Clay Pit Ponds State Park Preserve is
state park
State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the sub-national level within those nations which use "state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on account of its natural ...
[ located near the southwestern 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 ...
, New York
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* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
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Film and television
* '' ...
.
History
The park was the site of extensive mining of white kaolin clay
Kaolinite ( ) is a clay mineral, with the chemical composition Al2 Si2 O5( OH)4. It is an important industrial mineral. It is a layered silicate mineral, with one tetrahedral sheet of silica () linked through oxygen atoms to one octahedral ...
in the 19th century that provided the raw material for bricks and terra cotta
Terracotta, terra cotta, or terra-cotta (; ; ), in its material sense as an earthenware substrate, is a clay-based unglazed or glazed ceramic where the fired body is porous.
In applied art, craft, construction, and architecture, terracotta ...
. After the abandonment of the quarrying operations, rainwater, natural springs, and vegetation filled in the pits.[ The preserve also contains ]archaeological
Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscap ...
evidence of settlements of the Lenape
The Lenape (, , or Lenape , del, Lënapeyok) also called the Leni Lenape, Lenni Lenape and Delaware people, are an indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands, who live in the United States and Canada. Their historical territory includ ...
, early Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
an settlers, and the Free Blacks of Sandy Ground.
The park was created in 1977 after extensive lobbying by the Protectors of Pine Oak Woods, a local conservation
Conservation is the preservation or efficient use of resources, or the conservation of various quantities under physical laws.
Conservation may also refer to:
Environment and natural resources
* Nature conservation, the protection and manageme ...
organization.[
Groundbreaking for a $1.3 million nature center was held on May 4, 2007.]Charleston
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* Charleston, South Carolina
* Charleston, West Virginia, the state capital
* Charleston (dance)
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area and wildlife and plants found within the park.
Park description
The park is a nature preserve, comprising wetland
A wetland is a distinct ecosystem that is flooded or saturated by water, either permanently (for years or decades) or seasonally (for weeks or months). Flooding results in oxygen-free (anoxic) processes prevailing, especially in the soils. The ...
s, ponds, sand barrens, spring-fed streams, and woodlands. It includes pitch pine
''Pinus rigida'', the pitch pine, is a small-to-medium-sized pine. It is native to eastern North America, primarily from central Maine south to Georgia and as far west as Kentucky. It is found in environments which other species would find unsuit ...
woods, and rare wildflower
A wildflower (or wild flower) is a flower that grows in the wild, meaning it was not intentionally seeded or planted. The term implies that the plant probably is neither a hybrid nor a selected cultivar that is in any way different from the w ...
s such as cranberry, lizard-tail, possumhaw, and bog twayblade. The animal species found in the park include northern black racer snakes, box turtles, eastern fence lizards, Fowler's toads, green frogs, and spring peeper
The spring peeper (''Pseudacris crucifer'') is a small chorus frog widespread throughout the eastern United States and Canada. They prefer permanent ponds due to their advantage in avoiding predation; however, they are very adaptable with respect ...
s. More than 170 bird
Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweigh ...
species have been sighted in the park. Deer are also regularly seen there.
The purpose of the preserve is to retain the site's unique ecology, as well as to provide educational and recreational opportunities, such a nature walks, pond ecology programs, and birdwatching. Two hiking trails – the Abraham's Pond Trail and the Ellis Swamp Trail – are open to the public near the park headquarters, and horseback riding is permitted on of bridle paths.
The park has two designated areas, which are set aside for endangered species and are off-limits to the public.[
]
See also
* List of New York state parks
This is a list of state parks in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. Also listed are state golf courses, seasonal hunting areas, and ''former'' state parks.
In New York, state parks are managed by the New York State Office of Parks, Re ...
References
External links
New York State Parks: Clay Pit Ponds State Park Preserve
{{authority control
State parks of New York (state)
Parks in Staten Island
Nature centers in New York City
Protected areas established in 1977
1977 establishments in New York (state)