From 10000 Birds:At one time there was an airport in northern Queens called Flushing Airport. It was shut down in 1984 due to frequent flooding, a fatal plane crash in 1977, and the growth of LaGuardia Airport. The land has since started to return to something approaching a wild state. Unfortunately, developers are hungrily eying the 70-acre parcel despite some local opposition and the fact that it is a wetland that provides excellent habitat to a variety of birds (to say nothing of mammals, insects, etc). The old runway in particular is excellent shorebird habitat, and the open wet woodlands growing up from, for lack of a better word, fields, elsewhere on the property shelter nesting Warbling Vireos, Orchard and Baltimore Orioles, Yellow Warblers, Common Yellowthroats, Tree Swallows, Song Sparrows, and other species.
12 comments:
Flushing Airport and Ridgewood Reservoir.
Both need to be State and/or City wetlands protected preserves.
Bloomie ... if you want a legacy, take care of the above as mentioned and you will be lovingly remembered.
Do anything less and history will not be kind.
Doucheberg will kill them. all he does is destroy and remake in his own image.
I wish they would put some fresh water clams, catfish and small mouth bass in the water. They would keep bug populations down. Let people go fish (catch and release only).
I left the following comment on the website:
"I love Flushing Airport. Since my family moved to Mitchell Gardens in North Queens I have had an amazing view of the Manhattan skyline in the background and, until 1984, a magnificent view of Flushing Airport. I began an appreciation of aviation at a very young age as I had a front row seat to a variety of aircraft that used the College Point aviation facility. However, everything changed for me in 1964 when 2 Goodyear blimps moored at the north end of the field.
I spent a lot of time with the Goodyear blimp personnel and was part of the ground crew when I reached the ripe old age of 16. When I was on the field and the blimps were out flying passengers, I managed to take “nature walks” and observed a plethora of wildlife that I didn’t expect to see in the middle of a city with a population of 8 million. I was fascinated by the things I saw, especially birds’ nests (sometimes with eggs) as well as geese, swans, and other unique flying friends that I could not identify. This experience at Flushing Airport provided me with a lifetime of appreciation of the beauty of nature.
If I had successfully been able to bid on the property to create a blimp port, I would have made sure that the birds and other animals would have sanctuary on the property. It is quite disconcerting to see how developers are drooling over the small area that the city has deemed as developable. It is not the 70 acres mentioned in the article but it is enough to upset the balance of nature since this piece of land sits right smack in the middle of designated wetlands.
About a year ago, I was stunned and fascinated to see a red-tailed hawk sitting on top of my living room air conditioner. I’m not sure if it was aware of my presence but it did not fly off for quite a while. All I could think of was that it probably came from Flushing Airport and wanted to say hi to a neighbor. Instead of greedy developers despoiling such a pristine patch of nature in a hustling and bustling major metropolis, wouldn’t it be great if officials at New York City government agencies recognize this valuable resource and let it become the nature preserve that it really wants to be.
Respectfully,
Alan Gross (AirshipAl)"
Thanks Alan Gross for that great comment
Alan, what's happening on the Ackerman front?
@ George Things are quiet...for now. My gut tells me that things will heat up again during the campaign season. The Daily News really ripped him a new one. Thanks for asking.
As far as the Flushing Airport property, the people of College Point have lost a lot of strong leadership that cared for and stood up for the community. I fear that the area is now vulnerable to more development. I hope that Councilman Halloran honors his word and fights overdevelopment in his council district as did Tony Avella before him. Let's not forget that Avella fought Bloomberg's choice for the Flushing Airport property...and won!
As far as the Flushing Airport property, the people of College Point have lost a lot of strong leadership that cared for and stood up for the community.
Where are the Cardalis when you need them? They should be an inspiration to everyone else in College Point. Fred Mazzarello, we miss you!
When I was on the field and the blimps were out flying passengers, I managed to take “nature walks” and observed a plethora of wildlife that I didn’t expect to see in the middle of a city with a population of 8 million. I was fascinated by the things I saw, especially birds’ nests (sometimes with eggs) as well as geese, swans, and other unique flying friends that I could not identify.
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Wish I could have been there too. Thanks for sharing.
Bloombird doesn't get it cause he's a bird brain.
If I had successfully been able to bid on the property to create a blimp port, I would have made sure that the birds and other animals would have sanctuary on the property.
We want BOTH!
I too spent time at flushing Airport and watched the blimps that were there for the '64 - '65 Worlds Fair. My dad was a bird watcher and we used to go there and watch the blimps and birds, as there was quite a bit of wildlife there even back then.
Also quite a bit of dumping on the vacant land near the airport.
It would be nice if this land was turned into a sanctuary. Enough of it has been built up, the rest should stay wetlands.
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