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Natural Area Mapping and Inventory of High Rock Park 2008 Survey

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Natural Area Mapping and Inventory of High Rock Park 2008 Survey Natural Area Mapping and Inventory of High Rock Park 2008 Survey Prepared by the Natural Resources Group & Greenbelt Administration Michael R. Bloomberg, Mayor Adrian Benepe, Commissioner Thomas A. Paulo, Staten Island Borough Commissioner Robin Dublin, Greenbelt Administrator Table of Contents Section I. High Rock Park Natural Area Mapping & Inventory .................................................... 3 Introduction ................................................................................................................................... 3 Entitation ....................................................................................................................................... 4 Acknowledgements ....................................................................................................................... 6 Section II. Entitation Maps ............................................................................................................ 7 High Rock Park Entitation Map ................................................................................................... 7 Cover Type Map ........................................................................................................................... 8 Management Concerns Map ......................................................................................................... 9 Section III. High Rock Park Unit Descriptions, Surveyed 2008 .................................................. 10 Section IV. APPENDIX: Glossary .............................................................................................. 40 City of New York, Parks and Recreation, Staten Island Greenbelt and Natural Resources Group July, 2010 Page 2 Section I. High Rock Park Natural Area Mapping & Inventory 90 acres Introduction City of New York Parks & Recreation (DPR) manages one of the most extensive and varied parks systems of any city in the world. These 29,000 acres of city park property occupy about 15 percent of New York City’s total area. In addition to flagship parks such as Central Park and Prospect Park, the city’s parklands include over 11,000 acres of natural areas. Until the 1980’s, the Parks Department was primarily concerned with developed landscapes and recreation facilities rather than natural areas. In the absence of a comprehensive management policy, these areas succumbed to invasive species, pollution and erosion. In 1984, Parks established the Natural Resources Group (NRG) with a mandate to acquire, restore and manage natural areas in New York City. The wetlands, forests, meadows, and shorelines under NRG’s jurisdiction provide valuable habitat for hundreds of species, from rare wildflowers to endangered birds of prey. In addition to the goals mentioned above, NRG serves as a clearinghouse for technical research to aid in the protection and restoration of the city’s natural resources. Often referred to as one of the most tranquil places in New York City, High Rock Park, located in Staten Island and bordered by the Richmond Parkway and Moravian Cemetery at Rockland Avenue, is noted for its quiet ponds and deep woods. Over the past two centuries, prominent Staten Island families including the Vanderbilts, Flaggs, Conners, Ebbets, and Tonkings have occupied parts of this land. In the 1930s, the Boy Scouts Council owned the land, receiving thousands of campers every year. In 1951, the Boy Scouts sold the property to the Girl Scouts Council of Greater New York. Gretta Moulton (1912-1971), an energetic camping consultant from Massachusetts, helped with the Girl Scout Camp’s program. Recognizing the magnificent beauty of this place, she worked to preserve it from the growing pressures of urban development. In 1964 during a real estate boom on the island, the Council sold the property to a private developer. The following year, after complicated negotiations with the developer, the City of New York took ownership of the land and turned responsibility for running the park over to the Staten Island Institute of Arts & Sciences. Fortunately, through the efforts of Gretta Moulton, along with Borough President Albert V. Maniscalco (1908-1998), Robert Moses (1888-1981), Nelson Rockefeller (1908-1979), Laurence Spellman Rockefeller (1910-1966), and other concerned citizens, High Rock was officially dedicated as parkland in July 1965, and the High Rock Nature Conservation Center opened to the public. In 1971, the Conservation Center was designated an "Educational Landmark" by the United States Department of the Interior, one of only eleven such awards at the time. It was the first to be named in the field of environmental education. In 1988, an additional 4.9 acres were acquired by Parks. City of New York, Parks and Recreation, Staten Island Greenbelt and Natural Resources Group July, 2010 Page 3 High Rock Park lies within 2,800 acres that comprise the Greenbelt, a collection of public and private properties on Staten Island. By the end of the 1990s, the asphalt parking lot at the end of Nevada Avenue and at the entrance to High Rock Park was completed. The parking lot accommodates the many visitors whom come to High Rock Park, not just for the environmental programs and activities, but also to enjoy the quiet, scenic views, trails, and natural landscape. Today, the historic camp facilities serve as the headquarters for both the Greenbelt Conservancy and the Greenbelt Administration. The Greenbelt Natural Resource Team (GNRT) oversees the development and implementation of ecologically based management practices throughout High Rock Park and the entire Staten Island Greenbelt to preserve the environmental integrity of the natural parkland. In 2008, to begin addressing the natural resource management and restoration needs of the Staten Island Greenbelt, an inventory of High Rock Park was collaboratively conducted by NRG and GNRT through entitation, a process of identifying and describing ecologically distinct plant communities. Using aerial photographs and field reconnaissance, Parks staff delineated distinct ecological entities, known as entitation units, based on cover type, understory structure, species composition, and topography. Evidence of historical use, current use, environmental disturbance, and additional notes were also recorded for each unit. Entitation of High Rock Park resulted in a map and database that can be used to locate valuable and threatened areas. The map and database also serve as a baseline for measuring change over time. Entitation Entitation is a type of plant community inventory well suited to the patchy environments often found in urban areas. Originally designed for European landscapes, the system was revised by NRG in 1985 for use in New York City’s urban parklands. NRG has used entitation widely and successfully to facilitate acquisition and restoration decisions. Put simply, entitation is a process of breaking up a park into manageable parts called “entities” or “entitation units.” Entitation units are defined using a weighted list of criteria. Distinction is based on: - Cover type (e.g. closed forest, vineland, scrub) - Canopy species composition - Understory type (e.g. herbs, vines, shrubs), - Understory species composition. - Additional factors that define entitation units, such as topography and soil condition (e.g. wet, moist, dry) are recorded. To prepare for fieldwork, mapping technicians examine aerial photographs and delineate areas of similar cover. The mapping staff uses the aerial information to create a strategy for delineating entitation units in the area. In the field, boundaries are identified as described above. For each City of New York, Parks and Recreation, Staten Island Greenbelt and Natural Resources Group July, 2010 Page 4 unit, staff records the data listed above, as well as current uses, environmental disturbances, historical indicators, community stability, and comments. *Partially funded by the Hudson River Foundation New York City Environmental Fund and New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Urban and Community Forestry Grant. City of New York, Parks and Recreation, Staten Island Greenbelt and Natural Resources Group July, 2010 Page 5 Acknowledgements Cover page photo credit: Matthew D. Sullivan 2007 Youth Stewards Internship: Daniel Brown, Cody Mendoza, Julie Flores 2008 Youth Stewards Internship: Daniel Brown, Ryan Chan, Amanda Mattsson 2009 Greenbelt Natural Resource Internship: Christopher Chin, Charles Salzer, Nehal Gohel 2010 Youth Stewards Internship: Matthew D. Sullivan, Hannah Van Hemmen New York City Parks Natural Resources Group technical advisors: Tim Wenskus, Craig Mandel, April Bisner Greenbelt Entitator: Brian Widener Greenbelt Natural Resources Manager: Tony Rho City of New York, Parks and Recreation, Staten Island Greenbelt and Natural Resources Group July, 2010 Page 6 Section II. Entitation Maps High Rock Park Entitation Map City of New York, Parks and Recreation, Staten Island Greenbelt and Natural Resources Group July, 2010 Page 7 Cover Type Map City of New York, Parks and Recreation, Staten Island Greenbelt and Natural Resources Group July, 2010 Page 8 Management Concerns Map City of New York, Parks and Recreation, Staten Island Greenbelt and Natural Resources Group July, 2010 Page 9 Section III. High Rock Park Unit Descriptions, Surveyed 2008 High Rock Park Unit Descriptions, Surveyed 2008 Unit: 1 Acreage 1.362 Mgmt. Concern: No Site: Species Height Exotic Historical Uses Disturbances Herbaceous Grass spp. <5' Road Vehicle access Deciduous Walnut, black
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