View source for Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge

{{Short description|Wildlife refuge in New York City}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2023}}
{{Infobox protected area
| name           = Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge
| iucn_category  = 
| photo          = Jamaica_Bay_Wildlife_Refuge_visitor_center.jpg
| photo_alt      = Visitor center
| photo_caption  = Visitor center
| map_image      = Gateway National Recreation Area Jamaica Bay Unit map.jpg
| map_caption    = Jamaica Bay Unit of the<br />[[Gateway National Recreation Area]]
| location       = [[New York City]], United States
| coordinates    = {{Coord|40.6158|-73.83|thpe:landmark_rsgion:US-NY|format=dms|display=inline, title}}
| area_acre      = 9155
| established    = 1972
| visitation_num = 
| visitation_year = 
| governing_body  = [[National Park Service]]
| website         = [https://www.nps.gov/gate/planyourvisit/thingstodojamaicabay.htm Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge]
}}

'''Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge''' is a [[wildlife refuge]] in [[New York City]] managed by the [[National Park Service]] as part of [[Gateway National Recreation Area]]. It is composed of the open water and [[intertidal]] [[salt marshes]] and [[wetlands]] of [[Jamaica Bay]].  It lies entirely within the boundaries of New York City, divided between the [[borough (New York City)|boroughs]] of [[Brooklyn]] to the west and [[Queens]] to the east.

==Description==
Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge consists of several islands in Jamaica Bay, located in both Brooklyn and Queens. The Queens portion is located near [[John F. Kennedy International Airport]], which was built upon a portion of the [[wetlands]] in Jamaica Bay.  In April 1942, the City of New York started placing hydraulic fill over the marshy tidelands of the area.<ref>{{cite web|title=History of JFK International Airport|url=http://www.panynj.gov/airports/jfk-history.html|publisher=The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey|access-date=October 3, 2013}}</ref>  JFK International Airport is now the sixth busiest airport in the United States,<ref>{{cite web|title=(JFK) John F. Kennedy International Airport Overview|url=http://www.flightstats.com/go/Airport/airportDetails.do;jsessionid=F461F7341339A5E55F712C87529E193B.web1:8009?airportCode=JFK|publisher=FlightStats, Inc.|access-date=October 3, 2013}}</ref> and the aviation traffic may pose some serious noise pollutant threats to the surrounding environment.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Cohen|first=Beverly|author2=Brozaft, Arline |author3=Goodman, Jerome |author4=Nádas, Arthur |author5= Heikkinen, Maire |title=Airport-Related Air Pollution and Noise.|journal=Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene|date=February 2008|volume=5|issue=2|pages=119–129|doi=10.1080/15459620701815564|pmid=18097935 |s2cid=11814006 }}</ref>

The extent of the refuge is mostly open water, but includes upland shoreline and islands with salt marsh, [[dune]]s, [[brackish water|brackish ponds]], [[woodland]] and fields. It is the only "wildlife refuge" in the [[List of National Park System areas in New York|National Park System]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge |url=https://nycbirdalliance.org/events-birding/birding-resources/birding-in-nyc/birding-in-queens/jamaica-bay-wildlife-refuge |access-date=2024-05-30 |website=[[NYC Bird Alliance]] |language=en |quote=The Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge is the United States Department of Interior’s only 'wildlife refuge' administered by the National Park Service.}}</ref> Originally created and managed by New York City as a wildlife refuge, the term was retained by Gateway when the site was transferred in 1972. Usually, federal wildlife refuges are managed by the [[United States Fish and Wildlife Service|U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service]]. Features created under city ownership include two large freshwater ponds. A  visitor center with a parking lot provides free permits to walk the trails.<ref>[http://www.nyharborparks.org/visit/jaba.html Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170602095216/http://www.nyharborparks.org/visit/jaba.html |date=June 2, 2017 }} New York Harbor Parks</ref> The two main trails go around the East Pond and the West Pond.<ref>{{cite web |date=May 26, 2023 |title=Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge |url=https://www.nps.gov/places/000/jamaica-bay-wildlife-refuge.htm |access-date=May 29, 2023 |publisher=National Park Service}}</ref> The West Pond and its trail, however, were breached by [[Hurricane Sandy]] in 2012.<ref name="Rafter 2012">{{cite web |last=Rafter |first=Domenick |date=November 21, 2012 |title=Jamaica Bay walloped by Hurricane Sandy |url=https://www.qchron.com/editions/south/jamaica-bay-walloped-by-hurricane-sandy/article_61645a44-89de-539d-95ac-f7d96930cf2d.html |access-date=May 29, 2023 |website=Queens Chronicle}}</ref><ref name="Feis 2022">{{cite web |last=Feis |first=Aaron |date=October 28, 2022 |title=Ruin, recovery, resilience: How Superstorm Sandy impacted our beaches, parks |url=https://pix11.com/news/local-news/how-superstorm-sandy-transformed-ny-beaches-and-parks/ |access-date=May 29, 2023 |website=PIX11 |archive-date=May 29, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230529145943/https://pix11.com/news/local-news/how-superstorm-sandy-transformed-ny-beaches-and-parks/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

== Fauna ==
[[File:Diamondback turtle adult female.jpg|thumb|Adult female [[diamondback terrapin]]]]

The refuge provides habitat for a wide variety of [[flora]] and [[fauna]], both marine and terrestrial. With resident and migratory birds, it is a prime location for [[birding in New York City]]. Other animal activities include [[diamondback terrapin]] egg laying and [[Atlantic horseshoe crab|horseshoe crab]] mating and egg laying. The primary diet of the diamondback terrapins include fish, snails, worms, clams, crabs and marsh plants, many of which are abundant in these particular marshlands.<ref>{{cite web|title=Diamondback Terrapin|url=https://www.defenders.org/diamondback-terrapin/basic-facts|publisher=Defenders of Wildlife|access-date=October 3, 2013}}</ref>  [[Osprey|Ospreys]], which were at one time endangered due to the pesticide DDT, have regularly nested in the refuge since 1991.<ref name="nyt-2012-05-02">{{Cite news |last=Foderaro |first=Lisa W. |date=May 2, 2012 |title=An Earth-Bound View of Where Ospreys Soar |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/02/nyregion/at-jamaica-bay-wildlife-refuge-tracking-an-osprey-via-gps.html |access-date=September 20, 2022 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> They are currently being captured, tagged and studied in the Wildlife Refuge to help scientists better understand the birds' habits.<ref name="nyt-2012-05-02"/>  Small mammals such as [[Eastern gray squirrel|eastern gray squirrels]]<ref>{{cite journal|last=Huynh|first=Howard|author2=Williams, Geoffrey |author3=McAlpine, Donald |author4= Thorington, Richard |title=Establishment of the Eastern Gray Squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis) in Nova Scotia, Canada|journal=Northeastern Naturalist|date=December 2010|volume=17|issue=4|pages=673–677|doi=10.1656/045.017.0414|s2cid=84649999 }}</ref> and [[Raccoon|raccoons]]<ref>{{cite journal|last=Burke|first=Russell|author2=Felice, Susan |author3=Sobel, Sabrina |title=Changes in Raccoon (Procyon lotor) Predation Behavior Affects Turtle (Malaclemys terrapin) Nest Census.|journal=Chelonian Conservation and Biology|date=December 2009|volume=8|issue=2|pages=208–211|doi=10.2744/ccb-0775.1|s2cid=85974001 |doi-access=free}}</ref> are also present in the area.  The recently increased raccoon population, however, has developed a taste for diamondback terrapin eggs, and many nests are often destroyed only 24 hours after being laid.<ref>{{cite news|last=Newman|first=Andy|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2002/07/17/nyregion/turtle-soup-raccoons-like-eggs-hungry-invader-threatens-terrapins-jamaica-bay.html|title=Turtle Soup? Raccoons Like Eggs; A Hungry Invader Threatens Terrapins in Jamaica Bay|newspaper=The New York Times|date=July 17, 2002|access-date=March 11, 2023}}</ref>

==History==
{{Multiple image
| header = 1970s
| align = right
| direction = 
| total_width = 300
| perrow = 2
| image1= JAMAICA BAY WILDLIFE REFUGE - NARA - 547853.jpg
| caption1 = [[Birdwatching]], June 1973
| image2= JAMAICA BAY WILDLIFE REFUGE - NARA - 547854.tif
| caption2 = Conservation sign circa 1973
}}
Planning of the wildlife refuge started as early as 1938 by [[New York City Department of Parks and Recreation]] (NYC Parks) commissioner [[Robert Moses]], who wished to rezone the area around Jamaica Bay to prevent any more industries from being built around it.<ref>{{Cite news|date=1938-07-26|title=Jamaica Bay Plan Pushed by Moses; He Says He Will Ask Planning Commission Within 2 Weeks to Rezone the Area|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1938/07/26/archives/jamaica-bay-plan-pushed-by-moses-he-says-he-will-ask-planning.html|access-date=2023-03-11|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> By 1941, Moses planned to convert Jamaica Bay into a {{convert|18000|acre|adj=on}} recreation center.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Bennett|first=Charles G.|date=1941-06-29|title=Jamaica Bay to Be Play Area; Its 18,000 Acres of Water and Marshland Are Being Cleaned Up and Developed for Swimming, Boating and Fishing |language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1941/06/29/archives/jamaica-bay-to-be-play-area-its-18000-acres-of-water-and-marshland.html|access-date=2023-03-11|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> In 1945, he asked the [[New York City Board of Estimate]] to transfer control of Jamaica Bay to NYC Parks so he could convert the bay into what ''[[The New York Times]]'' described as "a haven for wild life and a mecca for fishermen and boating enthusiasts".<ref>{{Cite news|date=1945-03-02|title=Jamaica Bay Seen as Sport Paradise; Moses Asks Estimate Board to Place Islands There Under Park Jurisdiction|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1945/03/02/archives/jamaica-bay-seen-as-sport-paradise-moses-asks-estimate-board-to.html|access-date=2023-03-11|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> After about twelve years of planning, Moses broke ground on the park in 1950.<ref name="Sharma" />

Moses is credited for introducing the idea of creating nonindigenous freshwater ponds on each side of the refuge.<ref name="Sharma">{{cite news |last1=Sharma |first1=Neglah |title=What Robert Moses did for Jamaica Bay |url=https://www.qchron.com/editions/queenswide/what-robert-moses-did-for-jamaica-bay/article_ffafe2b6-6b2d-579f-9cf4-7a25c70e1acf.html |access-date=March 11, 2023 |publisher=Queens Chronicle |date=August 2, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200118210051/https://www.qchron.com/editions/queenswide/what-robert-moses-did-for-jamaica-bay/article_ffafe2b6-6b2d-579f-9cf4-7a25c70e1acf.html |archive-date=January 18, 2020}}</ref>  Having freshwater ponds in proximity of the bay's saltwater marshland would attract more varieties of wildlife.<ref name="Sharma" /> About 84,000 workers were employed for the development of the park.<ref name="Sharma" />

===Early years===
The first phase of the project was completed in 1953, and Herbert Johnson was appointed as the refuge's first superintendent.<ref name=nyt-1955-05-07>{{Cite news|date=1955-05-07|title=Bird Life Revives on Jamaica Bay; New Sanctuary Is Thriving --Snowy Egrets and Heron Nest in Sight of City|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1955/05/07/archives/bird-life-revives-on-jamaica-bay-new-sanctuary-is-thriving-snowy.html|access-date=2023-03-11|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> The site quickly became a haven for waterfowl and other birds; 208 species of birds were identified in the park's first five years.<ref name="Sharma" /> The refuge attracted species such as [[black skimmer]]s and [[snowy egret]]s, which had not been seen in the New York City area in several decades.<ref name=nyt-1955-05-07/> Other wildlife such as [[American black bear|black bears]], [[Coyote|coyotes]], [[elk]], and even [[Wolf|wolves]] could be found in the park during the early years.<ref name="Sharma"/> Many birdwatchers had begun visiting the park by the late 1950s.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Devlin|first=John C.|date=1959-10-19|title=Birds and People Find Refuge Here; Breezy Jamaica Bay Retreat Draws Tired City Folk, as Well as Ornithologists|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1959/10/19/archives/birds-and-people-find-refuge-here-breezy-jamaica-bay-retreat-draws.html|access-date=2023-03-11|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

Control of the site passed in 1972 to the [[National Park Service]],<ref>{{Cite news|last=Madden|first=Richard L.|date=1972-09-27|title=House Votes Bill on Gateway Area But Kills Housing|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1972/09/27/archives/house-votes-bill-on-gateway-area-but-kills-housing-rockefeller-plan.html|access-date=2023-03-11|issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref name=Act-92-592>{{cite act |title=AN ACT To establish the Gateway National Recreation Area in the States of New York and New Jersey, and for other purposes. |language=en |date=October 27, 1972 |article=92-592 |articletype=Public Law |url= https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/STATUTE-86/pdf/STATUTE-86-Pg1308.pdf |access-date=January 12, 2018}}</ref> which administers the refuge as part of the [[Gateway National Recreation Area]].<ref name="GNRA">{{cite web |title=Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge |url=https://www.nps.gov/gate/learn/historyculture/jamaica-bay-wildlife-refuge.htm |website=Gateway National Recreation Area |publisher=National Park Service |access-date=March 11, 2023}}</ref>

=== 21st century ===
{{Multiple image
| header = 2020s
| align = right
| direction = 
| total_width = 300
| perrow = 2/1
| image1= Jamaica_Bay_Wildlife_Refuge_marsh_overlook_platform.jpg
| caption1 = Marsh overlook platform
| image2= Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge - panoramio.jpg
| caption2 = West Pond
| image3 = A somewhat smoggy Midtown Manhattan skyline as seen from Jamaica Bay - panoramio (cropped).jpg
| caption3 = [[Manhattan]] skyline viewed from Jamaica Bay
}}
As a result of climate change, the Jamaica Bay area faces effects such as salt marsh erosion, rising sea levels, and flooding.<ref name="Kensinger 2016">{{Cite web|last=Kensinger|first=Nathan|date=March 17, 2016|title=Forecasting NYC's Climate Change Future in Jamaica Bay|url=https://ny.curbed.com/2016/3/17/11248864/jamaica-bay-documentary-film|access-date=April 29, 2021|website=Curbed NY|language=en}}</ref> In 2012, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and Secretary of the Interior [[Ken Salazar]] authorized the creation of the Jamaica Bay-Rockaway Parks Conservancy, Inc. (JBRPC).<ref name="Jamaica Bay-Rockaway Parks Conservancy">{{Cite web|title=Who We Are|url=http://www.jbrpc.org/about|access-date=April 29, 2021|website=Jamaica Bay-Rockaway Parks Conservancy|language=en-US}}</ref> The public-private organization was officially established in 2013, partners with the [[National Park Service]], the [[New York City Department of Parks and Recreation]] and the [[New York State Department of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation]], and is "dedicated to improving the 10,000 acres of public parkland throughout Jamaica Bay and the [[Rockaway, Queens|Rockaway]] peninsula for local residents and visitors alike."<ref>{{Cite web|date=July 23, 2020|title=Improving Parkland Through Partnership|url=https://www.rockawave.com/articles/improving-parkland-through-partnership/|access-date=April 29, 2021|website=The Wave {{!}} Rockaway Beach, NY}}</ref><ref name="Jamaica Bay-Rockaway Parks Conservancy" /> Other organizations dedicated to the preservation of the bay include Jamaica Bay Ecowatchers and The American Littoral Society.<ref name="Kensinger 2016" /><ref>{{Cite web|title=Jamaica Bay Ecowatchers|url=http://jamaicabayecowatchers.org/|access-date=April 29, 2021|website=jamaicabayecowatchers.org}}</ref> 

In 2016, David Segal and David Hendrick released the documentary ''Saving Jamaica Bay'', narrated by actress [[Susan Sarandon]].<ref>{{Citation|last=Sigal|first=David|title=Saving Jamaica Bay|date=March 17, 2016|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5449862/|type=Documentary|others=Susan Sarandon|publisher=Grounded Truth Productions|access-date=April 29, 2021}}</ref> The film portrays the history of the national wildlife refuge and current efforts to preserve the natural landscape and wildlife.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Kern-Jedrychowska|first=Ewa|date=March 16, 2016|title=Susan Sarandon Narrates Documentary to Raise Awareness About Jamaica Bay|url=https://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20160316/jamaica/susan-sarandon-narrates-documentary-raise-awareness-about-jamaica-bay|url-status=dead|access-date=April 29, 2021|website=DNAinfo New York|archive-date=April 30, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210430203237/https://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20160316/jamaica/susan-sarandon-narrates-documentary-raise-awareness-about-jamaica-bay/}}</ref>

In 2018, it was estimated that 365 species have been identified in the park.<ref name="Sharma" /> Out of 417 [[National Park Service|U.S. national parks]], Jamaica Bay ranks second in bird population, higher than [[Yellowstone National Park|Yellowstone]] or [[Yosemite National Park|Yosemite]].<ref name="Sharma" />

A $400 million restoration project was begun in 2018 to combat erosion and pollution, remove maritime debris, and clean up storm damage remaining from [[Hurricane Sandy]].<ref name="Sharma" /> The West Pond Loop at the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge reopened in November 2021 after a restoration.<ref name="Bardolf 2021 c961">{{cite web | last=Bardolf | first=Deirdre | title=Jamaica Bay site restored and reinforced | website=Queens Chronicle | date=November 24, 2021 | url=https://www.qchron.com/editions/queenswide/jamaica-bay-site-restored-and-reinforced/article_06bddfcb-a00b-56d4-8e9c-519dea6c5bd3.html | access-date=July 25, 2023}}</ref>

== See also ==
* [[List of National Park System areas in New York]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{Refbegin}}
* Black, Frederick R. (1981).  [https://web.archive.org/web/20070703064219/http://www.nps.gov/history/history/online_books/gate/jamaica_bay_hrs.pdf "Jamaica Bay: A History.  Gateway National Recreation Area,  New York, New Jersey"] ([[Portable Document Format|PDF format]]). ''Cultural Resource Management Study No. 3''. Denver, Colorado: [[National Park Service]].
{{Refend}}

==External links==
{{Commonscat}}
* [https://www.nps.gov/gate/index.htm nps.gov/gate], official website of the [[Gateway National Recreation Area]]
* [http://www.nyharborparks.org/visit/jaba.html Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170602095216/http://www.nyharborparks.org/visit/jaba.html |date=June 2, 2017 }}{{spaced ndash}} Visitor information from National Parks of New York Harbor Conservancy
* [https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=106890515809295201332.0004538476db51e3b8360&ll=40.614162,-73.831691&spn=0.152332,0.37405&z=13 Jamaica Bay Tides Map]&nbsp;&ndash; Map with web links to multiple locations surrounding the bay

{{Subject bar
|Environment|United States|Politics|New York City}}
{{Jamaica, Queens}}
{{USNRAs|state=collapsed}}
{{Protected areas of New York City}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:1972 establishments in New York City]]
[[Category:Canarsie, Brooklyn]]
[[Category:Gateway National Recreation Area]]
[[Category:Jamaica, Queens]]
[[Category:Marine Park, Brooklyn]]
[[Category:National Park Service areas in New York City]]
[[Category:Nature reserves in New York (state)]]
[[Category:Protected areas established in 1972]]
[[Category:Protected areas of Brooklyn]]
[[Category:Protected areas of Queens, New York]]
[[Category:Rockaway, Queens]]