-Oak Beach-Captree with Capt Gillen Fishing - Captree State Park and the Robert Moses Causeway connects. The flat terrain of the island is characterized by beaches and dunes. The beach is 5 mi (7.5 km) long and the streets in the park all form part of the Robert Moses State Parkway . Parking is available at the 5 State Park Fields . In the large roundabout at the end of the Robert Moses Causeway , a landmark visible from afar is a water tower that supplies the US Coast Guard base next door, among other things . To the east, the island extends over Kismet and Ocean Beach another 25 km with the Fire Island National Seashore , as well as Lighthouse Beach and the Fire Island Lighthouse and Museum ,

history

Water tower and roundabout of the Robert Moses Causeway . In the background the Atlantic.

The west end of Fire Island was part of a colonial fiefdom of William "Tangier" Smith . In 1825 the federal government acquired the western tip of the island to build the Fire Island Light and David Sammis bought 120 acres (49 ha) of the eastern part in 1855 to build the Surf Hotel .

In 1892 cholera was a threat. After an epidemic caused by passengers on a ship arriving at the port, the state acquired the hotel to set up a quarantine station. Angry residents obtained an order through a blockade that prevented this, despite the dispatch of soldiers.

In 1908, Governor Charles Evans Hughes signed a law that designated the property of the former Surf Hotel as Long Island's first state park ("Fire Island State Park"). The island and park have grown since then. For decades, sand has accumulated at the west end of Fire Island at a rate of 50 m (160 ft) per year, increasing the island by 5 mi (8 km) in length since 1825. At the time the park was built, the western tip was near where the water tower is today.

In 1918 a fire destroyed the boardwalk and some buildings. In 1924, the state established the Long Island State Park Commission under the direction of Robert Moses as part of a state-wide park program that was also directed by Moses. The commission was given by the federal government an area with 4 mi (6.4 km) of beach west of the lighthouse that was created by the accumulation of sand. The first bathhouse was built in 1926.

After the New England Hurricane (1938) devastated the park, the commission decided to build buildings further east, closer to the lighthouse, and sand was dumped on the beach to divide part of the island to a height of 18 ft ) to lift above the sea . In 1940 the first modern bathhouse was opened.

Deer in Robert Moses State Park, March 2013.

Ferry services to the park were maintained from Babylon until 1964 when the Robert Moses Causeway was opened. In the same year the park was renamed after Robert Moses. As a result, the number of visitors exploded and more parking spaces and bathing houses were created.

On June 27, 2008 the park celebrated its 100th anniversary. Various improvements were made to mark the anniversary, including the renovation of the bathhouse in field 3 for $ 700,000. The bathing facilities were improved and enlarged, the dome and clock repaired and a glass and metal facade that had been installed in the 1980s replaced. The funds were part of a $ 132 million project in 2008 to develop New York State Parks and Historic Sites .

In 2013, a $ 7.7 million dredging and beach restoration project was undertaken to restore the beaches that had been damaged by Hurricane Sandy . Approximately 520,000 cuyd (400,000 cubic meters ) of sand was used from dredging the Captree State Park boat canal.

In 2015, a project to expand energy efficiency in the amount of $ 1.7 million. announced. A 500-kilowatt photovoltaic system is to be installed to make Robert Moses State Park the first energy-neutral state park in the United States.

Freetime activities

One of the trails in Robert Moses State Park.

Swimming, surfing, and fishing are permitted on Robert Moses State Park Beach. Several piers are accessible for anglers. A day use boat basin with up to 40 berths is located on the north side of the island. At each State Park Field there are loan points for parasols and four additional sanitary facilities, as well as kiosks, volleyball fields, first aid stations, picnic areas and a playground at Field 5 .

There is an 18-hole pitch and putt golf course at the west end of the park . It is usually open from April to November and there is a possibility to rent equipment.

The Fire Island Light on the Fire Island National Seashore .

Robert Moses State Park also forms the entrance to Fire Island National Seashore , which joins east of the park. There is no parking and most visitors park their cars at Field 5 and walk there or on to Kismet . In 2010 it was estimated that 30% of visitors only came to park and then moved on to Lighthouse Beach . Lighthouse Beach used to be a "clothing optional beach" ( naturism ). However, the National Park Service has enforced a nudity ban on Lighthouse Beach since 2013 after seeing an increase in indecent behavior. Today, failure to comply could result in a $ 5,000 fine and six months in prison.

The bus S47 (Long Iceland bus) of Suffolk County Transit is used seasonally and connects the beach with the Babylon (LIRR station) of the Long Iceland Railroad .

The park is open all year round from sunrise to sunset. Parts of the park are also open to anglers 24 hours a day (with a permit).

A parking fee is charged from April to November. In 2014 there were around 3.5 million. Visitors.

See also

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Geographic Names Information System . United States Geological Survey.
  2. ^ A b NYS Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation: State Park Acquisition Record and Document Review. [1] 2010: 17.
  3. ↑ GNIS: 962647 Robert Moses State Park, November 20, 2015
  4. ^ A b History of Fire Island National Seashore. US National Park Service November 20, 2015
  5. ^ Showcasing the Career of Robert Moses. In: The New York Times , October 1, 1995, Carole Paquette, November 20, 2015
  6. ^ Robert Moses State Park - Fire Island National Seashore. US National Park Service November 20, 2015
  7. ↑ a b c Robert Moses State Park / Fire Island National Seashore. Geology of National Parks. United States Geological Survey 2015.
  8. ↑ Press Release - Robert Moses State Park Celebrates 100th Anniversary. NYS Office of Parks, Recreation & Historic Preservation June 27, 2008.
  9. ↑ Emily C. Dooley: 520,000 cubic yards of sand for Robert Moses park beach. In: Newsday , March 25, 2013.
  10. ^ Governor Cuomo Announces Robert Moses State Park to be First Energy-Neutral State Park in the Nation. Office of the New York State Governor April 23, 2015.
  11. ^ Robert Moses State Park - Long Island. NYS Office of Parks, Recreation & Historic Preservation. 20th November 2015
  12. ^ Robert Moses State Park Pitch and Putt Course. NYS Office of Parks, Recreation & Historic Preservation November 20, 2015.
  13. ↑ Meeting with New York State Park Officials Sept 16, 2010. Long Island Traversuns Inc. March 7, 2011. "Approximately 30%, by their estimation, of those parking in Field # 5 of Robert Moses State Park are doing so in order to avail themselves of facilities on the federal property, namely the Lighthouse, and even more often the beach near it, commonly known as Lighthouse Beach. "
  14. ↑ Detailed Maps of Lighthouse Beach Fire Island. Long Island Travasuns Inc. 2011
  15. ↑ Marc Santora: Crackdown on Nudity Planned for Fire Island Beach. In: The New York Times. February 27, 2013.
  16. ↑ Candice Rudd: Officials ban nude sunbathing on Fire Island. In: Newsday , February 26, 2013.
  17. ^ Robert Moses State Park - Hours of Operation. NYS Office of Parks, Recreation & Historic Preservation 2015.
  18. ^ Robert Moses State Park - Fees and Rates. NYS Office of Parks, Recreation & Historic Preservation. 2015.
  19. ^ State Park Annual Attendance Figures by Facility: Beginning 2003. Data.ny.gov November 20, 2015.

Web links

Commons : Robert Moses State Park  - Collection of Images, Videos, and Audio Files