By Steve Mosco
Queens might not be known for having a fragile ecosystem, but one such spot in the southern portion of the borough is in dire straits following the devastation from Hurricane Sandy.
Situated in southern Queens and eastern Brooklyn, Jamaica Bay lies at the far end of the Rockaways A train. About 40 minutes from Manhattan by train, blocks of apartments suddenly give way to marshes and exotic egrets replace the common pigeon.
The park’s unique landscape contains a variety of rare native habitats, including a salt marsh, upland field and woods, brackish water ponds and an open expanse of bay. The Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge is one of the most significant bird sanctuaries in the Northeast, with more than 330 bird species sighted over the last 25 years.
The bay is also home to an array of reptiles, amphibians, small mammals, more than 60 species of butterflies and a large population of horseshoe crabs.
But Jamaica Bay’s wildlife and its serene surroundings were suddenly compromised when last week’s superstorm hit. Aside from the heartbreaking human toll, the storm blasted the bay with short-term and long-term effects, according to Dan Hendrick, the communications director at the New York League of Conservation Voters, who authored a book about the bay in 2004.
“The biggest issue is that with the storm, a tremendous volume of debris washed into the bay,” said Hendrick, who is involved with the production of “Jamaica Bay Lives!” an upcoming documentary on the bay. “It’s a hazard for the people there and it’s also a detriment to the water quality.”
The city Department of Environmental Protection announced Saturday that significant work has been completed to wastewater treatment facilities damaged by the storm, with 99 percent of the city’s wastewater being treated.
Besides water quality, Jamaica Bay suffered damage elsewhere. Hendrick said the storm ravaged the habitats of the piping plover and the terrapin populations. He also said the storm surge cut a new channel from the bay into what was a freshwater pond and created an array of sinkholes.
“These animals rely on this habitat and the piping plover will be impacted when it comes back from migration next year,” he said. “We will keep an eye out for turtle health, as we expect numbers will drop next year.”
In the wake of Hurricane Sandy, Hendrick believes it is time for conservationists — along with the city, state and federal governments — to redouble their efforts to monitor climate change and protect the citizens who call the shoreline home.
“We woke up to a new reality after Sandy and we have run out of excuses,” he said. “We have to look at the wisdom of having homes in such vulnerable places. And if we have to rebuild, we have to do it right.”
And those people along the shore, those who choose to live perilously close to the Atlantic Ocean, are some of the most resilient people Hendrick has met.
“Virtually everyone I spoke to said it’s all just stuff. We will throw it away and start anew,” he said. “And they say this in the face of total destruction.”
Reach reporter Steve Mosco by e-mail at smosco@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-260-4546.
