Heroes of Jamaica Bay Honored —
Senator Charles Schumer Announces
Backing of West Pond Restoration

Sadhana Was One of Three Heroes of Jamaica Bay Honored on February 19
© NYC Audubon

On February 19, New York City Audubon and Jamaica Bay Lives held a joint reception to honor three Heroes of Jamaica Bay: Aviator Sports & Events, which is located at Floyd Bennett Field and plays a key role in introducing New Yorkers to Jamaica Bay; Sadhana, a Queens-based community coalition and Tidal Connections partner; and Ronald Bourque, past president of NYC Audubon and longtime advocate for wildlife and conservation in Jamaica Bay, particularly at Floyd Bennett Field.

Senator Charles Schumer, another Hero of Jamaica Bay, gave the keynote address in which he reminisced about his boyhood in the area, his early days representing the neighborhoods surrounding the Bay in the New York State Assembly and U.S. House of Representatives, and his continued use of this beautiful and critically important natural area for recreation. While he has already garnered relief for residents and businesses affected by Superstorm Sandy as well as Gateway National Recreation Area, the audience erupted in cheers when he acknowledged his support for restoring the West Pond to the fresh water habitat that it had been before the storm.

The restoration of West Pond has been a major goal of NYC Audubon, the National Park Service, and many of its conservation partners including the Birders’ Coalition for Gateway, American Littoral Society, and Jamaica Bay Ecowatchers.

The event raised money for NYC Audubon’s ongoing work to protect and restore Jamaica Bay and for Jamaica Bay Lives, the first-ever feature-length documentary film about Jamaica Bay by filmmaker Dan Hendrick. Attendees included Joshua R. Laird, Commissioner of the National Parks of New York Harbor; Gateway Superintendent Jennifer Nersesian, a presenter; and Assemblyman Philip Goldfeder.

Thank you Helena Durst and The Durst Organization for hosting this wonderful event, and thank you to our sponsors for their support: Aviator Sports & Events, NRG Energy, ConEdison, The Williams Companies, McKenna Long & Aldridge, Meritract, the Real Estate Board of New York, Ronald Bourque, Barbara J. Fife, Marcia and Bruce Fowle, and Virginia K. Stowe.

Get Outdoors with NYC's Winter Wildlife in 2015!

Harbor Seals
Mike Baird**

Happy New Year from NYC Audubon! Our beautiful warblers, tanagers, and orioles are far south of us now, and we must wait a few months yet for them to return. But there is still much great birding and wildlife-watching to be had in New York City. Snow buntings, eiders, harlequin ducks, snowy owls--and one non-avian visitor, the harbor seal--have themselves journeyed south, to spend the winter here! And there are plenty of opportunities to go see them:

Our Winter Seals and Waterbirds of New York Harbor tours run every Sunday through March 8, from 12-2pm. See playful harbor seals, loons, sea ducks, and purple sandpipers while you enjoy complimentary hot cocoa and tea. 

It might be cold and wintry right now, but it's never too early to be thinking about spring migration. NYC Audubon Members can sign up for our upcoming spring trips and classes right now! See our full winter and spring trip listings here. We hope you'll join us.

Top Banner Photo Credits: group of birders © Kati Solomon; all others © Francois Portmann.

Bottom Photo Credits: Yellow-Crowned Night-Heron Chicks © Kenneth Cole Schneider**; Great-horned Owl © François Portmann

** This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License.