Salutations All: In response to the numerous inquiries I have received, I am writing to provide you all with an update on the current conditions at the *East Pond* of *Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge* in Queens, NY, as well as ongoing efforts to address the challenges we’ve encountered this season.
As many of you know, the annual drawdown of the East Pond is essential to coincide with the arrival of southbound migrating shorebirds. Unfortunately, this year we have encountered significant issues due to problems with the pond’s drainage mechanism. While the *National Park Service* is fully aware of the situation and has been working to rectify it, their efforts have been constrained by limited budgets and staff resources. The good news is that the pond is indeed draining; however, the rate at which this is happening falls short of what is required for optimal habitat conditions, which we achieved in 2024. Over the past weeks, I have been in regular communication with management, who remain committed to resolving the problem and restoring the pond to the standards we witnessed in 2024. I have strongly *emphasized* that it is *unacceptable* for a newly engineered drainage apparatus to fail in only its second year of operation, and management is actively pressing the vendor to address and remedy the situation. While it is possible that the pond will not return to its 2024 condition in the immediate term, I want to reassure all of you that every effort is being made to resolve these issues. Due to the elevated water levels, trail maintenance has also been delayed, as I have had to wait for specific areas to dry before beginning work. It also did not help that the AQI (Air Quality Index) has not been good for outdoor work in recent times, particularly in sweltering heat. However, I am pleased to share that I have nearly completed clearing the Southend trails and will continue working to improve access as conditions allow. Thank you for your patience, understanding, and continued commitment to our birding community. I will keep you updated as the situation evolves and welcome any offline questions or concerns you may have. With best regards, Andrew -- *"A candle loses nothing by lighting another candle. Be that candle." ~ AB* *"Emancipate yourself from mental slavery; none but ourselves could free our mind." ~ Bob Marley* *"Tenderness and kindness are not signs of weakness and despair, but manifestations of strength and resolution." ~ Khalil Gibran* *"I prefer to be true to myself, even at the hazard of incurring the ridicule of others, rather than to be false, and to incur my own abhorrence." ~ Frederick Douglass* *風 Swift as the wind* *林 Quiet as the forest 火 Conquer like the fire山 Steady as the mountain* *Sun Tzu <http://refspace.com/quotes/Sun_Tzu> The Art of War <http://refspace.com/quotes/The_Art_of_War>* *(\__/)(= '.'=) * *(") _ (") * *Andrew Baksh* *www.birdingdude.blogspot.com* <http://www.birdingdude.blogspot.com> -- (copy & paste any URL below, then modify any text "_DOT_" to a period ".") NYSbirds-L List Info: NortheastBirding_DOT_com/NYSbirdsWELCOME_DOT_htm NortheastBirding_DOT_com/NYSbirdsRULES_DOT_htm NortheastBirding_DOT_com/NYSbirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave_DOT_htm ARCHIVES: 1) mail-archive_DOT_com/nysbirds-l@cornell_DOT_edu/maillist_DOT_html 2) surfbirds_DOT_com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L 3) birding_DOT_aba_DOT_org/maillist/NY01 Please submit your observations to eBird: ebird_DOT_org/content/ebird/ --
