The National Park Service (NPS) has prepared an Environmental Assessment (EA) to evaluate a range of alternatives to address changes to access and visitor safety brought about by Hurricane Sandy at Fort Tilden Beach, Queens, New York. It examines potential impacts of three action alternatives and a no-action alternative. The NPS preferred alternative includes a pathway of sustainable clay base with shell aggregate in the location of the destroyed portion of Shore Road, partially removes the bulkhead and completely removes the wooden groins.
Action is needed at this time because Hurricane Sandy caused physical changes to the Fort Tilden coastal area, displacing the established foredune system and creating a new environment with safety, access and resource questions that need to be addressed. These changes affected historic resources on and adjacent to the beach, including Shore Road, the bulkhead and groin system, Battery Kessler, Buildings 15-18, and the Telephone Pit Building, and created new beach habitat suitable for threatened and endangered shorebirds and plants. The project would improve access, safety, and resiliency along the beach at Fort Tilden, while considering the potential impacts from future storm events on natural and cultural resources and infrastructure.
A public meeting to review the EA will be held on March 8, 2016 from 6:00-8:00 PM at the following location:
Ryan Visitor Center Conference Room
Floyd Bennett Field
50 Aviation Road
Brooklyn, NY 11234
The EA is available at park headquarters at the address below, or online at https://parkplanning.nps.gov/gate.
Written comments may be made on the proposal through March 25, 2016 by submitting them online at https://parkplanning.nps.gov/gate or mailing them to the following address:
Office of the Superintendent
Gateway National Recreation Area
ATTN: Fort Tilden Shore Access and Resiliency Project EA Comments
210 New York Avenue
Staten Island, New York 10305
Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service
