Jamaica Bay Threatened by Shipwrecks
Jun 30th, 2008 by Jervey
[Photo from greenbuildingsNYC]
greenbuildingsNYC has a rather startling post on NYC’s only national park, and how it’s fragile ecosystem is under seige from, of all things, shipwrecks. Stephen del Percio explains:
Jamaica Bay has become the dumping ground for derelict yachts, boats, and even barges according to a recent report on MSNBC.com. Despite its protection as part of the Gateway National Recreation Area- the only National Park in New York City- the Bay has accrued 88 shipwrecks.
Jamaica Bay is a 25,000 acre bay which is surrounded by Rockaway Peninsula on one side and John F. Kennedy Airport on the other. A third of the Bay is a national wildlife refuge which plays host to over 350 species….
These wrecks pose an environmental hazard by leaking oil and gas into the sensitive ecosystems surrounding Jamaica Bay.
[Read the rest here.]