Elise Boeger
Jeffrey Kimball
Susan Scioli
Brandon Soucy
Sandra Paci (Chair)

BACKGROUND:

The former Ridgewood Reservoir is a 50-acre park adjacent to Highland Park along the Brooklyn/Queens border.  Built in 1856 on a natural basin, the reservoir was used until 1959 and served as a backup water supply for Brooklyn and Queens until 1989.  In 2004, the NYC Department of Environmental Protection turned ownership of the site over to the Department of Parks and Recreation.  Under the Open Spaces initiative of PlaNYC2030 the City has expressed the intention to transform Highland Park/Ridgewood Reservoir into a "destination park" by transforming all or part of the largest of Ridgewood's three basins (a 23 acre area) into an active recreation center while setting aside the other two basins as a nature preserve.

FACTS:

Overview: 
The City's Open Spaces proposal describes Ridgewood Reservoir as "overgrown," but it is in fact a unique, natural sanctuary like nothing else that can be found within the boundaries of New York City.  Situated along the terminal moraine, Ridgewood Reservoir is an urban oasis of early succession forests, vernal ponds, birch bogs, and other diverse habitats providing homes for all manner of native flora and fauna.  The proposed conversion of all or part of one of the three basins in Ridgewood Reservoir into active recreation (ie. ball-fields) would effectively destroy up to 23 acres of forested habitat. 

Birds: 
Ridgewood Reservoir's location along the Atlantic flyway makes it particularly hospitable to birds.  A breeding bird survey, led by Steve Nanz and Heidi Steiner-Nanz of the Brooklyn Bird Club, was conducted at Ridgewood Reservoir in Spring and Summer of 2007.  To date during 2007, over 135 species of birds have been documented.  Approximately 30% of these birds are neotropical migrants.  Twenty bird species were confirmed as breeding at the Reservoir, with an additional nineteen species listed as possible or probable breeders.  The New York State threatened species Pied-Billed Grebe is a year-round resident.  Short Eared Owl, a New York State endangered species, has also been observed.  Eight bird species categorized on the Audubon 2007 Watchlist as being either declining or rare and of national conservation concern have been documented at Ridgewood Reservoir.  These include Willow Flycatcher and Wood Thrush, which are also probable breeders at the Reservoir.  In addition, three of the birds listed by Audubon as the Top 20 Common Birds in Decline are present at Ridgewood: Northern Pintail (#3 common species in decline), Field Sparrow (#9), and Common Grackle (#14).  Common Grackle is a confirmed breeder at the Reservoir.

Plants:
Informal research on the various plant species to be found at Ridgewood Reservoir has been conducted by Uli Lorimer, Curator of Native Flora at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden.  His report starts with the opinion that "As seen through the eyes of a horticulturist and naturalist, the Ridgewood Reservoir represents a unique opportunity to study the process of forest succession in an urban environment."  He does note that invasive species have gained a foothold in some areas, and efforts should certainly be made to eliminate these and replace them with native species.  The list of plants at the Reservoir includes a number of native wildflowers and grasses, including Slender Blue Iris, a New York State threatened species, and endangered plant species Late-Flowering Boneset, Fringed Boneset, and Globe-Fruited Seedbox.  (To see Uli Lorimer's report, follow the link to the iLAND website on our Internet Links page.)

Trees: 
It seems paradoxical for the City to have the stated goal in PlaNYC2030 of planting one million trees while simultaneously proposing to raze up to 23 already existing acres of early succession forest containing tree species such as Red Maple, Grey Birch, Pin Oak, Sweetgum, Willow, Poplar and others.  An additional argument for the preservation of Ridgewood Reservoir's natural habitats can be found in the research that has been done, by Stuart Gaffin of the Earth Institute at Columbia University and others, on urban heat islands and the ability of trees to lower temperatures and purify air. 

Watershed:
There also is the question of whether the City's plan of filling in all or part of one of Ridgewood's basins even would be viable.  These natural basins are part of the Newtown Creek Sewershed, which feeds into the Jamaica Bay Watershed complex.  A similar conversion was attempted a number of years ago at Strack Pond in Forest Park, Queens.  The ball-fields thus created were consistently prone to flooding, and then Parks Commissioner Henry Stern eventually ordered that the Pond be returned to its natural state.

CONCLUSION:

Ornithologists, botanists, amateur naturalists, neighborhood residents, and local politicians have all expressed serious concern about, or opposition to, the City's intentions, both in the community listening sessions held earlier this year and with the formation of the Ridgewood Reservoir Education and Preservation Project.  The Conservation Committee does not believe that up to 23 acres of unique natural habitat in one of Ridgewood Reservoir's basins should be sacrificed to create ball-fields and sporting facilities.  As neighborhood residents and local politicians have made clear in community listening sessions, meetings, newspaper articles, and elsewhere, sufficient ball-fields and other recreational facilities of this type already exist in the adjacent Highland Park.  These facilities are currently underutilized and poorly maintained and the City would best concentrate its efforts on renovation and upgrades to the existing facilities.  If additional facilities are truly needed, the City should explore alternatives that do not involve the destruction of a site with the potential to be one New York City's premier natural destinations.  Particularly when so many elements of the City's PlaNYC2030 are pro-environment, it would be a great loss for all concerned if what could potentially be one of the jewels of such a plan were destroyed by ill-considered and irrevocable measures.  It is the hope of the Conservation Committee that the City's efforts be redirected on preserving what already exists at Ridgewood Reservoir, with any improvements geared towards realizing the site's exemplary potential as a world-class nature preserve.

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This is an ongoing and quickly evolving situation.  Up-to-date information can be found on the website of the Ridgewood Reservoir Education and Preservation Project (see our Internet Links page).