The Narrows

SIGNIFICANT HABITATS AND HABITAT COMPLEXES
OF THE NEW YORK BIGHT WATERSHED

I. SITE NAME: The Narrows

II. SITE LOCATION: The Narrows constitutes the westernmost section of Long Island Sound between Hell Gate, at the convergence of the Harlem and East Rivers, and the Hempstead Sill, a major shoal area extending north and south across the Sound from Matinecock Point on Long Island, near Glen Cove, Nassau County, to the New York-Connecticut boundary. This complex also includes a small area of southwestern coastal Connecticut in the vicinity of Greenwich.

TOWNS: Greenwich, CT; New Rochelle, Mamaroneck, North Hempstead, Queens, NY

COUNTIES: Fairfield, CT; Nassau, Queens, Westchester, NY

STATES: Connecticut; New York

USGS 7.5 MIN QUADS: Sea Cliff, NY (40073-76), Flushing, NY (40073-77), Bayville, NY-CT (40073-85), Mamaroneck, NY (40073-86), Mount Vernon, NY (40073-87), Stamford, CT-NY (41073-15)

USGS 30x60 MIN QUADS: Long Island, West (40073-E1), Bridgeport (41073-A1)

III. BOUNDARY DESCRIPTION AND JUSTIFICATION: The primary boundary of this complex corresponds approximately with that of the Narrows proper, and includes most of the nearshore waters and islands of western Long Island Sound and portions of the East River within this area. Specifically included and delineated on the accompanying map are the three major bays on the north shore of western Long Island, in Nassau and Queens Counties: Little Neck Bay, Manhasset Bay, and Hempstead Harbor, which are recognized here as an interrelated complex of regionally significant fish and wildlife aquatic habitats. Although the overall boundary of this complex is considerably more extensive than the individual significant habitat areas identified in the East River section and the Westchester/Bronx and Connecticut shorelines of the Narrows, these habitats were felt to be linked, or potentially so, and thus were included together.

Two major subcomplexes may be recognized in this complex, joined together by the waters of the Sound and ecologically linked with one another: the northern bays, comprising Little Neck and Manhasset Bays and Hempstead Harbor and the immediate nearshore waters of Long Island Sound; and the mainland coastline, with its several small offshore islands, mainland wetlands and nearshore waters, bays, and coves. The core area of the latter subcomplex essentially extends from Eastchester Bay and the Throgs Neck Bridge in New York eastward to Greenwich Cove in Greenwich, Connecticut. Included within this complex are the following significant fish and wildlife habitat sites: Greenwich Cove, Cos Cob Harbor, Great Captain Island, Playland Lake and Manursing Island flats, Marshlands Conservancy at Maries Neck/Milton Harbor, Premium River - Pine Brook wetlands, Huckleberry Island, Davids Island, and Pelham Bay Park. Also included in this subcomplex are North and South Brother Islands, just west of Rikers Island near the western boundary of the Narrows, approximately 10 kilometers (6 miles) west of the core area. Although these areas may appear disjunct and remote from each other, it is not unreasonable to hypothesize a linkage between the wading colonial bird rookeries on North and South Brother Islands and island heronries of the Narrows and western Long Island Sound in Connecticut as being part of a larger metapopulation.

IV. OWNERSHIP/PROTECTION/RECOGNITION: As might be expected in one of the most heavily urbanized and industrial parts of the country, most of the area within this complex, except for the waters, is privately owned. Other than the three North Shore bays, the specific sites identified in the Westchester/Bronx and Connecticut coastline subcomplex are a mixture of private and public (federal, county, and town) lands. Wetlands are regulated in New York under the state's Freshwater Wetlands Act of 1975 and Tidal Wetlands Act of 1977; these statutes are in addition to federal regulation under Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors Act of 1899, Section 404 of the Clean Water Act of 1977, and various Executive Orders. The New York City Department of Parks owns and manages Pelham Bay Park. Otter Creek has been designated by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as a priority wetland under the federal Emergency Wetlands Resources Act of 1986. The New York State Department of State has designated several Significant Coastal Fish and Wildlife Habitats with this complex, including Hempstead Harbor, Huckleberry Island, Little Neck Bay, Marshlands Conservancy, Playland Lake and Manursing Island flats, Manhasset Bay, Premium River - Pine Brook wetlands, and Prospect Point. Long Island Sound was designated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as an Estuary of National Significance, and its comprehensive conservation and management plan completed in 1995.

V. GENERAL HABITAT DESCRIPTION: The northern bays subcomplex is almost exclusively an aquatic habitat complex, with only a few small sections of land identified within the boundary. The reasons for this are the densely urbanized or disturbed shoreline area along most of the shorelines of the bays, and most importantly, the high fish and wildlife values of the bay waters themselves relative to the surrounding lands. The bays are relatively shallow (2 to 10 meters [8 to 33 feet]) glacial valleys modified by marine processes and strongly interlinked with sediment and water processes in Long Island Sound. Separated from each other by prominent necks of land (Great Neck and Manhasset Neck) protruding into Long Island Sound, each of these bays has its own watershed, from which it receives both surface runoff and groundwater discharged from the surrounding land. Because of the restricted water circulation, the sediments in these bays are mostly muds, except near the entrances where sandy deposits predominate. Mean tidal range is approximately 2.2 meters (7.2 feet) and salinity around 25 parts per thousand. Hempstead Harbor is bordered by steep bluffs and headlands, with extensive industrial and commercial development along the shore, while the other two bays are even more developed and have less steep topography along their shores. Near the mouth of Manhasset Bay there are a few wetlands and narrow sand beaches, with typical salt marsh and beach vegetation, of wildlife significance in this subcomplex.

The principal habitat types of significance in the mainland coastline subcomplex are offshore islands with colonial wading bird rookeries; rocky intertidal areas; and tidal wetland areas consisting of various combinations of associated salt and brackish marshes, mudflats, tidal creeks, and protected open-water coves. The most important bird-breeding islands in this group are Huckleberry Island, Great Captain Island, North and South Brother Islands, and Pelican Island. These small, rocky islands are mostly covered with deciduous forest composed of sassafras (Sassafras albidum), white oak (Quercus alba), Norway maple (Acer platanoides), chestnut oak (Quercus prinus), black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia), and tree-of-heaven (Ailanthus altissima). There are virtually no shrubs under the forest canopy. Poison ivy (Toxicodendron radicans) is locally abundant. Buildings, both abandoned and seasonally occupied, occur on some of the islands. The rocky intertidal shoreline of these islands, as well as areas along the mainland shoreline, are rich in marine species and largely covered with attached algae (Fucus vesiculosus, Ascophyllum nodosum, et al.) and other organisms (shellfish, seastars, barnacles). The wetlands systems in this area, particularly those of the more significant sites in this subcomplex, are diverse and relatively undeveloped, with tidal rivers and creeks, salt marshes, mudflats, freshwater marshes and shallow water areas occurring over the general area. Salt marshes are dominated by cordgrasses (Spartina alterniflora and S. patens) and other typical marsh species.

VI. ECOLOGICAL SIGNIFICANCE/UNIQUENESS OF SITE: There are 173 species of special emphasis in the Narrows, incorporating 153 species of birds, and including the following federally and state-listed species. (Living resources and their habitats are dynamic; therefore, the ecological significance and species information presented here may not be complete or up-to-date. State and federal environmental agencies [see Appendix III for office contacts] should be consulted for additional information.)

Federally listed threatened
piping plover (Charadrius melodus)

Federal species of concern⁽¹⁾northern diamondback terrapin (Maclemys t. terrapin)

¹Species of special concern listed here include former Category 2 candidates.

State-listed endangered
least tern (Sterna antillarum)
globose flatsedge (Cyperus echinatus [=globulosus])

State-listed threatened
purple milkweed (Asclepias purpurascens)

State-listed special concern animals
common loon (Gavia immer)
common barn owl (Tyto alba)

State-listed rare plants
Bush's sedge (Carex bushii)
persimmon (Diospyros virginiana)

The three north shore bays, Little Neck Bay, Manhasset Bay, and Hempstead Harbor, are collectively among the most important waterfowl wintering concentration areas in the New York - New Jersey Harbor Estuary, particularly for scaup (Aythya marila, A. affinis), canvasback (Aythya valisineria), and American black duck (Anas rubripes), along with lesser numbers of Atlantic brant (Branta bernicla), Canada goose (Branta canadensis), common goldeneye (Bucephala clangula), oldsquaw (Clangula hyemalis), bufflehead (Bucephala albeola), red-breasted merganser (Mergus serrator), and American wigeon (Anas americana). These bays are also productive nursery and feeding areas for marine shellfish and finfish, including striped bass (Morone saxatilis), scup (Stenotomus chrysops), bluefish (Pomatomus saltatrix), Atlantic silverside (Menidia menidia), menhaden (Brevoortia tyrannus), winter flounder (Pleuronectes americanus), and blackfish (Tautoga onitis), and contain important northern quahog (Mercenaria mercenaria) beds. Although few in number and small in size, sand beaches in this area provide essential nesting habitat for piping plover (Charadrius melodus), a federally listed threatened species, least tern (Sterna antillarum), and northern diamondback terrapin (Malaclemys t. terrapin). Seabeach knotweed (Polygonum glaucum) was historically reported from beaches in this area and may still be present. Marshlands associated with the bays are valuable feeding and nesting areas for green-backed heron (Butorides striatus), clapper rail (Rallus longirostris), American black duck, and are feeding areas for several species of wading birds.

The rocky offshore islands along the mainland shoreline of Bronx, Westchester, and Fairfield Counties support colonial waterbird colonies of regional significance. In recent years, Huckleberry Island has supported as many as 114 pairs of great egret (1989), 145 pairs of snowy egret (1988), 290 pairs of black-crowned night-heron (1989), 2,405 pairs of herring gulls (1988), and 546 pairs of great black-backed gulls (1988). A pair of American oystercatcher also have nested on Huckleberry Island in recent years. An increase in the population of double-crested cormorant (830 pairs in 1995) has coincided with a decrease in the populations of waders; there were 39 pairs of great egret, 64 pairs of black-crowned night-heron, and no pairs of snowy egret in 1995. The cormorants are displacing the waders, and their guano is killing the nest trees. On North and South Brother Islands, the populations of cormorants and long-legged waders have increased in recent years. North and South Brother Islands are the site of the largest black-crowned night-heron colony in New York State, with 524 nesting pairs in 1995. These colonies also support significant numbers of snowy egret and great egret, with lesser numbers of cattle egret and glossy ibis. Small numbers of black-crowned night-heron, snowy egret, and yellow-crowned night-heron (Nyctanassa violacea) have recently nested on Goose Island, a small island in the Hutchison River. Davids Island, next to Huckleberry Island, does not presently contain any nesting bird colonies, but could potentially provide habitat for expanding or displaced populations of colonial waterbirds nesting on other islands in this complex, especially given the destruction by cormorants of nest trees on Huckleberry Island.

The wetlands along the mainland in this subcomplex provide important nesting habitat for several species of special emphasis in the region, including green-backed heron, yellow-crowned night-heron, American bittern (Botaurus lentiginosus), Canada goose, American black duck, and clapper rail. One of these sites, the Marshlands Conservancy, is the only mainland breeding site for yellow-crowned night-herons in this general area and should be viewed as regionally significant. These marshes are used extensively by migrating waterfowl, shorebirds, and raptors, and several of the coves and protected embayments along the shoreline and adjacent marshes support moderately sized wintering populations of American black duck, mallard, scaup, bufflehead, and common goldeneye. Concentrations of northern quahogs (hard clams) and soft-shelled clams (Mya arenaria) are locally important. Several regionally rare plants occur at Pelham Bay Park, including purple milkweed, persimmon, Bush's sedge, globose flatsedge, slender blue flag (Iris prismatica), short-fruited rush (Juncus brachycarpus), yellow giant-hyssop (Agostache nepetoides), and woodland lettuce (Lactuca floridana).

VII. THREATS AND SPECIAL PROBLEMS: Industrial, commercial, and residential development in the extremely urbanized environment of the Narrows continues to encroach upon and impact existing natural ecosystems and fish and wildlife populations. In spite of this, many important and regionally significant areas still persist, although their future appears uncertain without intensive and coordinated protection and management programs and environmental safeguards in place. Heavy metal and PCB contamination, oil pollution, sewage and stormwater discharges, waste disposal, shoreline marina development, dredging, and numerous other activities that degrade water quality or alter terrestrial and aquatic habitats can and do have devastating impacts on the fish and wildlife resources of this area. The waters of the Narrows and bays are subject to low oxygen levels (hypoxia) during certain times of the year (summer) that, when prolonged, can stress and even kill marine organisms. These hypoxic events are believed to be due to sewage effluent discharged in the waters, resulting in algal blooms and subsequent oxygen depletion. Leachate, primarily ammonia, from the Pelham Bay landfill is a threat to the water quality in this area. Human disturbances in the form of intrusions into bird nesting areas can cause colonies to be temporarily or even permanently abandoned, and the year's production of young lost through trampling or scattering of nesting birds. Displacement of herons and destruction of heron nesting habitat by cormorants is a major threat to the heronries in this area.

VIII. CONSERVATION RECOMMENDATIONS: Protective measures should be taken, whether by regulation, zoning, planning, cooperative agreements, or full-scale restoration programs such as the National Estuary Program, to restore, maintain, enhance, and protect the aquatic, terrestrial, insular, and benthic habitats of the Narrows, the major bays, and the lesser embayments and coves along the mainland to ensure that these areas continue to support the regionally significant populations of waterfowl, fish, and colonial breeding birds that utilize and depend upon these habitats. Programs such as the Long Island Sound Study should continue to address the problems of hypoxia in western Long Island Sound and the Narrows. Harvests of all commercially and recreationally exploited species need to be closely monitored to ensure that optimum sustainable populations are maintained over the area. Disturbances to wintering waterfowl and colonies of nesting waterbirds should be minimized or prevented altogether, particularly with regards to colonial wading birds. Human intrusions into beach nesting areas or island rookeries of wading birds should be prevented or avoided throughout the critical nesting and young-rearing season, utilizing all available means to accomplish this, including fencing, beach closures, posting, warden patrols, and public education. Removal of predators from nesting areas may be necessary, whether pets, feral animals, or other problem species whose populations have expanded as a result of human influence. Applicable objectives and tasks of the piping plover recovery plan should be implemented wherever possible. In addition, the development and implementation of a colonial wading bird conservation and management plan that would incorporate the rookeries of the Narrows complex for western Long Island Sound should be explored. New York City is attempting to plant hardwood trees on Huckleberry Island and other sites to replace nesting habitat destroyed by cormorants; this should be continued. Control or displacement of cormorants should be investigated. North and South Brother Islands should be transferred and managed as wildlife areas by the New York City Department of Parks or New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.

While many of the aquatic sites and mainland marshes are publicly owned and primarily in need of resource management rather than acquisition, a few of the significant sites are privately owned and under threat of development, especially Davids Island. Such sites could provide opportunities for the development and implementation of various land protection mechanisms, including cooperative conservation and management agreements, zoning and land-use regulations, easements, land exchanges, and, in some cases, acquisition. Opportunities should be sought to develop cooperative management and conservation programs between the various governmental agencies, private conservation organizations such as The Nature Conservancy and the National Audubon Society, and the private citizens and landowners of this area to best manage and protect for the long term the wealth of living resources still living, feeding, and breeding in this important regional complex. A restoration plan is being prepared for Long Island Sound, including this area, by the restoration team of the Long Island Sound Office. This plan will identify wetlands and set priorities for their restoration.

IX. REFERENCES:

Kunstler, D.S. 1996. Personal communication. City of New York Department of Parks and Recreation, Van Cortlandt and Pelham Bay Parks, Bronx, NY.

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. 1996. 1995 Long Island colonial waterbird and piping plover survey. Division of Fish and Wildlife, Region 1, Stony Brook, NY.

New York State Department of State. 1987. Significant coastal fish and wildlife habitats program. Habitat narratives for Hempstead Harbor, Huckleberry Island, Little Neck Bay, Marshlands Conservancy, Playland Lake and Manursing Island Flats, Manhasset Bay, Premium River-Pine Brook Wetland, and Prospect Point. New York State Department of State, Division of Coastal Resources and Waterfront Revitalization, Albany, NY.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 1995. Piping plover (Charadrius melodus) Atlantic coast population revised recovery plan, technical/agency draft. Region 5, Hadley, MA.

Westchester County Department of Planning. 1987. The wildlife resources of Westchester County. White Plains, NY.

List of Species of Special Emphasis

Maps

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