PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Scott Middleton, Executive Director of Marine Park Alliance
2:00:15
ยท
139 sec
Scott Middleton, Executive Director of Marine Park Alliance, testified about the frequent brush fires in Marine Park, Brooklyn's largest park, and the challenges faced in managing and preventing these fires. He highlighted the impact of invasive species and budget cuts on fire risk and park maintenance.
- Marine Park's landfilled uplands are dominated by highly flammable mugwort and phragmites, leading to frequent fires, especially during drought conditions.
- The Marine Park Alliance works with local volunteer firefighters and NYC Parks Natural Resources Group to manage and restore native habitats, but budget cuts have hindered maintenance efforts.
- Middleton emphasized the need for budget restoration to allow natural areas expert technicians to return to the park and improve fire prevention efforts.
Scott Middleton
2:00:15
Good afternoon, and thank you for the opportunity to testify today.
2:00:18
My name is Scott Middleton, and I'm the executive director of the Marine Park Alliance.
2:00:22
We're the friends of group for Brooklyn's biggest park, Marine Park.
2:00:25
Hundreds of acres of Marine Park wetlands were used to dispose of nonhazardous solid waste between 1934 and 1964.
2:00:32
Since that time, most of Marine Park's landfilled uplands have become colonized by monocultures of mugwort and phragmites, species that have been discussed at length during today's hearing.
2:00:42
These plants become highly flammable when dry.
2:00:45
Any spark can set them off.
2:00:47
Last fall, New York City's severe drought caused an unprecedented number of wildfires throughout the city.
2:00:52
The most frequent of these citywide were here in Marine Park.
2:00:56
Phragmites ignited in the park's salt marsh areas, and winds carried the flames up to transitional native plantings and coastal forests in the park, leading to individual burns of up to 6 acres.
2:01:07
Up to 20 acres burn here annually, a great concern to adjacent homeowners and to park visitors alike.
2:01:14
This year, fires occurred nearly daily between October 1st and Thanksgiving.
2:01:19
Marine Park Alliance also leads a committee of concerned nonprofits that use and care for the 530 acre Forever Wilde Preserve here in Marine Park.
2:01:27
1 of our committee members responds to each and every fire reported to Garretson Beach Volunteer Fire Department.
2:01:33
The Volleys, as they are affectionately called in our neck of the woods, are outfitted with equipment and vehicles specifically to handle these frequent brush fires.
2:01:40
We also work with New York City's, New York City Parks Natural Resources Group, NRG, which has captured city, state, and federal funding over the last 40 years to perform numerous salt marsh restorations, including regrading, planting, and transforming uplands dominated by non native species into native coastal grassland shrubland and forest.
2:01:58
Sustaining these native habitats requires active management, and with each round of budget cuts, maintenance of natural areas is unfortunately an early casualty.
2:02:07
Marine Park Alliance and its supporters are committed to the preservation and resilience of Garretson Creek's unique habitats in Marine Park.
2:02:14
Our efforts aim to curb future fires and vandalism by demonstrating positive community stewardship of natural areas in response to a high profile crisis for New York City parks.
2:02:23
We are strongly supportive of any effort to restore the budget, so that natural areas expert technicians can return to Brooklyn's largest park.
2:02:30
Thank you.
Shekar Krishnan
2:02:31
Thank you so much for your testimony.
Scott Middleton
2:02:33
Thank you.