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 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 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. From National Seashore in Texas (as shown in these images). Top: CNPS Photo | Alamy Above: NPS Photo | there, 96 of the hatchlings successfully Alamy Below: Nature and Science | Alamy made the treacherous journey to sea, making this first-ever New York nesting a remarkable triumph.

“This isn’t where she would usually come to nest, and then for the eggs to actually successfully hatch … it’s a pretty amazing thing.”

– PATTI RAFFERTY Chief of Resource Stewardship for Gateway National Recreation Area, National Park Service

This miracle was only possible with help from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Riverhead Foundation for Marine Research and Preservation, NYS Department of Environmental Conservation, Silver Gull Beach Club and National Park Service staff members at Gateway National Recreation Area and Padre Island National Seashore. The Rising Cost of Climate Change

s we come to grips with a changing a huge gap,” she continued, “but also a of the NPCA Northeast Regional Office, climate and contemplate a future of huge opportunity to finance the future in told attendees. By way of example, she rising sea levels, many vulnerable a different way.” discussed NPCA’s crucial work at Jamaica A Bay. Vulnerable to climate change and communities, cities and governments are grappling with how to afford making changes sea level rise—and left even more so after Hurricane Sandy six years ago—Jamaica Bay needed to prevent flooding in ecologically “needs substantial investment and repair,” sound ways. To that end, NPCA and the Ms. Worrall said. Such repairs include Design for Risk and Reconstruction ensuring buildings are fortified and renovated Committee of the American Institute of to withstand high intensity storms and that Architects cosponsored a fall workshop that flood control projects are ecologically sound brought together more than 75 stakeholders and allow wildlife to find habitat. NPCA from all aspects of resilience planning for works to influence the plans of the Army productive cross-disciplinary conversations. Corps of Engineers for Jamaica Bay and, more widely, the long-term sustainability Participants examined ecologically sound of coastal systems around the country. resiliency case studies, both those that While Ms. Coffee provided an eye-opening faltered in the face of obstacles, and those If you would like to learn more about this national overview, NPCA provided the more that found success, and came to grips with event or attend a future workshop on local context, helping to focus attendees’ the staggering cost of resilience projects funding strategies for resilient design plans, needed around the country. attention on resiliency projects at the please email the NPCA Northeast Regional Jamaica Bay unit of Gateway National Office at [email protected]. Consultant Joyce Coffee laid out the Recreation Area that will protect the Bay challenge in stark terms: “Between now and from future storms while not walling off Above: Critical shoreline and dune habitats are 2025, we will need $4.6 trillion for resilience the largest salt marsh in New York City with shrinking for federally protected species like infrastructure,” she said. “Sixty wastewater harmful grey infrastructure. the Red Knot, a bird previously featured in the Autumn 2015 Northeast Field Report. ©Brian treatments plants around the country Kushner | Dreamstime Below: Waves from the will be under water by midcentury. More “National parks and their critical infra- Hudson River crash onto ’s Riverside than $900 billion in real estate will be structure face unprecedented challenges,” Park during Hurricane Sandy in 2012. ©John G. under water by the end of the century. It’s Cortney Worrall, senior regional director Wilbanks | Alamy

Contact our membership department at [email protected] JOIN NPCA TODAY! or join online at npca.org/give/join. To join NPCA by Help protect our national parks phone, call us at 1.800.NAT.PARK (1.800.628.7275) for future generations! between the hours of 9AM and 5PM (ET), Monday-Friday. Northeast Regional Office NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION 256 West 36th Street • Floor 12 U.S. POSTAGE PAID New York, NY 10018 WASHINGTON, DC PERMIT NO. 4446 RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED

in January. As the country gets more A New U.S. Congress polarized and the political center continues continued from page 1 to shrink, many of NPCA’s proud park allies on the right side of the aisle have lost potential partners with NPCA on park- their jobs. NPCA lost strong Republican park friendly legislation. For example: defenders in New Jersey during this last election, such as Reps. Leonard Lance and n Rep. Max Rose, representing New York’s Rodney Frelinghuysen, who were replaced 11th district (which contains portions of by Democratic Reps. Tom Malinowski and Gateway National Recreation Area), has Mikie Sherrill, respectively. already rolled up his sleeves to volunteer at Gateway during the partial government While we are confident that the new shutdown. Democrats taking these seats in 2019 will continue to represent the park priorities in n Rep. Lori Trahan, newly elected in these districts, NPCA remains committed Massachusetts’ 3rd district, has expressed to investing in bipartisan support for all her commitment to clean water. This of our national park issues. NPCA has interest is unsurprising as she hails from worked with every Congress and every Lowell, MA where the city’s waterways administration for the last 100 years, and form a crucial part of its history and we remain dedicated to our mission of subsequently a major part of Lowell protecting America’s best places. National Historical Park. n Maine’s Rep. Jared Golden, along with newly elected Governor Janet Mills, are Portions of this article previously n Rep. Ayanna Pressley, representing expected to help with the development appeared on NPCA’s Park Advocate Blog: Massachusetts’ 7th district, is the first of Katahdin Woods & Waters National “5 Takeaways from the Midterm Elections.” black woman from the state elected to Monument. Both Golden and Mills Congress. Her district includes famous supported the monument’s designation Top: Bunker Hill Monument, Boston National Historical Park, represented by new U.S. Rep Boston national park sites such as in their previous state government roles. Ayanna Pressley ©Michael Dwyer | Alamy Bunker Hill, Charlestown Navy Yard, Bottom: Pawtucket canal at Lowell National Boston Harbor Islands and portions of In less good news for parks, fewer moderate Historical Park, in U.S. Rep. Lori Trahan’s hometown the Freedom Trail. Republicans will be returning to their jobs and district ©Wangkun Jia | Dreamstime

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