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Gateway National Recreation Area: Center for the State of the Parks

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Gateway National Recreation Area: Center for the State of the Parks GATEWAY NATIONAL RECREATION AREA NATIONAL RECREATION GATEWAY ® A Resource Assessment A Resource may 2007 ® Center for State of the Parks More than a century ago, Congress established Yellowstone as the CONTENTS world’s first national park. That single act was the beginning of a remarkable and ongoing effort to protect this nation’s natural, historical, and cultural heritage. Today, Americans are learning that national park designation REPORT SUMMARY 1 alone cannot provide full resource protection. Many parks are compromised by development of adjacent lands, air and water pollu- tion, invasive plants and animals, and rapid increases in motorized THE ASSESSMENT 3 recreation. Park officials often lack adequate information on the status of and trends in conditions of critical resources. NATURAL RESOURCES 15 The National Parks Conservation Association initiated the State of the Parks® program in 2000 to assess the condition of natural and Haven for People and cultural resources in the parks, and determine how well equipped the Wildlife Amidst a Legacy National Park Service is to protect the parks—its stewardship capac- of Ecological Change ity. The goal is to provide information that will help policy-makers, the public, and the National Park Service improve conditions in CULTURAL RESOURCES 24 national parks, celebrate successes as models for other parks, and Funds, Staff, and Research ensure a lasting legacy for future generations. For more information about the methodology and research used Needed to Preserve Historic in preparing this report and to learn more about the Center for State Resources of the Parks®, visit www.npca.org/stateoftheparks or contact: NPCA, Center for State of the Parks®, P.O. Box 737, Fort Collins, CO 80522; STEWARDSHIP CAPACITY 31 Phone: 970.493.2545; E-mail: [email protected]. Since 1919, the National Parks Conservation Association has been APPENDIX: METHODOLOGY 36 the leading voice of the American people in protecting and enhanc- ing our National Park System. NPCA, its members, and partners work together to protect the park system and preserve our nation’s natural, historical, and cultural heritage for generations to come. * More than 325,000 members * 9 regional offices * 35,000 activists A special note of appreciation goes to those whose generous grants and donations made this report possible: Dr. Dorothy Canter, Con Edison of New York, Ben and Ruth Hammett, the Efroymson Fund of the Central Indiana Community Foundation, G. Unger Vetlesen Foundation, John Ben Snow Memorial Trust, MSST Foundation, Tiffany & Co., and anonymous donors. COVER PHOTO BY DON RIEPE REPORT SUMMARY ALEX BRASH 1 eport Summary R Touch the bricks of a Civil War-era fort; catch a National Memorial. What may come as a Gateway plays host to glimpse of a migrating hawk soaring overhead surprise is that all of these opportunities—and more than 400 species of birds and butter- on its way to Central America; examine a rare, more—are possible within our nation’s most flies, which live in or delicate orchid; watch volunteers restore populous urban area at Gateway National visit the park during vintage aircraft; or build a sandcastle, picnic Recreation Area, one of our nation’s 390 seasonal migrations. with family, and surf along a sandy beach. national parks. Many Americans associate these kinds of expe- Gateway National Recreation Area, located riences with remote or better known national in New York City and northern New Jersey, parks such as Yellowstone, Yosemite, Cape protects more than 26,000 acres of land and Hatteras National Seashore, or Wright Brothers waters offering an array of recreational, samples of America’s coastal defenses from the Revolutionary War through the Cold War. Gateway National Recreation Area was created in 1972 to preserve and protect recre- NATIONAL PARK SERVICE ational, natural, and cultural resources and to provide a national park experience for the region's urban residents. Indeed, the Congressional Report issued at the park’s author- ization notes that “this will be the first Federal recreation area in the heart of an urban complex, and it will bring the national parks 2 program closer to the people than ever before.” Unfortunately, when the park was created, many of the natural and cultural resources had been affected by previous uses and by develop- ment of the surrounding area. Salt marshes eport Summary had long been filled, Jamaica Bay had been R repeatedly dredged, and the maritime and deciduous forests had been covered in pave- ment. Buildings evoking facets of history stood in disrepair, their integrity threatened by decades of neglect. Gateway, along with the entire National Park System, has for more than a decade suffered from chronic under funding. The gap between need and actual budgets has, over the years, affected the staff’s ability to restore historic buildings and maintain education programs. Though much work is still needed to help Many of Gateway’s cultural, and natural values. More than 330 Gateway realize its full potential, the natural, historic structures species of birds and 71 species of butterflies live cultural, and recreational values of the park are evoke aspects of our within the park or stop-over at Gateway during undeniable. To have 26,000 acres of federally nation’s aviation history. Views from the their arduous seasonal migrations along the protected lands and waters in the heart of one of control tower at Floyd Atlantic coast. The park protects endangered our nation’s most densely populated areas is Bennett Field encom- birds such as the piping plover and least tern, remarkable. The park’s location and many pass the crisscrossing and works to restore declining habitats such as varied resources has made it a favorite among a runways of New York’s maritime forests and salt marsh. host of conservation and special-interest groups first municipal airport. Gateway is also a living museum full of that want to protect it for the future. Efforts by history that can be seen, touched, and fully the Park Service, partner organizations, and experienced by visitors. Gateway’s buildings, community groups to restore areas in Brooklyn, landscapes, and archaeological sites illuminate Queens, and Staten Island in New York City and important aspects of the region’s social, Monmouth County in northern New Jersey maritime, aviation, and architectural history. contribute to the goal of offering an outstand- For example, among the hundreds of buildings ing national park experience for regional resi- and structures within the park are some great dents and visitors. THE GATEWAY ASSESSMENT DON RIEPE 3 ecreation Area y National R a Gatew Recognizing Gateway National Recreation ments. Researchers then analyzed all of the The Jamaica Bay Area’s importance within the New York City collected data using the Center for State of the Wildlife Refuge is a favorite place to metropolitan area and the National Park System Parks’ established, peer-reviewed methodolo- reconnect with as a whole, NPCA’s Center for State of the Parks gies, which include a set of more than 200 ques- nature, and is one of endeavored to determine the current conditions tions and discrete metrics, in order to arrive at the East Coast’s of the park’s natural and cultural resources. numerical scores for natural and cultural prime birdwatching Center for State of the Parks researchers inter- resource conditions (see Appendix). The follow- venues. viewed park staff, examined resource conditions ing report describes Gateway’s diverse natural on the ground, consulted Park Service experts, and cultural resources, summarizes current and reviewed available publications and docu- conditions of those resources, describes some of At Jacob Riis Park, much work has been done to restore the exterior of the historic bathhouse. NATIONAL PARK SERVICE 4 ecreation Area y National R a the ways resource managers are working to cultural resources scored 46 out of a possible improve resource conditions, and touches on 100, indicating “poor” conditions. As with Gatew some of the varied educational and recreational natural resources, many factors have long been opportunities available to park visitors. at work to the detriment of the park’s cultural resources. Many buildings were not considered RATINGS to be historic when Gateway was established, Using NPCA’s Center for State of the Parks were abandoned from previous uses, and so comprehensive methodology, current overall were left to languish. Prior to 1972, cultural conditions of Gateway’s known natural landscapes in general were not widely recog- resources scored 53 out of 100, which is a “poor” nized for their importance, so no effort had rating. Historic military uses and land develop- been directed toward their maintenance and ment prior to Gateway’s establishment as a park preservation before Gateway was established. and the ongoing urbanization and landscape While the park has made efforts to improve the modification surrounding it have resulted in the care of its cultural resources, critical baseline loss of significant natural habitats and native information on some cultural resources is species, as well as major changes in hydrology, lacking. In addition, just 30 percent of the park’s nutrient cycles, and sediment transport within museum collections are cataloged, and curator- its watersheds and estuarine waters. In addition, ial staff are unable to finish cataloging the regional pollution affects the park’s air and collections without additional support. The cost waters, and invasive, non-native species have of caring for hundreds of structures forces park replaced native ones in many areas. Park staff managers to make difficult maintenance deci- continue to target some of these pressing sions. Some structures have deteriorated beyond concerns through habitat restoration and protec- the point of restoration, and others continue to tion projects. deteriorate as a result of under-funded mainte- Overall conditions of the park’s known nance needs.
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