The Serpentine Ridge Nature Preserve is a 40 acres woodland in the North Shore of

Staten Island Staten Island ( ) is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Richmond County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located in the city's southwest portion, the borough is separated from New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull an ...

between Howard Avenue at the top of the ridge and Van Duzer Street at the bottom of the hill. The Serpentine Ridge plays an important part in Staten Island's ecosystem and biodiversity and maintains significant geological features. The Serpentine Ridge is a steep terrain on the east shore of the island within the

Grymes Hill Grymes Hill is a tall hill formed of serpentine rock on Staten Island, New York. It is the second highest natural point on the island and in the five boroughs of New York City. The neighborhood of the same name encompasses an area of and has a ...

and

Silver Lake Silver is a chemical element with the Symbol (chemistry), symbol Ag (from the Latin ', derived from the Proto-Indo-European wikt:Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/h₂erǵ-, ''h₂erǵ'': "shiny" or "white") and atomic number 47. A soft, whi ...

neighborhoods of Staten Island. The area is notable for its variety of ecosystems including wooded hillsides, glacial sinkholes, and bare serpentine rock. The area is part of Staten Island's Special Hillsides Preservation District. The district was established to preserve the hilly terrain and unique natural features of the region, by reducing hillside erosion, landslides, and excessive storm-water runoff. Most of its land remains in a natural state, thus the area is covered with native vegetation. The

Serpentine Art and Nature Commons The Serpentine Art and Nature Commons ("SANC" or "Serpentine Commons") is a not-for-profit organization founded in 1978. SANC is dedicated to preserving and maintaining the woodlands and serpentine ridge on the east shore of Staten Island and more ...

owns approximately 11.5 acres of land within the area and acts as an environmental steward to the entire area.

Biodiversity

The area provides significant biodiversity, with many flora, fauna species. Deer, opossums, squirrels, rabbits, raccoons, and a variety of birds live in its underbrush and trees. In recent years, a colony of

red-tailed hawk The red-tailed hawk (''Buteo jamaicensis'') is a bird of prey that breeds throughout most of North America, from the interior of Alaska and northern Canada to as far south as Panama and the West Indies. It is one of the most common members with ...

s has been spotted above the woodlands as well as the

eastern screech owl The eastern screech owl (''Megascops asio'') or eastern screech-owl, is a small typical owl, owl that is relatively common in Eastern North America, from Mexico to Canada. This species is native to most wooded environments of its distribution, a ...

, which while a common species, it has been hard to find on the island. The

eastern box turtle The eastern box turtle (''Terrapene carolina carolina'') is a subspecies within a group of hinge-shelled turtles normally called box turtles. ''T. c. carolina'' is native to the eastern part of the United States. The eastern box turtle ...

(

Terrapene Carolina The common box turtle (''Terrapene carolina'') is a species of box turtle with six existing subspecies. It is found throughout the Eastern United States and Mexico. The box turtle has a distinctive hinged lowered shell (the box) that allows it ...

) can also be found in the area and today it is considered a vulnerable species according to U.S. Federal Government and the State Animal Wild Life. There are also several rare, endangered or threatened plants that can be found in the Serpentine Ridge Nature Reserve including: * Green-flowered Milkweed (''

Asclepias viridiflora ''Asclepias viridiflora'', is commonly known as green comet milkweed, green-flower milkweed, and green milkweed. It is a widely distributed species of milkweed (''Asclepias''), known from much of the eastern and central United States from Conn ...

'') * Slender Knotweed ('' Polygonum tenue'') * Panic Grass ('' Dichanthelium oligosanthes'') * Smooth Aster (''

Symphyotrichum laeve ''Symphyotrichum laeve'' (formerly ''Aster laevis'') is a flowering plant native to Canada, the United States, and Coahuila (Mexico). It has the common names of smooth blue aster, smooth aster, smooth-leaved aster, glaucous Michaelmas-daisy and ...

'') * Fragrant Sumac (''

Rhus aromatica ''Rhus aromatica'', the fragrant sumac, is a deciduous shrub in the family Anacardiaceae native to North America.(1) (2) It is found in southern Canada (Alberta to Quebec) and nearly all of the lower 48 states except peninsular Florida. Fragr ...

'') * Bloodroot (''

Sanguinaria canadensis ''Sanguinaria canadensis'', bloodroot, is a perennial, herbaceous flowering plant native to eastern North America. It is the only species in the genus ''Sanguinaria'', included in the poppy family Papaveraceae, and is most closely related to ' ...

'') * Fragile Fern (''

Cystopteris fragilis ''Cystopteris fragilis'' is a species of fern known by the common names brittle bladder-fern and common fragile fern. It can be found worldwide, generally in shady, moist areas. The leaves are up to 30 or 40 centimeters long and are borne on fles ...

'') * Christmas Fern (''

Polystichum acrostichoides ''Polystichum acrostichoides'', commonly denominated Christmas fern, is a perennial, evergreen fern native to eastern North America, from Nova Scotia west to Minnesota and south to Florida and eastern Texas.Deparia acrostichoides ''Deparia acrostichoides'', commonly called silvery glade fern or silvery spleenwort, is a perennial species of fern. Its range include much of the eastern United States and Canada, from Ontario to Nova Scotia, and Georgia to Louisiana and easter ...

'') * Maidenhair Fern (''

Adiantum pedatum ''Adiantum pedatum'', the northern maidenhair fern or five-fingered fern, is a species of fern in the family Pteridaceae, native to moist forests in eastern North America. Like other ferns in the genus, the name maidenhair refers to the slender, ...

'') * Large Whorled Pogonia ('' Isotria verticillata'')

Geology

The geology and coastal position of Staten Island add to its unique properties. Staten Island contains the only occurrence of serpentine bedrock in New York State, and the island occurs at the southern terminus of the most recent glaciation. This significant area includes one of Staten Island's five occurrences of the globally rare serpentine barrens community. This rare formation supports a unique variety of plant life.

Threats

The Serpentine Ridge Nature Preserve is continuously being threatened by human activity related to construction and development projects proposed in the area. Most recently the City Planning Commission of New York City also known as NYC Planning has taken notice of that and projects such as the Harborlights Court development have been rejected.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Serpentine Ridge Nature Preserve North Shore, Staten Island Protected areas of Staten Island Grymes Hill, Staten Island Serpentine group

Biodiversity

Geology

Threats

See also

References