Nature program at the Ridgewood Reservoir

Bugs Plus 3000%

The first nature program scheduled for the Ridgewood Reservoir

This coming Friday, September 26th at 6:30pm, scouts from Ridgewood will look at bugs 3000 times their actual size thanks to insect expert Steve Nanz.

Mr. Nanz will photograph the insects and the images will immediately be displayed on a large laptop computer screen. Kids of all ages will get to see a surprising array of our local critters as never before. For the purpose of this program, the insects are lured to a large white sheet by a portable black light. An example of the process can be seen here. Mr. Nanz will talk about the color and shape of the various insects and their importance to the diversity of the local environment.

This scout program is the first nature program to be held this year in conjunction with the Highland Park-Ridgewood Reservoir Alliance. HPRRA is a group of concerned citizens trying to preserve the reservoir from development and, instead, create a protected urban nature preserve and education center. The Ridgewood Reservoir has been called the "Jewel of Brooklyn and Queens."

All are invited and the event is free to the public. For more information contact Tom Dowd: tomcdowd2 [AT] aol.com

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Audubon Magazine Article

The National Audubon Society's "Audubon Magazine's Web Exclusives" current issue features an excellent article about the Ridgewood Reservoir:

Where the Wild Things Are
Local New York city activists fight to preserve an abandoned reservoir in New York City that has sprung to life.
By Jessica Leber

As devoted New York City birders, Heidi Steiner and Rob Jett thought they had visited all the reliable places to spot migrating songbirds or nesting waterfowl within their well-trodden urban stomping grounds. But in early 2007, in a city known for baring all, they discovered a place they had missed—an obscure haven known as the Ridgewood Reservoir. This former city water supply was abandoned nearly two decades ago, and during its neglect, nature repossessed the 50 acres. Now the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation is exploring how to convert it into a park—one that’s part nature reserve and part athletic fields. Steiner and Jett, along with a group of community activists and nature enthusiasts, soon embarked on a campaign to preserve the full extent of this unlikely wilderness.

You can read the article in its entirety here.

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