Northeast Region • Spring 2019 WILDLIFE CORNER A New U.S. Congress Rare Sea Turtle Nests he 2018 election brought a range of and southern California, vote even once outcomes across the country, resulting in favor of a park issue, it will be enormous at Gateway NRA T in a 116th Congress that increasingly progress on the political map for national reflects the diverse population of America. park legislation. As political fights loom ast July, beachgoers at New York Those elected also represent many “firsts” that could threaten bedrock laws such as City’s Gateway National Recreation for us as a nation. the Antiquities Act and the Endangered LArea witnessed a rare wildlife Species Act, these votes become more sighting at Jamaica Bay’s West Beach. More women than ever before now serve in critical than ever. the House of Representatives and the Senate; They spotted something small and scaly at 125 members strong, they represent over crawl out of the ocean and trek to the 23 percent of Congress. The class of freshmen West Beach sand dunes. Concerned, the beachgoers called the National Park House members also includes: the first Service to take a closer look. Turns out, two Native American women, the first two it was the first nesting Kemp’s Ridley Hispanic women representing Texas, a sea turtle (Lepidochelys kempii) in New Rhodes scholar and Harvard-educated York state. The rarest and smallest species lawyer/rap artist, a National Teacher of the of sea turtle in the world, the Kemp’s Year recipient, over a dozen military Ridley are critically endangered and veterans, and two former professional federally protected in the United States football players. This diversity of back- under the Endangered Species Act. grounds, opinions and ideas will help our democracy going forward and inspire the Thanks in part to a multi-agency effort next generation to see themselves in the and help from many international halls of Congress one day. conservation programs, Kemp’s Ridley sea turtles are making a steady come- Additionally, there’s plenty of good news for back after the population of nesting national parks. Voters elected new House Here in the Northeast, we’ve welcomed females dropped from a high of 40,000 members with pro-environmental agendas several new House members, many of in the 1940s to an alarmingly low 300 whom already possess ties to national in the 1980s. in places where there haven’t been pro-park votes in many years—or ever. If these new parks sites in their districts or could become Why the drastic drop in population? members of Congress, representing districts Kemp’s Ridley are the only sea turtles that include parts of Kansas, Iowa, Oklahoma continued on back page that nest during the day, making their Top: A man paddles his canoe on Seboeis Lake near Katahdin Woods & Waters National Monument with Mount Katahdin in the distance ©Jerry and Marcy Monkman I EcoPhotography.com I Alamy Right: continued on page 4 Washington’s Headquarters at the Ford Mansion, Morristown National Historical Park in New Jersey, represented by new U.S. Rep. Mikie Sherrill ©Mauritius Images GmbH | Alamy IN MEMORIAM - JANET WEINBERG anet Weinberg, a passionate to meet with staff in the White FIELD advocate for those with House and the Department of Jdisabilities and for the LGBT Interior to advocate on behalf community, passed away on of Stonewall’s designation. REPORT September 1, 2018. The northeast The importance of Stonewall NPCA staff who worked with to the lesbian and transgender Spring 2019 her feel honored and privileged communities was a driver to have received her sage advice for her activism, and she and to have seen her leadership remained steadfast in her in action. efforts to ensure the history Northeast Regional Office of the AIDS crisis was also 256 West 36th Street Janet was renowned in New York City and included in Stonewall’s historical interpre- Floor 12 nationally as a savvy activist and fundraiser tation. Her voice and perspective continue New York, NY 10018 who lead the Gay Men’s Health Crisis and to influence the National Park Service’s [email protected] was responsible for the growth of New York interpretation of the Stonewall uprising City’s LGBT Community Center in the 1990s. to this day. Cortney Worrall A leading voice at NPCA’s very first discussion A memorial attended by nearly 200 people, SENIOR REGIONAL DIRECTOR about a possible campaign to designate including U.S. Rep. Jerold Nadler, was held Stonewall as a national monument in 2014, in New York City on November 11 at the Molly Galvin she continued to offer her wisdom and Educational Alliance where Janet served as REGIONAL DIRECTOR guidance throughout the designation process. executive vice president for programs and OF DEVELOPMENT Janet traveled twice to Washington, D.C., operations. Lauren Cosgrove Above: Janet Weinberg • Photo courtesy of the Educational Alliance Below: NPCA marches at NYC Pride in support of Stonewall National Monument ©NPCA I Whitney Browne Photography PROGRAM MANAGER Timothy Leonard PROGRAM COORDINATOR Headquarters National Parks Conservation Association 777 6th Street, NW Suite 700 Washington, DC 20001-3723 www.npca.org • NPCA Membership Services Team 800.628.7275 VOLUNTEER WITH NPCA! JOIN NPCA AT NYC PRIDE/WORLD PRIDE, celebrating 50 years since the uprising at Stonewall National Monument. [email protected] Visit https://npcastonewall.eventbrite.com for more information. • Design by JOIN US! kelleyalbertdesign.com March 20, 2019 • 6:00 pm The Explorers Club, NYC Join NPCA President & CEO Theresa Pierno along with Alan Spears and NATIONAL PARKS Ani Kame’euni for a conversation on the immediate and long-term threats Will We Recognize facing our national parks. Them in 100 Years? RSVP: www.npca.org/newyork AN NPCA TRUSTEES FOR THE PARKS SPEAKER SERIES EVENT NPCA.ORG NPCA Releases Economic Report on Upper Delaware National and Scenic River ast October, NPCA and Hancock to the Atlantic Ocean to rely on a place-based economy that utilizes partners released a new report NPCA at Delaware Bay. Man-made the area’s rich recreational opportunities and Lto highlight stories from the AT reservoirs that exist along the potential for tourism. emerging economy in the Upper river’s headwater streams, and Delaware River region, an area WORK the water impounded in them, New initiatives to attract visitors to the in Pennsylvania and New York provide about 60 percent of the region build upon the area’s history of stretching from Hancock, New York water supply for New York City- offering ‘pure air, pure water, pure milk’ downstream to Port Jervis, and anchored area residents. as promoted in the late 19th to mid-20th by the Upper Delaware Scenic and centuries while other economic strategies Recreational River. NPCA commissioned this report to spotlight encourage a rethinking of traditional exciting, inspirational efforts under way in regional activities to be more compatible The Upper Delaware park unit is unusual the region that are redefining the nature of with the fresh air and clean water cherished in that the National Park Service (NPS) the region’s future economic vitality. More by residents and visitors alike. NPCA will directly owns, or jointly manages, only than at most parks, the Upper Delaware continue to work for the protection of the 31 acres out of the 55,575 total acres of the Scenic and Recreational River depends upon Upper Delaware River and the regional scenic and recreational river. One of the the stewardship practices of its community economic activities that preserve it and depend last large, undammed rivers in the lower neighbors. The future of the region will need upon its ecological services to the region. 48 states, the Delaware River flows freely for 330 miles along its main stem from Above: Sunrise on the Delaware River ©andykazie Left: Making Connections: Roots of Prosperity in New York and Pennsylvania’s Upper Delaware River Region, October 2018 ©NPCA, Photo by David B. Soete PARK BY THE NUMBERS Visitors to the Upper Delaware vvvvvvv 253,500 Scenic and Recreational River OUT OF PEOPLE in 2017 Tax revenue generated 55,575 Acres $738 annually related to tourism in THE NATIONAL MILLION the region PARK SERVICE (NPS) DIRECTLY OWNS Jobs supported by this OR MANAGES 113 national park site JOBS Only 31 Acres Money spent $10.8 by park visitors MILLION WILDLIFE CORNER RARE SEA TURTLE NESTS AT GATEWAY NRA continued from page 1 young more vulnerable to wild predators and human impact. Entanglement in fishing gear, environmental degradation of critical nesting habitats and light pollution associated with development along the beachfront are some of the most common causes of death. Female Kemp’s Ridley sea turtles avoid well-lit beaches because the light can disorient young hatchings who hatch at night and rely on moonlight and its reflection on the water to find the ocean. At Gateway, this particular female turtle is believed to have traveled from the Gulf of Mexico to Jamaica Bay, where she excavated a nest and laid 110 eggs. According to the New York State Department of Environ- mental Conservation, about 95 percent of the world’s Kemp’s Ridley sea turtles nest on one beach in Tamaulipas, Mexico with the remaining 5 percent nesting on Padre Island National Seashore in Texas. This was the first Kemp’s Ridley egg deposit ever recorded in New York. With help from the Riverhead Foundation for Marine Research and Preservation, the National Park Service was able to safely remove and incubate all 110 eggs, preserving them from any disturbances. Two months later, the eggs were brought back to the Kemp’s Ridley are among the rarest of sea turtle species, with most making their home at Padre Island original nesting site on West Beach.