Hi-- As many of you already know, the restored grasslands in Croton Point Park, Westchester County, are a true refuge for threatened grassland bird species in a built-up region. Bobolinks, Grasshopper Sparrows, and (a couple of summers ago) even Dickcissels nest there, while nonbreeding visitors and winter residents have included Snow Bunting, Horned Lark, Lapland Longspur, LeConte's Sparrow, various raptors, and many other species. (The rarity list is pretty astonishing.)
The restoration came about because of a huge effort by the county and state, along with local environmental groups and volunteers. But now, just a couple of years later, maintenance of the grasslands has basically been abandoned. Unsurprisingly, invasives are already flooding back in, and the obvious deterioration may be irreversible in just a couple of years. After unsuccessful attempts by many of us to engage with local officials, I contacted a local newspaper, which just published this long investigative piece: https://www.theexaminernews.com/urgent-need-to-address-maintenance-lapses-at-croton-point/ <https://www.theexaminernews.com/urgent-need-to-address-maintenance-lapses-at-croton-point/>. Especially if you know and love the park, I hope you'll take a look...and maybe add your voice to the chorus demanding that the state and county continue to support this vital habitat. Thank you for reading this far! --Joe Wallace > -- NYSbirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME.htm http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES.htm http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L 3) http://birding.aba.org/maillist/NY01 Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
