WƵďůŝĐĂƟŽŶŽĨƚŚĞ Natural Resources PƌŽƚĞĐƟǀ ĞAƐƐŽĐŝĂƟŽŶ ŽĂůŝƟŽŶŐĂŝŶƐƚt ĂƚĞƌŝƐƉŽƐĂůŽĨŽŶƚĂŵŝŶĂƚĞĚ^ĞĚŝŵĞŶƚƐ Post Office Box 050328  Staten Island, NY 10305  718-873-4291 In Memory of Edward “Kerry” Sullivan Winter 2016 Executive Director A MESSAGE FROM NRPA area and you don’t understand all of the docu- Ida Sanoff CAWD By Ida Sanoff ments that have been made available, we’ll help you figure them out. If you are getting the Recording Secretary At this time of year, we like to offer thanks: run around with an environmental problem, Daniel Ingellis We are thankful that we have been able to we can help direct you to the proper agency. NRPA remove hundreds of pounds of trash from Treasurer local shorelines. We are thankful that we We are an ALL VOLUNTEER organization. Membership have been able to remove tangles of discard- No one gets a salary. We don’t have big mon- Newsletter ed fishing line that can trap shorebirds. We ey sponsors. We don’t get member item mon- Richard Chan are thankful that our board members have NRPA ey from elected officials. We meet in donated been able to participate in dozens of meet- space. We use our own phones and our own East Shore Coordinator: ings about shoreline issues including flood computers and our own transportation. But we Dominic Cenatiempo control projects, water quality improvements still need to pay for insurance, permits and NRPA and brownfield clean ups. We are thankful various other necessities. Trustees that we have been able to join with other groups to support each other in common in- But we can’t do anything without YOU. Executive Trustee terests. We are thankful that because of peo- Jim Scarcella ple like YOU, people can enjoy watching NRPA Please join or renew your membership Friends of Clearwater shorebirds foraging at the water’s edge and TODAY! maybe get in a good day of fishing too. John Malizia Thanks and we wish you the best of every- S. I. Yacht Club, We are always there – for clean water and S. I. Tuna Club, FCA thing in the coming year. clean shorelines and we’ve been there since Cindy Zipf 1977. Well, actually even before that, if you Your Friends at NRPA Clean Ocean Action count in the efforts of our late founder Lou Figurelli. Charles Perry SOUTH, EAST AND NORTH Protectors of Pine Oak By Jim Scarcella Woods But we have to ask you to join us. And you need to join us! The NRPA had a beautiful, active and amaz- Tony Rose ing autumn season and we went to all quad- Staten Island Sport Divers Yes, we know that you contribute to many rants of Staten Island and our estuary. What Andrew Willner large, well known organizations. Don’t get us follows is a synopsis of the events: NY/NJ Baykeeper wrong, we want to save the whales and the (Ret) wolves and the rainforests too! But even South Dr. John T. Tancredi though those big organizations do a lot of fine We had a couple of events on the south Molloy College work, they don’t get involved in the local is- shore. sues. That’s where NRPA comes in. Dr. Martin Schreibman First, on September 19, we organized and Brooklyn College AREAC We are there to help communities when they executed a nice clean up at Lemon Creek need advice on how to fight a project that (Lou Figurelli) Park. threatens to pollute the whole neighborhood. Lemon Creek Park is at the east end of Se- If there is a shoreline project coming to your guine Avenue, part of Seguine Point, perhaps /ŶƚŚŝƐĚŝƟŽŶ Page 1 A Message from NRPA Please join or Page 1-3 South, East and North renew your NRPA Page 3-4 Louis Figurelli Page 4 Miller Field membership Page 4-6 Cheap Gas: What’s Behind it, Will It Last, How Will It Affect Us? Part II TODAY Page 6-7 Circumnavigation of Staten Island See page 8 Page 2 NATURAL RESOURCES PROTECTIVE ASSOCIATION Winter 2016 the most bucolic beach peninsula on was very soft and thick. wedged in the brush since Hurricane Staten Island. The fourteen volun- Sandy. Al Zablocki Sr. found the ice teers scoured the beach for plastic There was illegal dumping of old rescue ladder for the pond, on the bags, fishing line, refreshment con- pressed wood cabinets and the ID beach. tainers, driftwood, candy and ciga- card of a USS Intrepid employee rette packages and much more. was found. A large piece of tugboat An orange New Jersey Transporta- There were lobster pot markers and rope was dragged off the beach to tion Department highway diverter boat pieces. the debris pile. It was the fifth clean- was recovered. up in 8 years at this location and The Raritan Reach Shipping Chan- each time we find more debris that There were plastic bags, street sign- nel is only 150 feet away, you can has floated in. Thanks to all who as- age, food packaging, cellophane, get up close and personal with the sisted, about 400 lbs. of debris was straws, a backpack with a deteriorat- freighter ships. Also, the Catholic removed. ed cell phone and pieces of the old Youth Organization had a summer turn of the century hotel up towards swimming camp and the huge S.S. In early October, we cleaned Huguenot Avenue. White Dental Factory was located Oakwood (Fox) Beach at the bottom here. After the machinery stopped in of Tarlton Avenue. The area has The ten volunteers removed about the late 1960's, it briefly became a sporadically been used by illegal 300 lbs. of debris. The killifish trap nightclub and shopping mall. The dumpers, and recently someone had captured about 50 banded mummi- wax waste products from the molds savaged some nearby trees with a chog that were traveling between the of the factory are prized by collectors chain saw, blocking the path south to pond and the bay and there was a for their brain shape and bold colors. the DEP storm water outfall. We re- two pound skate (relative of shark) The property was remediated under stored the parking area by removing carcass. a DEC consent order and we under- wood pieces and old rug shards. stand that the owner is marketing the North parcels. This is a prime opportunity The killifish trap was baited and set On October 24, we joined forces with for the Governor's Office of Storm in the morning at the Tarlton Street Mariners Harbor Civic and Friends of Recovery (GOSR) to purchase the Bridge to Cedar Grove Avenue. Graniteville Quarry to give this beau- property and restore the floodplain. tiful park an autumn cleaning. The The beach debris included multiple park was secured by the efforts of In addition to the 300 lbs. of debris plastic bags, beer cans and bottles, our late Assemblywoman Elizabeth removed, we recycled 12 lbs. of alu- quart oil containers, strapping bands, Connelly. The entrance is on Forest minum and glass and chopped the cigarette butts, straws and liquor Avenue, across from Pep Boys. weeds that blocked the wood guard- bottles. There also was some house- rail at the south portion of the park- hold debris and bait boxes around. Professor Alan Benimoff has been ing lot (adjacent to the feral cat colo- We cleaned back the weeds and studying this place for years; it con- ny). bagged and carted the old beer tains Pleistocene era dinosaur fos- cans, mops and vinyl flooring. The sils. The diabase mined here is the Many thanks to all who assisted. killifish trap worked, about 30 killies famous Belgian Block used to pave were caught and temporarily placed many old streets and cul de sacs. East in a clear Dunkin Donuts large bev- On September 26, we did a cleanup erage cup, making for an ironic living There was homeless encampment and weed removal at Crescent montage. A total of 330 lbs. of debris debris and related items mixed into Beach South, at Armstrong Avenue, was removed and 15 lbs. of glass the woods and fields of the quarry. A Great Kills. The twelve volunteers and metal was recycled. stolen girl’s 'Barbie' bicycle was cleaned up about a quarter mile of found and recovered and apparently shoreline, down Tennyson, up to South (again) U-Haul cloth moving padding makes Wiman Avenue. On October 17, we cleaned up the a good blanket, if necessary. Unfor- beach at Wolfes Pond Park, (north of tunately one of us contracted severe The Parks Department built a nice Seguine Point) at the bottom of Cor- allergic reactions to the plant men- kayak launch revetment at the bot- nelia Street. On the beach, I found a tioned in the Coasters song by tom of Wiman Avenue and there was skimmer clam commercial harvesting Lieber and Stoller (For those of you some floatable debris, along with tag belonging to a regional shell fish- who can’t figure out this reference, some old beach chairs. Old menha- ermen. the song was “Poison Ivy”). A total den bunker bait gave off an interest- of about 100 lbs. of debris removed, ing smell. The beach, at first glance, looked 8 lbs. recycled. clean, but down towards Holten Ave The majority of the debris was plastic (near the saltwater creek entrance to North (again) bags, food packaging, cigarette the pond) there was some residual In early November, an intrepid group butts, straws and tampon applica- floating debris like plastic bags. John of people explored the Kill Van Kull tors. Sadly, we found a muskrat Healey and I removed a huge in Port Richmond. The community (relative of beaver) carcass, its fur Styrofoam dock piece that was has basically been overtaken and

(continued next page) Winter 2016 NATURAL RESOURCES PROTECTIVE ASSOCIATION Page 3 handicapped by the roadway raising “bunker”, also known as menhaden. project for the Bayonne Bridge. Menhaden have been called “the most important fish in the sea” be- At Eberhard Faber Park (that’s right, cause they are an important food the pencil maker), some youths were source for larger fish such as striped using the new hover skateboards bass as well as for whales, dolphins and they are truly amazing. and even birds such as osprey and eagles. He would patrol the water- Down by the water, we had a clear way with his small boat called the view of the City of Bayonne and the Seagull and his dog Sinbad. The multiple tugs, barges and other port names of his boat and his dog quick- traffic. ly lead one to appreciate Lou’s love of the waterway. The debris was plentiful and varied, from quarter ounce plastic bags to In 1989 ExxonMobil had a tremen- thirty pound driftwood pieces. There dous oil spill in the Arthur Kill and it were pieces of plastic sheeting, was Lou who fought the authorities. sliced shipping rope, baby toys, a He got the New York City Police De- welder’s helmet, six one gallon milk partment and New Jersey authorities containers, a boat cushion, a life to send down divers. They quickly jacket, a broken wood baseball bat, determined that one of the oil tank- golf and tennis balls, a surf rod hold- ers had ruptured a pipe the diameter er, insulation pieces, fiberglass boat of a basketball, spilling thousands of deck, plywood sheet pieces, tree gallons of oil into the Arthur Kill. branches, food packaging, ciga- This threatened the birds that nested rettes, straws, water bottles, a In 1992, Governor Mario Cuomo’s on nearby Shooters Island. Christmas cookie container, a tube budget included approximately of Preparation H, plastic storage $75,000 dollars to improve boating One day, this writer observed Lou container covers and wood trim. All and fishing access in Lemon Creek. Figurelli exiting the office of one of- in all, about 320 pounds of debris Lou Figurelli was instrumental in get- Staten Island’s Assistant District At- was removed from the shoreline of ting this done and he complained torneys. At the time I had no idea Faber Park. vociferously that Albany was drag- who Lou was and inquired why this ging its feet in beginning this im- disabled gentleman was in the office. I hope you've enjoyed our tale of the portant project. The Coalition of The Assistant District Attorney then work that NRPA does all over our Boatmen in Lemon Creek, including told me that Lou Figurelli was one of region. We have a lot of fun doing it Lou Figurelli, led the charge to se- the complainants against ExxonMo- too! cure the necessary permits to begin bil in the oil spill case. Now fast for- the dredging and repairing of the ward to just a few months ago when Please join us on our next adven- bulkheads at Lemon Creek. I asked Jim Scarcella about Lou Fig- ture. urelli and he gave me a few articles It should be said that Lou Figurelli on all that Lou had accomplished. did all of this despite being severely Included in the information were LOUIS FIGURELLI disabled since childhood. He en- photographs of Lou and that is when By Danny Ingellis dured about forty surgeries in his I realized that I had met him before. I youth because his father was deter- told Jim, “Hey I first saw this gent in On November 5, 1994, Louis Figurel- mined to see Lou become more in- the Staten Island District Attorney’s li passed away. He was a staunch dependent. It has been reported that Office in 1989”. Folks, Lou Figurelli defender of Staten Island and New doctors informed both Lou and his was without a doubt, a determined Jersey waterways. Lou was the first Dad after the final surgery that Lou man who ensured that our water- President of the Natural Resources would never walk. Hearing those ways were respected by not only Protective Association (NRPA). He words made Lou more determined to commercial fishermen but also rec- would patrol the Staten Island and prove those doctors wrong. After reational boaters and anglers. He Raritan Bay waterways looking for two years of intense therapy and began NRPA and to this day we car- poachers, polluters and commercial personal determination, Lou Figurelli ry on his legacy. We have no doubt fisherman who didn’t adhere to the walked out of the hospital without that he looks down upon us as we laws of fishing. He was a fierce braces, albeit with the aid of crutch- clean up our beaches and assist oth- combatant with all of the above, in- es. er organizations in keeping Staten cluding the governmental agencies Island a beautiful area for all to en- who he believed were not doing In spite of his disability, Lou was de- joy, including above all, the wildlife enough to keep these waters safe for termined to keep our waters free of and fish that pass through each day. all. polluters and to stop commercial fishermen from using nets to catch I took it upon myself to do some re-

(continued next page) Page 4 NATURAL RESOURCES PROTECTIVE ASSOCIATION Winter 2016 search on Lou Figurelli and write this MILLER FIELD BEACH article for our newsletter for one rea- By Jim Scarcella son: To inform others of his work and to carry on his name, which NRPA Miller Field Beach sits between Mid- has done admirably. land Beach to the north, and New Dorp Beach to the south. This prop- A little history about Lemon Creek – erty is run by and cared for by the it was not always known as such. In National Park Service as part of 1830 it was called Seguine Creek. Gateway, a federal program. Then in 1895 its name was changed to Little North River, which somehow theirs. Steve said that when Lou Compared to other sectors of Gate- became its present name, Lemon passed away he took his two cats. way, Miller Field gets plenty of use, Creek. In 1962, the New York City He said that Lou was very interested and seemingly, the most funding. Parks Department took it over and in photography too and would docu- There are soccer fields and ball Lemon Creek became a beautiful ment everything for when he ap- fields, playground and picnic tables. park with access to the beach area. proached people in government con- It's mostly an open area, there is a Until his death, it was also the home cerning the waterways on Staten nice wooded area at the west portion of Lou Figurelli who had a mobile Island. Lou would also tape record of the Park. The east portion has a home near the marina. It is still the any politician he would speak with on great beach, with an upland area of home of The Prince’s Bay Boatmen’s the phone. Steve said that when some dunes and plants like mullein Association, who no doubt keep this they would deny saying something to and milkweed. The beach also has area pristine because of the previous him later on, Lou would play the re- the pilings field of an old recreational efforts of Lou Figurelli. cording of their conversation back to dock. The piling caps are now home them. to a gathering of double crested cor- On the grounds of the property is a morants and herring gulls. flagpole and yardarm which includes Steve further stated that Lou was a plaque dedicated in honor of our meticulous with his houseboat, which The nearby waters are home to Spi- first President, Lou Figurelli. On No- had two stories. It had a kitchen, der crabs, blue mussels and quahog vember 5, 2015 (the 25th Anniversary bathrooms on the first and second (clams). of his death) I placed a bouquet of floor, a bedroom on the second floor flowers there to honor this great man as well as a darkroom to process his NRPA has sometimes cleaned Miller who was only trying to do the right photos and even an indoor green- Field beach, hopefully we will clean it thing for all. And I might add that he house. According to Steve, the again in 2016. “did a tremendous job”. (See photo houseboat had another room which of plaque) held about 30 people where Lou CHEAP GAS: WHAT’S BEHIND IT, would conduct meetings. After Lou WILL IT LAST, HOW WILL IT AF- Lou Figurelli knocked on the doors of passed away the houseboat was set FECT US? PART II our former politicians, Elizabeth Con- on fire. No one was ever caught but By Anthony Rose nelly, Jim Molonari and beloved Sen- Steve said to me, “No doubt they ator John Marchi. All listened and were kids who torched the place.” Part Two: Players, Politics, Profits acted upon Lou’s complaints by Till this day Steve said he was sorry and Pragmatism passing laws to benefit Staten Island that he didn’t purchase the boat, but and the surrounding waterways to he didn’t have the money. In closing We’ve discussed the path that Raritan Bay. Steve told me, “Dan, Lou was a guy brought us to 2015, now let’s look at who was persistent. And when he the dynamics of how oil becomes I would like to thank Jim Scarcella was right - and most of the time, he gas and gas becomes dollars and and the Staten Island Advance for was - he would go at anyone until cents. Crude oil is collected at the supplying me with all of the infor- they did the right thing. That is how drill head. Some of the costs in- mation in this article. The photo of persistent he was”. volved include research and engi- course, was taken by me. In closing, neering costs incurred before a drill I am so pleased to share this infor- Well folks, I sure hope you enjoyed hits the ground. Research ships mation about this great person. Very my article as much as I enjoyed re- circle the globe booming air cannons few people know how important he searching and writing about Lou Fig- to track seismic waves that indicate truly was and how much he contrib- urelli. He no doubt was a great per- spots on the sea bottom that may uted to the present state of our wa- son and he certainly was an environ- hold oil. The same is done on land terways on Staten Island. mental advocate. and may include explosives. The government grants licenses and col- On Sunday, November 22, 2015, I When Lou passed away, his friend, lects fees. A recent auction of sites interviewed Steve Gross by phone. Jack Latanzio, took Lou’s ashes and in the western Gulf of Mexico yielded He was a very close friend of Lou’s. spread them around Buoy #3 off the $22 million in license fees for the US He stated that another friend, Jack coast of Staten Island and New Jer- government. This was considered Latanzio, was also a good friend of sey. Rest in Peace Lou! yard sale prices. Most sites only

(continued next page) Winter 2016 NATURAL RESOURCES PROTECTIVE ASSOCIATION Page 5 received one bid and so went for a Louisiana and Alabama. V10 engine. low price. An auction for more desir- able spots in the central Gulf over a We tend to point angry fingers at the When the oil crisis precipitated by year ago brought in well over a hun- oil producers when prices rise, but the Arabs hit in the late 70’s Europe dred million. The price of crude oil at bottlenecks or add-ons all along the responded with smaller cars and the time of the earlier sale was over distribution chain contribute to the then added fuel taxes when prices sixty dollars a barrel. The price at amount consumers ultimately pay. eventually declined to encourage the time of the more recent sale hov- In fact, when the refineries are at full less consumption. They weren’t as ered around forty. capacity, crude backs up along the painful as they might have been be- pipelines and the glut depresses cause consumers were used to the Drill rigs are usually rented and sup- prices – bad for producers but good higher cost. Americans should con- port services which includes workers, for refiners because now they can sider a tax on gas (or “user fee” as it insurance, trucks and other equip- buy crude product cheaply and sell it might be termed to help cowardly ment can cost a typical operation at increased prices. politicians who are unable to utter (“Day Rates”) $10,000 to $20,000 the dreaded “T” word) that would per day. Let’s not forget the distributors; the help limit consumption and pollution. people at the pump. The concept is The funds collected could be dedi- A consideration not always looked at “Rocket up – Feather down.” cated to our criminally neglected is the fact that we don’t put crude oil crumbling infrastructure. No one in our cars. We have to look at refin- When something happens in the wants to pay taxes, but everyone ers and distributors. Oil is ‘cracked’ news; a tanker goes aground in Tur- wants to drive the interstate to the or distilled by heating it and collect- key, a strike cripples output in a Cali- national park. ing the different types of oil which are fornia refinery, the price at the pump boiled off at different temperatures. immediately increases. These As prices have recently declined, we Light oils such as kerosene and avia- events have nothing to do with what are seeing increasing sales of big tion fuel are the first fuels produced the gas station paid last week for Jeeps and huge pick-up trucks. We since they are light and come out of what’s in their tanks below the pump are selfish and have short memories. the crude at lower temperatures. but we pay up. O&G refers to us as Gasoline is next and at the bottom of ‘sheeple.’ A point that may work in favor of low- the list are diesel and home heating er priced fuel is the competition be- oil. Most plastics used for our vinyl So, one would think that stories of tween OPEC and American produc- jacket or margarine tub are made declining crude prices would lead to ers. The Arab producers are used to from petroleum. Supermarket shop- decreases at the pump. One would having their way and dictating prices ping bags in the billions are born in a be wrong. Wholesale prices must because they owned a large share of hole in the ground. decline significantly and for a while the market. As American producers before any savings are seen on the have increased their output and effi- Availability certainly affects the price street. ciency, the volume of oil available we pay. In the spring, gas prices can’t help but put downward pres- increase because refineries slow Some major companies practice sure on prices. The price of a barrel production to switch over their opera- ‘vertical integration.’ They pump oil of oil, which varies greatly based on tion from heating oil to gasoline to from their wells to ports where they origin and purity, has been stable prepare for the peak driving season put it on their ships to bring it to their recently at about one hundred dol- over the summer. As more drivers refineries and then deliver it to their lars a barrel after spiking to about hit the road, up go prices. American own named or franchised service one and a half a few years earlier. refineries are getting old. Due to stations. When one component in Improved extraction techniques at environmental concerns and public the chain suffers, they can make it traditional wells combined with frack- distaste for these big, dirty, smelly up at another. ing increased the amount of oil avail- operations, no new refineries have able to markets. High prices encour- been built in the United States in the Drivers should remember that when aged Canadian producers to develop last forty years. They are breaking you point a finger at someone, three their tar sands. This is a dirty, ex- down. A major refinery in Indiana fingers point back (except for Jason pensive oil with a high environmental had a serious breakdown earlier this Pierre Paul). Americans have a love cost. Delaying the Keystone pipeline year and has been out for months. of big, fast cars, driving hard and has turned out to be a wise or lucky Prices have spiked throughout the driving alone. The government en- development. This pipe was intend- Midwest. The ripples from this event courages automakers to produce ed to deliver Canadian crude to Gulf have spread across the country as more efficient cars with CAFÉ Coast refineries. Delayed by ques- other suppliers have redirected their (Corporate Average Fuel Economy) tions of environmental concerns and products to fill in the gap (at in- numbers. Frozen during the Bush a much lower number of jobs than creased prices – this is what made administrations as a favor to Big Au- the proponents promised there is America great). Most of American to and Big Oil, this was the era of now no need for Keystone as Cana- refineries are clustered around the Escalades, Hummers and the Ford da finds that current prices will no Gulf of Mexico in Texas, Mississippi, Excursion (or the Ford Pig) with its longer support the expensive extrac-

(continued next page) Page 6 NATURAL RESOURCES PROTECTIVE ASSOCIATION Winter 2016 CIRCUMNAVIGATION OF STATEN ISLAND By Jim Scarcella

In late November, I was fortunate to meet up with Mike Aquino and Clay Halverson for a circumnavigation of Staten Island.

There was a steady breeze of 11 knots and the waves (some white- caps) were at 2 to 2.5 feet.

Coming out of Great Kills Harbor channel, we headed to the “BugLight” and we turned left (north) up towards the Narrows. A view of the Yellow Submarine in Calvert-Vaux Park at our May 2015 park cleanup. Photo by Danny Ingellis The Beach House at Gateway had tion of this commodity. Workers have been laid off. Work its usual stock of Herring Gulls and ships have been delayed or stored at Clay spotted a Gannett, a sea bird As negotiations lessen sanctions on shipyards since there is no work to that makes spectacular dives from Iran, they are preparing to ramp up do. Drilling ships loiter offshore in 50 feet or more to attempt to catch operations and further contribute to the Caribbean while they wait for fish. the glut. Even low prices are better contracts. DUC’s are ‘Drilled but than not being able to sell their oil at Uncompleted’ wells. Producers have Off of South Beach, there were two all. Their gas does them no good paid licenses for sites, rented drill Eared Grebes bobbing in the waves. sitting in the ground. rigs and contracted workers so drill- ing goes forward, but the wells are On the approach to Hoffman Island, Another factor that militates against then mothballed until taking gas out we noticed the extensive piling field prices climbing in the near future is of them makes sense. That means and the barren trees. the huge amount of stored oil. Pro- there will be no shortage of product ducers have stockpiled crude to in the near future which would return As we turned towards the Verrazano keep it off the market, as an attempt prices to their earlier level. Bridge, a huge MSC freighter was to stimulate prices. Storage capacity exiting Lower NY Bay, with over 300 has just about filled completely. So, as solar and wind eat into fossil TEU's (tonnage equivalency units), Companies have bought old, unused fuel markets, production continues. most of them were empty. tankers, filled them to capacity and OPEC hopes to starve marginal stored them offshore, trying to wait American producers (as well as Just before we went under the bridge out the period of depressed prices. those in the China Sea, North Sea off Fort Wadsworth, Mike looked There are fewer and fewer places to and Indonesia) into oblivion. No one back and spotted a Harbor Seal up stash the stuff. Some speculators blinks. for air, it looked at ease and maybe can wait no longer and will soon four feet in length, brown with large have to cash out. And the excess While some economists decry the eyes. capacity stored will have to be used immediate effect reduced oil compa- up before there will be any significant ny profits will have on Wall Street, There were a few fishermen on the increase in prices consumers and industry have more rocks below the neighborhood of money to spend since they will Shore Acres. It seems it would be a wise decision spend less on gas. We are still wait- to cut back production to reduce sup- ing for airfares to respond to lower Continuing west, we passed Alice ply and allow prices to rise, but that fuel costs (Did I mention ‘Rocket up Austen House Park and the Sandy doesn’t seem to be in the immediate – Feather down’?). As a society we Hook Pilots Association headquar- future. OPEC wants to maintain its need to ponder the effects cheap ters. market share even at the lower pric- gas will have on America down the es. American producers over ex- road. Will we responsibly invest our Off the Homeport, there were some panded during the era of low interest fuel dividend or simply return to our boats fishing for tautaug and sea with no concern to the oversupply old, high-flying, wasteful, expensive bass in the steady wind near the Ma- that could have been predicted. ways? rine Fire Pumper station. Behind They must continue in the short term that was about 700 new condos for to pay the bills. Stapleton.

There have been contractions. Join NRPA today We cut across the SI Ferry and saw

(continued next page) Winter 2016 NATURAL RESOURCES PROTECTIVE ASSOCIATION Page 7 a helical pile driver building the foun- dation of the “Wheel” and related outlet stores. There also were tons of excavated soil on the site.

Next up, we saw the old US Gypsum factory of New Brighton, which is now “Atlantic Salt”. There was a large crane, tons of salt and several sewn tarps covering most of the so- A shot of the Kill Van Kull from our canoe trip. Photo by Dave Sanders dium chloride. www.davesandersphoto.com

There were a few more fishermen the northernmost tip of SI, traveled along Snug Harbor shoreline, we past Howland Hook Marine Terminal, After the new park of Fresh Kills, we passed the site of the old yacht club. where the cranes were mechanically viewed the Witte Shipyards and then unloading the latest in electronic traveled down past the Charleston The Cadell Dry Dock operation had goods from China, Hong Kong and beach, near Winant Street. several notable ships for repair. Taiwan. There was the Wavertree, a Dela- We saw some sandpipers and water- ware Bay Ferry and the Ambrose Then we started down the Arthur Kill, fowl, including cormorants at this Lightship. To see them in dry dock, where a team was busy maintaining location. There were some Buffle- you get a new appreciation of the the rail bridge, just north of Goethals heads off of Tides at Charleston. size of the vessel and what goes on Bridge. underneath the waterline. Continuing south, we crossed under There is extensive caisson work al- the Outerbridge (that's correct, it's We passed Faber Park in Port Rich- ready in place to build the twinning. named for the Engineer whose fami- mond, which is a “catalyst” site of ly brought lawn tennis to the U.S.) Partnership for Parks. The park has We then saw a Blue Heron on the and saw the Tottenville Marina at improved. west shore of Pralls Island, where Ellis Street. plans to build a trash incinerator The Bayonne Bridge project was were set forth and defeated by Stat- We went to the confluence of the next, we witnessed welding and steel en Islanders around 1939. Pralls Raritan River and saw Conference connection preparation. Boulevard, a paved area in anticipa- House Park, a beautiful place man- tion of the incinerator, is still there. aged by our friend, John Killcullen. As we headed towards Shooters Island, there were whitecaps, piling We sped past the Arthur Kill genera- fields, and we saw the “Singer” sew- tion station, where there is an exten- ing machine plant of Elizabeth, NJ. sive intake of river water and then We are always looking for people discharge of water at an elevated temperature. to come to the monthly meetings We passed Bridge Creek, which is and bring us ideas and suggestions for future activity. All are welcome!

MEETING SCHEDULE ON THE 1st TUESDAY OF THE MONTH Meetings held at the Nature Center at Blue Heron Park January 5, 2016 February 2, 2016 March 1, 2016 April 5, 2016 May 3, 2016 June 7, 2016 July 5, 2016 August 2, 2016 September 6, 2016 October 4, 2016 November 1, 2016 Tugboat in the boat graveyard in the Arthur Kill. Photo by Danny Ingellis December 6, 2016 Page 8 NATURAL RESOURCES PROTECTIVE ASSOCIATION Winter 2016 We turned from the southernmost We passed Lemon Creek (Lou Fig- and entered the Great Kills my Har- part of NY State and headed north urelli) park at Seguine Avenue, and bor. east in the Raritan Reach channel. kept pushing north. The harbor was calm, most boats Looking west, we saw the mighty red We passed the Dorothy Day Span- were already out of the water for the clay bank of Mount Loreto State ish Camp at the end of Lipsett Street winter, to return in spring 2016. Park. and soon we saw the peninsula of Great Kills Park and Crookes Point. We have a beautiful island and estu- We saw a beautiful sunset behind us ary, get out and enjoy it. Upcoming Events:  Friday, January 1, 2016 - please join us for the 26th Annual New Year’s Day environmentalists and civic associa- tions’ Beach Walk at Great Kills Park, Gateway NRA. Since 1990 over a thousand people have enjoyed the fresh start to the New Year with the hike and celebration. The event is free, participants should meet at the Buffalo Street entrance to the park at 12 PM, Adjacent to Hylan Blvd, Bay Terrace. We will car pool to the southeast parking lot to begin the walk out to the beach and Crookes Point jetty. Viewing of the Bay and the Harbor Channel 'BugLight' Please bring a refreshment, cookies or fruit to share as we raise a toast to hopefully the best year yet - 2016. The 1.5 mile walk concludes by 2 PM. For info call Jim Scarcella, NRPA 718.873.4291, or Cliff Hagen, PPOW at 718.313.8591  Tuesday, January 5, 2016 - NRPA monthly meeting at Blue Heron Park Nature Center  Tuesday, February 2, 2016 - NRPA monthly meeting at Blue Heron Park Nature Center  Tuesday, March 1, 2016 - NRPA monthly meeting at Blue Heron Park Nature Center

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