Flushing Meadows Corona Park

Within relatively recent environmental history, Flushing Meadows Corona Park was once rife with expansive tidal wetlands where diverse communities of native species fed, nested, and cohabitated.

Formed by a glacial retreat over 17,000 years ago, the park was entirely marshland before it was subsequently converted into landfill and eventually a space for New Yorkers to recreate. Its trash-filled past is sadly a common one for wetlands across the U.S., where many once considered them wastelands and dumping grounds (1). Flushing Meadows’ use for dumping in the early 20th century was so egregious that it was memorialized as the “Valley of Ashes” in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic “The Great Gatsby.” For the 1939 and 1964 World’s Fairs, urban planner Robert Moses transformed the Valley of Ashes into what we know and love today. Most notably during this time, what remained of Flushing Creek was buried to construct the Fountain of the Plants and the Unisphere (2).

Today, freshwater marsh still exists within the park, particularly along the south shore of Willow Lake where weeping willows, muskrats, chairmaker’s rush, and cottontail rabbits reside within and alongside a lush cattail marsh (3). This isolated haven is part of the remaining 1% of freshwater wetlands within New York City, from when Europeans began moving into the area (4).

The Ecological Importance

When discussing the nature of these wetlands, it is difficult to overstate their ecological importance, as well as their unique history within American development. Broadly, wetlands are a type of ecosystem where “water covers the soil or is present either at or near the surface of the soil all year or for varying periods of time during the year, including during the growing season.” (5) They are breeding grounds for cherished wildlife, supply clean drinking water for local communities, provide recreation for boaters, fishers, and naturalists, and provide deep solace and inspiration for all who visit them.

Before European colonization in the 17th century, wetlands covered around 10% of the lower 48 states (6).

Human communities living within and adjacent to high quality wetlands also receive numerous health and safety benefits that can improve quality of life and provide immediate and long-term protection from environmental hazards. Urban wetlands can be particularly valuable because, up to a certain point, they counteract the increased areas of pavement and building runoff in these areas by absorbing excess water (7). With water quality in urban and suburban spaces also being particularly toxic due to heavy metal and lawn/garden fertilizer runoff, the improvements wetlands can provide in this water quality are especially timely. Healthy wetlands can improve water quality by removing dissolved particles, suspended solids, and nutrients, through conversion into vegetative biomass and gases or filtration and sedimentation. For this to be effective, however, wetlands need forested spaces in the floodplains surrounding them (the entirety of Flushing Meadows Corona Park is in a floodplain) (8).

A Hub for Climate Resilience

While Flushing Meadows Corona Park hosts a multitude of recreational and family-oriented activities including soccer, mini golf, the Queens Museum, and kayaking, there is substantial potential for ecological improvement.

Flushing Meadows Corona Park’s unique location and current condition sets the stage for an unprecedented opportunity to transform Flushing Creek and Meadow Lake into an ecological haven by restoring wetland habitat for native flora and fauna. The rapid pace of the climate crisis necessitates that we increase resilience across the entire NYC metro area to protect our communities.

That’s where the community comes in: we are looking for park users to provide input on these potential designs through this survey. It asks how you use Flushing Meadows Corona Park today and how you might like to use it in the future.

Waterfront Alliance is currently partnering with NYC Parks to identify, develop, and support projects that could improve flood resiliency in Flushing Meadows Corona Park. We are studying two potential design ideas, including daylighting Flushing Creek and modifying the shoreline along Meadow Lake. Daylighting would mean “unburying” Flushing Creek and restoring it as a natural stream to better handle flooding and provide wetland habitat for fish and waterbirds. Modifying Meadow Lake’s shoreline, similarly, would allow for widening and re-shaping to improve storage capacity and create crucial habitat. By restoring these waterways and waterbodies, we create the potential to make Flushing Meadows Corona Park a shining example of ecological health within New York City. These potential solutions also provide an opportunity for new and exciting programming associated with wetlands, including environmental education and birding. That’s where the community comes in: we are looking for park users to provide input on these potential designs through this survey. It asks how you use Flushing Meadows Corona Park today and how you might like to use it in the future.

For many New Yorkers across the city, wetlands are essential to their community and livelihood. Wetlands represent generational connections that tie families, friends, and neighbors together. Pelham Bay Park in the Bronx and Marine Park in Brooklyn both provide ample opportunities for wetland interaction. NYC Parks is currently working to restore vegetated shorelines and wetland areas within Alley Pond Park in Queens, and Flushing Meadows Corona Park represents another outstanding possibility for restoration. If we are to properly build resilience against climate change and its effects, we must continue to imagine, investigate, and champion projects such as this one in Flushing Meadows Corona Park, and across the five boroughs, for our environment and for our communities.

Footnotes:
1. https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/flushing-meadows-corona-park/highlights/11312
2. https://waterfrontalliance.org/2024/06/27/flushing-meadows-corona-park-history-the-tale-of-two-worlds-fairs/
3. https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/flushing-meadows-corona-park/highlights/11312
4. https://www.nycgovparks.org/learn/ecosystems/wetlands-in-new-york-city-parks
5. https://www.epa.gov/wetlands/what-wetland
6. https://water.usgs.gov/nwsum/WSP2425/history.html#:~:text=Allord%2C%20U.S.%20Geological%20Survey,might%20not%20be%20fully%20realized
7. https://www.epa.gov/wetlands/why-are-wetlands-important
8. https://www.lincolninst.edu/app/uploads/legacy-files/pubfiles/2018_inquiry_valley_of_ashes_ny_finn.pdf