Peaceful, green; filled with birds; undiscovered by the general public: there aren't many places like Four Sparrow Marsh left in New York City.

Part of NYC's Forever Wild program, these 46 acres of tidal wetlands on the north side of Jamaica Bay are managed by the NYC Parks Dept. but not mapped as parkland. Nearly 20 species of birds breed here, among them the saltmarsh sparrow (right) -- a species threatened with extinction due to its disappearing habitat -- and the seaside, song and swamp sparrows. Hundreds more species of birds rest here during migration season.

Not only a rich wildlife habitat, Four Sparrow Marsh acts as an important pollution filtration system, keeping Jamaica Bay's water quality healthy and reducing erosion. Unfortunately, it's one of the last remaining salt marshes in the city. In the last 200 years, 80% of New York City's salt marshes have disappeared, lost to construction and pollution.

Precious and hidden, Four Sparrow Marsh is the larger of the two remaining salt marshes on Jamaica Bay's north side. It is also adjacent to newly proposed development that has some environmentalists up in arms.
Known as the Four Sparrow Retail Complex, the development project includes a car dealership, two or three large retail stores and at least 750 new parking spaces. Find out more at the NYC Economic Development Corp. (EDC) web site here. As part of the project, Four Sparrows Marsh would be mapped as a city park. Construction would begin in 2014.

The EDC's Environmental Assessment Statement makes it clear that an objective of the development project is to not harm the environment. The design guidelines ensure a landscaped buffer between development and parkland.

Environmentalists fear, however, that the development will disrupt the marsh's hydrology and water quality. A scoping session for the the Four Sparrows Retail Complex, at which the public may comment, will be held February 3, 2011 at the Kings Plaza Community Room at 7pm.

While NYC Audubon described the marsh as "threatened" by the proposed development, the organization also comments, "An appropriately designed retail project, with adequate buffers to protect this critical habitat and a design sensitive to the waterfront and to birds could be an asset to the city."

Meanwhile birds, birders and other intrepid urban wanderers find their way to the marsh. "Four Sparrow Marsh is not a location to explore if you don't like getting wet and dirty," wrote The City Birder on his blog. "From Flatbush Avenue, it would take a bit of determination to even find the place. If one is persistent and finds the water, there are no trails, or even a hint of any. If one then figures out how to access the marsh and foolishly decides to push ahead, the tide would need to be dead low to get anywhere. There is decades of flotsam ranging from planks and docks to boat hulls peppering the mud and marsh grass. It's a perfect location for a wary bird to rest unnoticed." (back to top)