Recreational facilities may be the leading factors which attract people to parks, but the real attraction is the nature.  In the community of Arden Heights, which is a name that has been given to the western section of Annadale, you will find the Arden Heights Woods.  In this area, you will find none of these facilities.  There are no sports fields or playgrounds.  You won't find any water fountains or places to barbecue.  That may just be the beauty of it, though, because you will find plenty of flora and fauna populating this gigantic park.

There are currently fifty-one Forever Wild Nature Preserves in New York City.  Of these sites, twenty-four are located on Staten Island. The significance of a Forever Wild Nature Preserve is stated in its title-it…

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As you may well know, the Geographic South Pole is the southernmost point on Earth, lying on the continent of Antarctica. Up until the 1800s, Antarctica was only a myth. During the year of 1820, many had claimed to have actually seen this fabled continent. The first humans to set foot on the continent did so the following year. By the turn of the century, explorers began to search for the South Pole. The first attempt was made in 1902, but the party had only reached 82°16' S.  In 1909, that same party set out once again, but they were roughly two degrees off.  Two years later, on December 14, Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen became the first person to reach 90° S, the South Pole.

While people were debating whether or not Antarctica was real, other…

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Located at the corner of Bartow Avenue and Page Avenue, in Tottenville, you will find Aesop Park and Playground. This park opened in May of 2001 and was built for the students of Public School 6. Public School 6 had originally opened in 1894. The original school building was eventually given over to the Commissioners of the Sinking Fund in Aesop ParkJuly of 1902. In 1901, the school reopened at another location on Rossville Avenue. This building was known as Old P.S. 6. In December of 1945, the Board of Education decided that the school building was unfit to be used as an elementary school and was closed. After it was closed, the Marimac Novelty Company used the building as a factory. Finally, after some time, the school reopened for a third time in September of…

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In Staten Island's Bluebelt, you will find the "Heart of Southeast Annadale". In 1972, the City of New York acquired 26 acres in this area. From the early 1960s, citizens had been concerned about this land and its environs, which had
been a paradise for abandoned vehicles. These Staten Islanders tried, for over three decades, to preserve the land. Over the years, as residents began to protect more and more of the surrounding area, more land was obtained by New York City. By 2001, the City had acquired well over 200 acres of land. Today, this land is between Arbutus Avenue and Barclay Avenue to the left and right, and Amboy Road and Hylan Boulevard above and below. It is known as Blue Heron Park.

The entrance to Blue Heron Park lies on Poillon Avenue, a…

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Bunker Ponds Park consists of approximately thirty-two acres of natural habitat. It is located in the neighborhood of Huguenot, across from Intermediate School 7. The park is bordered by the streets of Hylan Boulevard, Huguenot sign1_400Avenue, Arbutus Avenue, and Chester Avenue, close to the Raritan Bay waterfront.

In 1896, William T. Davis and Charles W. Leng studied the area of the park for a map. On the map they referred to the area as Bunker Hill. While studying the area, they found many artifacts, such as arrowheads and spear points which determined that the area used to be part of a Lenape Indian settlement. In the late 20th century, the local community wanted to preserve the natural woodlands of this area and keep it free of development. After the local…

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Staten Island's history has much to do with the history of France.  In 1685, King Louis XIV revoked the Edict of Nantes, which had, until then, given Protestants basic civil rights amongst their fellow citizens.  Once this edict was revoked, many of these people, Huguenots as they were called, fled to New Netherland.  Here, many resided on what is now Staten Island.  By the early eighteenth century, one of these settlers was a James Sigin, who resided here with his family.  His descendants were to become some of the most prominent Staten Islanders of their time.

By the end oflemoncreek1_400 the century, James Sigin's grandson, James Segoin, purchased a vast amount of land by the waterfront, which had a creek that ran through it.  This Segoin's grandson, Joseph…

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Joel Wolfe, a native of Richmond, Virginia, moved to Staten Island during the early part of the nineteenth century, when Staten Island was also known as Richmond. For about twenty years, he spent his days dealing with the importation of gin and brandy from Holland and France.  Wolfe retired in 1848, which is probably around the time that he removed to Manhattan.  While he resided in Manhattan, he still owned the enormous farm on Staten Island wolf1_400and allowed his servants to live there while they took care of the residence.

In 1857, Wolfe sold a parcel of his land to the State of New York who, by fall of that year, had a Quarantine hospital built on the site. The Quarantine hospital was used for immigrants coming to Staten Island who had acquired yellow…

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parksign_400Bloomingdale Park is located on the South Shore of Staten Island. The park is mainly bordered by Lenevar Avenue, Drumgoole Road West, Ramona Avenue, and Bloomingdale Road. The park is also bisected by Maguire Avenue with a pathway connecting the two ends of the street. In the 1960s, the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation obtained the 138 acres of land to protect the area from development. Up until 2003, the park was comprised of only natural woodlands.

In 2003, the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation started to renovate approximately 15-acres of the park east of Maguire Ave. They added three sports fields, two basketball courts, a playground area, a comfort station, a bocce ball court, new walking and bike paths, and a dog…

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Crescent Beach Park is located in Staten Island's neighborhood of Great Kills. The park is mostly beach area but does contain a natural woodland area and facilities such as a playground, and an off-leash dog area. Crescent Beach Park is located below Tennyson Drive. It is between the streets of Wiman Avenue and Hales Avenue.


 

Crescent Beach Park gets its name from the crescent-shaped sandbar that appears at low tide off the beach by Wiman Avenue. In 1995, the Department of General Services assigned approximately 27 acres of this land to the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation. By 1999 the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation obtained all the land that is part of Crescent Beach Park today. They received the other parcel,…

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