Riverkeeper Sweep Kickoff to Restore Rare Haven for Wildlife in Manhattan
March 28, 2014
Riverkeeper Team
A mockingbird overlooks the restored Little Hell Gate saltwater marsh on the Harlem River. (Dan Shapley/Riverkeeper)
Riverkeeper will continue to assist in the exciting restoration of Randall's Island Park as a rare haven for wildlife at the kickoff event for the 2014 Riverkeeper Sweep, our third annual day of service for the Hudson River estuary.
The kickoff event on Friday, May 9, precedes the day of service on Saturday, May 10, when hundreds of volunteers will assist in waterfront service projects in more than 70 communities from New York City to Albany. In 2013, more than 1,400 volunteers removed 38 tons of trash and planted more than 300 trees. (To find a project near you, visit riverkeeper.org/sweep.)
The Riverkeeper Sweep is the signature New York event in the Waterkeeper Alliance SPLASH Series, presented nationally by Toyota. Sponsors, many of whose employees will join Riverkeeper for the kickoff event on Randall's Island, also include the Insurance Industry Charitable Foundation, JSA Financial, Paragon Sports, Sprout Watches, LL Bean Outdoor Adventure School, Pleasant Valley Stone, the Green Schools Alliance, Mother Earth's Storehouse, 1800-GOT-JUNK New City and these individuals: Joe and Daryl Boren; Sean Eldridge and Chris Hughes; and John and Gillett Gilbert.
On Randall's Island, dozens of volunteers from these sponsors and other supporters, will tackle projects in three areas on the East and Harlem Rivers, which are both part of the Hudson River estuary. Here, in the shadow of the towering support structures for the Robert F. Kennedy (Triboro) Bridge, fish, water birds and even riverine mammals are thriving in newly restored habitat.
Little Hell Gate Saltwater Marsh
Christopher Girgenti, Natural Areas Manager at the Randall's Island Park Alliance, points to the restored saltwater marsh of Little Hells Gate on the Harlem River. (Dan Shapley/Riverkeeper)
A 5-acre saltwater marsh on the Harlem River was once the mouth to the Little Hell Gate, which once separated Randall's Island from Wards Island and connected the East and Harlem rivers with a tidal strait. The restored marsh, the largest of its kind on Randall's Island, is a rare and valuable habitat, since nearly all natural shorelines that once surrounded Manhattan have been filled, hardened and built upon.
Since 50-year-old fill was excavated starting eight years ago to give this patch of mud and shallows back to the Harlem River, wildlife has returned. Blue crabs, Atlantic silversides and mummichog are among the marine species to have returned, followed by snowy egrets, black-crowned night herons and other harbor herons. Muskrat live in some of the storm drains, and oysters are clearly visible on the rocks at low tide.
"We just started seeing them this winter," Eric Peterson, deputy City Parks administrator for Randall's Island Park said of the oysters.
Volunteers will clean trash, mulch recently planted native grasses and repair fencing designed to exclude Canada geese so more sensitive wading birds have sanctuary.
"There is a lot of work to do," said Christopher Girgenti, Natural Areas Manager at the Randall's Island Park Alliance.
Little Hell Gate Freshwater Wetlands
Volunteers will remove phragmites reeds, which will be used in the Randall's Island Living Shoreline project. (Dan Shapley/Riverkeeper)
A restored freshwater wetland, also once part of the Little Hell Gate, now serves as "green infrastructure" to help filter stormwater runoff from the extensive athletic fields of Randall's Island, where 40% of Manhattan's playing fields are located.
Volunteers will remove invasive vines and garbage, improve a pedestrian path, and remove invasive phragmites reeds. The stalks of the reeds will be dried and ultimately used to create a natural berm that will simultaneously create habitat and protect the park from storm surges as part of the Randall's Island Living Shoreline Project on the Harlem River. The goal of the project is to create a tidally influenced natural soft shoreline while retaining access for people, who use that part of the park for picnicking and other passive recreation.
"It's one of the few places in Manhattan where you can give up a seawall without giving up infrastructure," Peterson said of the project.
The Bronx Kill
Eric Peterson, deputy City Parks administrator for Randall's Island Park, stands at the Bronx Kill, looking toward the East River. (Dan Shapley/Riverkeeper)
The Bronx Kill, a narrow strait which still connects the East and Harlem Rivers, but which is much smaller since extensive filling took place during the construction of the Triboro Bridge. The remaining habitat remains valuable to wildlife, especially birds that nest on nearby North and South Brother islands.
Volunteers will remove invasive plants and litter.
It is the site of a new bridge that will be the only at-grade crossing from the Bronx to Randall's Island, providing new access to this extraordinary park for the handicapped. There are also plans to create kayak access points nearby, opening the waters to the growing legions of water enthusiasts in and around the city.
"This," Girgenti said, "is one of my favorite spots. It makes you feel like you're really on an island."
Related campaigns
Riverkeeper Sweep campaign
Cleaning up shorelines along the Hudson River and its tributaries
Protecting and restoring habitats
The Hudson River watershed is home to a breathtaking diversity of life. Protecting and restoring our aquatic habitats is critical for their renewal and for a healthy future for all life in the watershed