Advisory Committee's Response to Jamaica Bay Watershed Protection Plan

(courtesy of Jamaica Bay Watershed Protection Plan Advisory Committee)

On November 1, 2007, the Advisory Committee submitted their response (includes attachment) to the Speaker of the New York City Council and the Commissioner of the New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). To view the Advisory Committee's cover letter, click here; attachment A click here.

For more information, see the Advisory Committee section of this website.

DEP Releases Jamaica Bay Watershed Protection Plan

(courtesy of DEP)

On October 1, 2007, the New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) released the Jamaica Bay Watershed Protection Plan. To view the plan which contains 2 volumes, go to the DEP JBWPP web page.

Jamaica Bay BioBlitz 2007!

The 1st ever Jamaica Bay BioBlitz will take place on Friday September 7, 2007 beginning @ 3:00pm and will run through Saturday September 8, 2007 ending @ 3:00pm. We encourage you to join us in this 24-hour journey of discovery highlighting the biological diversity found within Jamaica Bay. Participate in field explorations and assist with species counts, learn about natural ecosystems through public walks, talks, and displays, or volunteer to assist with event operations. More...

Wetlands Report on Jamaica Bay

(courtesy of Jamaica Bay Watershed Protection Plan Advisory Committee and National Park Service)

On August 2, 2007, the Advisory Committee along with the National Park Service (NPS) released a study on the disappearing salt marshes in Jamaica Bay. To view the press release, click here; full report click here.

Advisory Committee's Final Comprehensive Plan to Protect Jamaica Bay

(courtesy of Jamaica Bay Watershed Protection Plan Advisory Committee)

On June 1, 2007, the Advisory Committee submitted their final recommendations to the Speaker of the New York City Council and the Commissioner of the New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) pursuant to Local Law 71. To view the Advisory Committee's cover letter, click here; for the full report click here.

DRAFT Version of the Jamaica Bay Watershed Protection Plan

(courtesy of DEP)

On March 1, 2007, the New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) released the first DRAFT of the Jamaica Bay Watershed Protection Plan.

Advisory Committee's DRAFT Comprehensive Plan to Protect Jamaica Bay and DEP's Response

(courtesy of Jamaica Bay Watershed Protection Plan Advisory Committee and DEP)

On June 29, 2006 the Advisory Committee submitted their preliminary recommendations to the Speaker of the New York City Council and the Commissioner of the New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) pursuant to Local Law 71. To view the Advisory Committee's cover letter, click here; for the full report click here.

On September 1, 2006, the DEP released their Interim Report responding to the committee’s recommendations. To read this report, click here.

DRAFT Comprehensive Plan to Protect Jamaica Bay

(courtesy of Jamaica Bay Watershed Protection Plan Advisory Committee)

On June 29, 2006 the Advisory Committee submitted their preliminary recommendations to the Speaker of the New York City Council and the Commissioner of the New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) pursuant to Local Law 71. To view the Advisory Committee's cover letter, click here; for the full report click here.

Together with the sponsor of Local Law 71, Council Member James F. Gennaro, and Angela Licata, DEP's Deputy Commissioner for the Bureau of Environmental Planning and Assessment, the Advisory Committee held a press conference at the Gateway Environmental Study Center, Building 272, to release the report and encourage further public comment on the document. To view the press release, click here. Fact sheets can be viewed by clicking here.

Four Sparrows Marsh Restoration Project (Earth Day Event)

(courtesy of Don Riepe, ALS)

On Saturday, April 16, 2005, and again on Friday, April 22 (Earth Day), the American Littoral Society in cooperation with NYC Parks, Gateway National Recreation Area, Partners For Parks, NYC Audubon and a host of other organizations will be removing tons of debris currently impacting a 2-acre site in Jamaica Bay along the shoreline of Four Sparrows Marsh in Brooklyn. For information and volunteer support call Don Riepe at (718) 318-9344.

The Troubled Waters of Jamaica Bay

Urban Outdoors, No. 105 - December 7, 2004
(courtesy of Dave Lutz, Tree Branch Network)

The troubled waters of Jamaica Bay provide a laboratory for policy changes that can help naturalize our urban waterfront and make it more hospitable for the critters that live in this region or pass through it on their pilgrimages to a suitable climate for hunting or foraging. While no other NYC waterfront maintains so large a natural appearance, more than a century of urban encroachment has taken its toll. The waters are still in need of improvement after decades of remediation. The Bay, while attracting fish and bird life, can poison the animals because human uses have so degraded the water. Most of the issues we cover here, while about the Bay, are common to urban waterfronts worldwide. More...

Brooklyn College Receives Coastal America 2004 Partnership Award

December 1, 2004

In a ceremony at the Ryan Center in Brooklyn's Floyd Bennett Field, a team of government and academic organizations received the 2004 Partnership Award from the Coastal America organization, a unique partnership of federal agencies, state and local governments, and private organizations. The honors were bestowed for the coordinated efforts to restore the Big Egg Salt Marsh, a parcel of wild wetland on a protected island in the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Sanctuary. More...

Pollution Iced Out

Urban Outdoors, No. 102 - July 22, 2004
(courtesy of Dave Lutz, Tree Branch Network)

Jamaica Bay environmental activists have long complained about airplane deicing fluids being discharged directly into bay waters by Kennedy Airport employees. By this winter, that will begin to change. HK Shipping Gazette reports that an infrared deicing facility is being constructed that will considerably reduce the use of fluids. When the facility goes on line LaGuardia will be the only Port Authority airport without this technology.

The Evolving Legacy of Jamaica Bay

December 2003
National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior
Gateway National Recreation Area, Jamaica Bay Unit

Once renowned for a robust shellfish industry, Jamaica Bay served as a backdrop for the region's emerging industrial and residential growth during the 20th century. Beginning in the 1950's, the bay adopted the role as a sanctuary from the intensity and alienation of urban life. Today, most visitors and residents value the bay for its diverse recreational opportunities and the chance to reconnect with nature.

But Jamaica Bay continues to change, and the trends are disturbing. Salt marshes one of the bays most ciritical habitats are rapidly disappearing. Effluent and runoff from industrial and urban development surrounding the bay continue to compromise water quality and have eliminated commercial shellfishing. Other natural and human impacts combine to threaten Jamaica Bay's health and its continued sustainability as part of a viable ecosystem. More...