Oakland Trailer Park

 

 

 

 

There is now a RV Camp in Bayside right next to Oakland Lake on the Cloverdale Blvd bike path !

Thanks JQ for all the work you do running Queens Crap.

 

Oakland Lake is now closed

From the Times Ledger:

Oakland Lake is closed to visitors until next fall.

Recreational enjoyment is off-limits at the 15,000-year-old spring-fed, glacial kettle lake as it undergoes a major transformation to upgrade the sometimes flooded path and improve the water quality.

According to a spokeswoman from the New York City Parks, the project includes the installation of stone swales and drywells “to collect water seeping from surrounding slopes and divert water from the pathway.”

Parks said while construction is underway, “it is necessary to keep the park closed in the interest of public safety.”

Oakland Lake, originally known as Mill Pond, has been closed off since the end of last month. The lake was renamed for the 19th century estate on the site called The Oaks, because of the abundance of oak trees in the area.

Once the project is concluded, “the original stream bed will be re-established and slopes will be stabilized with boulders,” the spokeswoman said.

In addition, the reconstruction will also clean out the existing drainage system and, in some areas, the contractor will install new native wetland plantings.

The work is part of the city Parks and Department of Environmental Protection capital improvement project to restore the 46-acre Oakland Lake Park.

As part of the DEP’s Bluebelt Program, workers will also install storm sewers in the streets near the park in order to prevent erosion.

Deceased red fox found near Oakland Lake

"Crappy sorry for the low resolution picture from my flip phone but thought I'd share this with you.

While riding my bike early Friday morning near Oakland Lake in Bayside I found a dead Red Fox.

Some good info on the Red Fox can be read on the NYSDEC web site.

I never saw a Red Fox in Queens before." - Mike

I believe Oakland Lake is considered an extension of Alley Pond Park, so hopefully this is not the same animal photographed by Queens Coyote a little while ago.

Oakland Lake closed for at least a year

From the Queens Courier:

The Parks Department closed Oakland Lake Park in Bayside last week to begin a huge one-year construction project. The project will include the installation of stone swales (similar to bioswales), cleaning the drainage system and planting new native wetland plants, according to the Parks Department.

The $2.5 million project’s aim is to improve water quality by reducing the amount of sewage water seeping into the lake during rainstorms, but some park-goers believe that closing the whole section of the park is a drastic move and it will leave many in the community at a loss for recreational activities.

Meat display in Oakland Gardens

Hi Crapper,
Thought you might find this unusual for a urban neighborhood like Bayside. Check out my attached pictures of food (Dead Meat) hanging out the back windows of a house next to Queensborough Community College. This has been going on for the whole winter with different meat each week. I hope no pets are missing or hunting of wild life at Oakland Lake.

221-84 Garland Drive, Oakland Gardens 11364

Lots of ponds

Click photo for story - it's a 2 pager!

Why you shouldn't litter

From Bayside Patch:

These photos were submitted by Cathy St. Pierre, who recently tried to help the unfortunate photographed mallard remove a plastic can holder from its head. The bird was "too shy," to let St. Pierre approach it, she said.

It resides in Oakland Lake.

Oakland Lake undergoing fix

From the Daily News:

OAKLAND LAKE Park is finally getting the face-lift it deserves.

The city Department of Environmental Protection is close to completing the first phase of a $3million, five-part project to clean up the park, reduce erosion and improve the lake's water quality.

Several years ago, the city installed storm sewers, which stopped the flooding and erosion.

"All this storm water used to run into the ravine," said Dana Gumb, director of the Staten Island Bluebelt for the DEP, who is overseeing the Oakland Lake project. "It was gouging out steep slopes. There was lots of erosion, and sediment was flowing into the lake."

That sediment contained phosphorus, which was essentially fertilizing the lake. As a result, a number of algae blooms grew there.

In addition, the land was being choked by phragmites and other invasive plant species.

"The natural systems got disrupted over the years," said city Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe. "They are building a new walking path and overlook that will allow people to walk through the ravine. They are getting rid of the invasive species. These are really good first steps."

Crews have so far removed 43 invasive or dead trees from the site, along with 20 cubic yards of car parts and 100 cubic yards of concrete.

A new entrance is planned for the 56th Ave. side of the park, and some sections will get new fencing.

Work on all five sections of the park should be completed by next spring, DEP officials said.

Goose gassing angers Baysiders

From the Times Ledger:

Northeast Queens activists said they were upset to find out Canada geese had recently been removed by a federal agency from Oakland Lake in Bayside and gassed following the crash landing of a U.S. Airways flight on the Hudson River earlier this year.

City Councilman Tony Avella (D-Bayside) said he wrote a letter this month to Mayor Michael Bloomberg and the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey to inquire why the birds had been removed from the lake, arguing the method was ineffective.

Susan Seinfeld, district manager for Community Board 11, said the board had not been notified about the geese being taken away.

Bayside environmental activists said they believed the birds could have been extracted without being gassed.

“It seems to me there could have been other options,” said Aline Euler, of the Alley Pond Environmental Center.

Daniel Egers, president of Friends of Oakland Lake, said he was upset the community was not notified before the USDA removed the birds.

“Oakland Lake is a natural treasure and it should be preserved in its natural state,” he said. “Gassing the wildlife there goes against that.”

Oakland Lake geese slaughtered

BEFORE:

"I sent this letter to Mayor Bloomberg:

6/27/09

Dear Mayor Bloomberg,

You laud yourself on education issues,when the number one lesson we can teach our children is the conservation of our wildlife, not their destruction,as you have done to the geese population here in NYC. You broke our hearts here in Bayside, Queens and betrayed our trust. Our beloved Oakland Lake now lies silent, since our magnificent geese which our families enjoyed and loved, were swept up and gassed in a cruel and horrific manner with OUR tax dollars, when other humane options were available. All your money will not buy a single vote in this area. What you have done to Oakland Lake and to our community is unforgivable and will not be forgotten come November 2009.

Concerned citizen."

AFTER:

Oakland Lake may get a boardwalk

From the Times Ledger:

A Bayside nonprofit group has launched a new Web site and is in discussions with the city for a project that would place a boardwalk around the perimeter of the pathway at Bayside’s Oakland Lake.

Friends of Oakland Lake kicked off its new Web site earlier this month to attract more interest in the group, which has grown from 15 members at the time of its inception in 2005 to more than 80 currently active participants and a mailing list of 600 people from northeast Queens.

The group’s new Web site is www.friendsofoaklandlake.org.