Hidden Waters of New York City by Sergey Kadinsky

Author:Sergey Kadinsky
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Countryman Press
Published: 2016-06-30T16:00:00+00:00

PLACES TO SEE:

Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge Visitor Contact Center 718-318-4340 www.nyharborparks.org/visit/jaba.html

GETTING THERE:

Bus: Q52, Q53 to the Visitor Contact Center at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge

Subway: A at Broad Channel, walk along Noel Road to Cross Bay Boulevard, turn right and walk about three-quarters of a mile to the Visitor Contact Center; A at Rockaway Boulevard and transfer to the Q52 or Q53

Bike: There is a bike route along Cross Bay Boulevard into Broad Channel

The northwestern corner of Brooklyn has been shaped as much by the natural forces of the past ice age as by a century’s worth of industrialization, which transformed salt marshes along the East River into canals that brought barges and oil tankers to Brooklyn. Although the neighborhoods along the shores of these waterways have largely shed their industrial character, the high cost of restoring these streams to their natural condition has kept them isolated and unusable to most local residents. However, with federal funding and gentrification of coastline neighborhoods, these streams are slowly returning to the public consciousness in a positive light.

The geological landscape of southern Brooklyn resembled that of southern Queens, with streams flowing south into Jamaica Bay across a gently sloping plain. As the streams approached the bay, they became inlets, separating the mainland from sandbars formed by ocean currents. As urbanization encroached, all of these creeks were severed from their natural sources and reduced solely to their inlets connecting to Jamaica Bay. Many of these inlets today are lined with either nature preserves or boating facilities that enable the public to interact with restored landscapes and waterways.

The terminal moraine that marks the southernmost extent of the Pleistocene ice sheet runs across Brooklyn in a northeast–southwest direction that separates the gently sloping coastal plains to the south from rolling hills and valleys to its north. Along this ridge are large cemeteries and parks that take advantage of the scenery. When the city of Brooklyn needed places to store its water supply, reservoirs were constructed atop this ridge to enable the water to flow into low-rise homes below using gravity. Along the length of the Harbor Hill Moraine, loose chunks of the retreating ice sheet melted to form kettle ponds.

In Brooklyn, most of the terminal moraine has been covered with dense residential development that appears on the map as Cypress Hills, Crown Heights, Prospect Heights, and Bay Ridge. The major exceptions are the cemetery belt on the Queens border that includes Highland Park and, toward the center of Brooklyn, Prospect Park, Green-Wood Cemetery, and Sunset Park. As neighborhoods developed, kettle ponds were filled, leaving Brooklyn’s only remaining examples within Green-Wood Cemetery.

While urbanization encroached, a sizable parcel between Crown Heights and Park Slope was preserved as Prospect Park. Inside the park is an artificial stream that flows through the hilly terrain, carrying three names before emptying into a 40-acre lake. The stream is reminiscent of Central Park’s streams except that it has no natural history prior to the park’s creation.

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