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Protectors of Pine Oak Woods · Latest on Crooks
Point |
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REASONS TO CANCEL THE DEVELOPMENT PROJECT PLANNED FOR CROOKE’S POINTCrooke’s
Point natural area, a mix of Native and non-Native vegetation, is a crucial
resting and feeding site for many
millions of birds and Monarch Butterflies migrating thousands of miles along
the Atlantic Migratory Flyway. Birds and Monarch Butterflies
must not lose resting and feeding sites along the Atlantic Migratory Flyway,
especially in metropolitan areas such as New York City and Staten Island. Crooke’s
Point is designated a ‘natural area,’ with trails and signage, to be used for
environmental education, bird watching, walking, fishing, crabbing and
observing nature, as outlined in the 1990 Amendment to the 1979 Great Kills
General Management Plan. The
National Park Service has designated Crooke’s Point as an area of low impact
public use by instituting fee-permit parking.
Herbicide use, bulldozing or any form of removal of vegetation and
planting trees is not a form of low impact use. The
pilot site identified at Crooke’s Point is sand, not soil. The creation of the connecting spit of land
between a barrier island and the mainland was achieved by hydro-filling sand
to deepen Great Kills Harbor. This
section of Crooke’s Point is sand. The
project site contains very porous sand which can filter toxic herbicides into
adjoining fishing, shell fishing, crabbing and oystering
grounds. Extremely
porous sand will drain water out of the top layers of sand. De-watering will cause newly planted trees
to die. Even under normal rainfall conditions trees will not survive. Especially
dry sand conditions limit typical vegetation to sumac, honeysuckle,
bittersweet, bayberry and vines. Trees
which can survive these dry ‘soil’ conditions, such as Pitch Pine and Black
Jack Oak which grow at ClayPit Ponds State Park
Preserve and Gateway-Sandy Hook NRA are most likely to survive. Seeds of these dry-soil tolerant trees
could be planted at Crooke’s Point, instead of the unnamed species which have
probably been selected without respect to special ‘soil’ conditions. Studies
indicate 64% of the species of plants at Crooke’s Point are Native
plants. Herbicides are designed to
kill all vegetation. Native and non-Native plants and shrubs, invasive and
non-invasive species may be killed, temporarily or permanently, by
herbicides. Drift
when spraying herbicides may kill Seaside Goldenrod which has been planted
near the 25 acre project site as sustenance for Monarch Butterflies. Drift may also kill sumac, bayberry and other plants which
provide food for birds and wildlife. Herbicides
proposed for use, Garlon 4 and Accord XL, will be needed in large quantities if bittersweet is
to be killed. These herbicides and Round Up are not bio-degradable. Instead, they will filter into the sand and into adjacent
fishing and shell fishing areas. Bulldozing
or disturbing sand by any mechanical means will increase opportunities for
erosion and breaching of the narrow spit of sand which connects The Point
with the mainland. Completion
of this pilot or full project means that another area, besides the ball
fields and the Model Airplane Field will be lost to public use and to the
natural landscape. Harmful
vines can be removed by Eagle Scouts. In short, the project would destroy a
resting and refueling site within the Metropolitan Area which is important to
wildlife. The large volume of
herbicides needed to kill dense vegetation is likely to filter into adjacent
fishing and fish breeding grounds.
Newly planted trees are not likely to survive because of dry-soil
conditions and the absence of any budget for watering or maintenance.
Ellen O’Flaherty Pratt
for
Protectors of Pine Oak Woods. www.siprotectors.org 12/10/11 |
©2012 PPOW