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PhotoJeff is a flickr photographer that takes amazing pictures of Gerritsen Creek, wildlife and plant life. I enjoy his pictures and check regularly for updates.
The entire marsh is a no wake zone are and as reported before, it is very hard to enforce. PhotoJeff take pictures of some of the obvious offenders in his Salt Marsh Hall of Shame Set and posts about his frustrations.
Marine Park
Brooklyn, NY
Salt Marsh Nature CenterThis area of Gerritsen Creek is a no wake zone. This is to protect the wildlife (and plant life) here including the migratory and local birds, terrapins and fish. There are lots of places for folks to water and jet ski, etc. Some however feel it is their cultural right (no joke this is what they say) to use this part of the U.S. and N.Y.C. parks area for what ever purpose they feel. Now to be fair, for many many years this area was just an overgrown swamp. Recently however, some very wise people realized it is important to the quality of life and economy of NYC to preserve and revitalize our green spaces and waterways. This was quite a shock to some of the local residents who were accustomed to dumping in this area, blasting their motor boats around the creek, etc. Some took to this transition easily and some still resist. There are limited resources to police these areas and folks like these get to do as they wish with no consequence. Hence, my Hall of Shame. Though I doubt there will be a direct impact on these individuals I hope by putting this out there I will have some small, more general, positive effect.
[...] The Salt Marsh at Gerritsen Creek is a no wake zone. [...]
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This is a bit of an older photo. I don’t know if these folks have returned this season but I have posted photo of two fresh faces. I like to see boats at the creek. My issue is with folks who ride their boats and jet skies at high speed though the creek. We can debate the no wake rule just like we can debate speed limits but it is our responsibility to adhere to these rules for the sake of ourselves and others.
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They are here, they are also the reason if you are a kayak owner you cannot venture to the creek on weekends they come out at around 9am and are completely inconsiderate no matter what you are doing. They will get seriously injured one day by running aground or hitting a submerged piling and thankfully putting an end to it.
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Kudos to you for trying to bust those people who are hurting the ecology/environment of that area. Too bad the laws aren’t enforced as they should be.
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this is a great post and awesome job bringing up a big problem in our area.there is a reason you dont see gerritsen residents swimming in our own area (outside of kiddie beach) these day. The jet skis and jet boats doing 70+ mph and having no control. I kayak in the creek in this post is exactly right. it is dangerous to do anything if you dont have a motor on the water during the later day and weekends.
They should change the 4MPH rule to start at the Gerritsen Beach Bridge and we would be rid of this problem.
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every saturday morning these boats ski thru there at top speed for hours. People are unable to use the space for anything else without being run over.
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Is there anyway that enforcement can change the MPH zone to start at Gerritsen beach bridge. that would make the most sense.
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Where is the Gerritsen Beach Bridge?? is this something new?
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Its actually called Gerritsen Inlet Bridge, its on the belt parkway and it goes over the Gerritsen inlet.
Thank you for that info. I always thought it was the belt parkway overpass. Just goes to show your never too old to learn something new.
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Those water skiers, boaters, jets skiers, and thousands of residents from Gerritsen Beach are responsible for cleaning up the waterways and parkland. If you are truly concerned about the wildlife take a look at White Island. NYC Parks is cutting all the trees, plants and bushes that has been the food, shelter, and home for many animals that are being evicted from the island. Not to mention NYC PARKS sprayed thousands of gallons in chemical to kill the vegetation. Did you know?
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It is great to see New Yorkers take care of the environment! Really. However, I’m not sure I understand how cleaning up waterways and parklands somehow justifies breaking the law. Sorry YSK but your argument just doesn’t make sense to me.
Also I think you’re both informed but a bit misinformed. You should know that all the work being done on White Island is planed to create a grasslands habitat amenable to ground nesting birds. You see, we all screwed up the habitats for wildlife including vital habitats for ground nesting birds. The work at White Island is actually an attempt to fix that.
Personally I am not crazy about the idea of how this work must be done but the alternative is doing nothing which would ultimately be worse. One day maybe our technology and our social behavior will make such gross rehabilitations unnecessary but for now this is the only way we can do it.
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Are you kidding me? would you roller blade on the belt parkway? Lets stop cars on the road because I was cut off once, your argument makes no sense. Water skiers and jet skier’s are not harming the enviroment and you cannot prove they are. Photojeff has time on his hands he should get a grip with reality, we will not stop enjoying the waterfront so you can look at a bird
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[...] Jet Skis Summonsedjoe on Video: Jet Skis SummonsedVracing on Video: Jet Skis SummonsedGBRES on Salt Marsh Hall of Shame ContinuesAnonymous on Memories: Tamaqua Back in the Dayanonymous on Bomb Threat at Sheepshead Bay High [...]
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GBRES, well folks that drive irresponsibly also annoy me. To follow your analogy, I think irresponsible drivers should get tickets. I’m sure you agree.
You misunderstand me. I love that people can enjoy Gerritsen Creek, both on the water and land. I just don’t like when folks break the rules. I never ever said jet skiers, etc. should stay away from Gerritsen Creek. I am just saying they need to follow the rules.
As for proof going above 5 MPH harming the environment. I don’t need any. I also don’t need proof that the stop sign on my corner is necessary in order to stop at it. I am puzzled by the argument that in order to follow the rules you need justification for their necessity. Certainly that is not an augment that will help that young man fight his ticket.
GBRES, there are ways to change unfair rules. Be my guest and start a campaign to end the 5 MPH zone at the Creek. If it the speed limit is truly pointless then you should have no problem getting the rule changed. However not believing in the justification for a rule or regulation is not an excuse for breaking it.
GBRES, I also don’t think insulting me helps your argument. There is no need to be disrespectful.
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Photojeff Im sorry if you were offended, The 5mph speed limit starts at Gerritsen ave and was put in place to protect property throughout the creek, the fact that you post pictures of people enjoying themselves and try to shame them is quite pathetic, I have lived in GB for 37 years, I ride my jetski in the creek and my dirtbike back the weeds as often as I can, I can count the number of accidents I have heard of on one hand. Why dont you post on this website the actual 5mph zone along with a link, maybe you will have a valid argument at that point, until then we will do our best to go as fast as we possibly can.
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Photo Jeff, I see that you are still quite misinformed about the rules and regulations of boating traffic around Mau Mau Island. Why not attend a few community meetings to learn the facts. Let me sum up a few items,
Parks does NOT have jurisdiction of the waterway, their jurisdiction ends at the mean high tide line. USCG regulates all TIDAL waterways shich the entire creek is. Read the entire 270 page Army corp report regarding boating traffic and it’s impact to the shorelines. The island area is NOT a 5 MPH zone.
Since you seem to know, photograph and post our pictures on a regular basis why not introduce yourself one Saturday AM? Perhaps you would learn some things about why we ski here.
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Are you allowed to ski by the (nature center) salt marsh? I think that is the arguement.
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No Argument here as the answer again is “yes”. Now over the years we have been more than cordial with remediating the issues at hand. This is one of the reasons that we hit the waters very early and are generally done by 11:00 AM. This was done as a consideration to the programs run at the nature center. For a period of time we had a very good avenue of communications with them however with the current regime there that has all gone away. Urban Parks wants to “Assume†this area theirs when in fact it is public water.
Now also keep in mind that “we†are the responsible ones out there and at times there are others that may shed a black cloud on us all due to their actions.
Our boats are on the top of the chain as far as environmental impact. We carry the required insurances and are all additionally insured via our membership with USA Waterski.
Also, take a look at other areas in North America where Waterskiing and nature preserves coexist…you will certainly be surprised.
We are not there to impede anyone’s use of the waters but we do need to work together in avoiding conflict.
See you bright and early on Saturday ïŠ
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Below is some interesting reading for all who think that the boats are the only source for creating the problem.
Gerritsen Creek Ecosystem Restoration
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
New York District
Pages 18 and 19
Vessel-generated waves occur when a boat travels across the water surface creating bow and stern waves that propagate out from the vessel. The heights of the waves depend on the vessel speed, the boat geometry, and the amount of clearance between the vessel hull and the channel bottom and sides. The waves generated by a vessel decrease with distance from the boat because the waves are very steep and break and because no continuous force (such as wind) maintains the wave height. Assuming that common recreational boats used for water skiing are 20-25 feet in length, about 7-8 feet wide, draw about 2 feet of water, and travel at about 20 miles per hour, the average wave heights generated would be approximately 1.3 feet high about 100 feet from the boat, and decrease to 0.6 feet in height at a distance of 500 feet from the boat. Field observations during the summer of 2002 indicate that the vessel-generated waves from this type of craft created wakes that were less than the erosive 1.0 wave height.
Sediment Transport and Erosion Processes: Historical shoreline change for the southern portion of the Gerritsen Creek site was analyzed for the period from 1959 to 2002. The focus of the analysis was the 1,000-foot stretch of shoreline along Mill Creek from the pre-existing bridge to White Island north to where the shoreline curves towards Gerritsen Creek. The objective of this analysis was to determine qualitatively the magnitude of shoreline change occurring within this area of the site, and in particular within the sandy beach area that appears to be receding. Shoreline change along the project site is related to the dynamics of Gerritsen and Mill Creeks. These dynamics incorporate the combined effects of wind, waves, tides, and current along the shoreline. Wave and current action transports the sediment along the shoreline. Water levels, mainly due to tides and elevated water levels during storms, enhance these effects by increased destructive energy levels.
Other geological and coastal developments also shape the present position of the shoreline. Soil type and grain size determines the natural angle of repose and strength of the soil to resist erosion. Interventions on natural dynamics due to erosion control measures (coastal structures, vegetation, and others) can decrease the recession rate locally while accelerating the rate on the adjacent shorelines. Depending on the availability of the sources in the system, a shoreline may experience both erosion and accretion due to the dynamic forces of the nature. Generally, gain of sediment in a system would translate to shoreline accretion, whereas, loss of sediment would translate into a shoreline recession. Dynamic shorelines exhibit both short- and long-term variations. Short-term variations can be attributed to seasonal differences in storm intensities, and localized differences in sediment type.
Long-term variations (in the order of years) reflect cumulated effects. Short-term rates may be highly variable while long-term effects are averaged.
For the purposes of this analysis, three ortho-rectified aerial images of the site were utilized for the shoreline change analysis, the 1959, 1966 and 2002 aerial photos. The erosion/accretion reference features located and mapped on the series of ortho-rectified aerial images were interpreted and compared to two reference features, the waterline and vegetation lines. The waterline, or the intersection of creek water with beach/land, was selected as the main reference feature used to measure the shoreline change process. This feature is the easiest to map as compared to other features. However, the position of the waterline is entirely dependent on the time that the aerial photograph was taken. That is, comparison of two aerial photos taken at high and low tides could give the impression of erosion or accretion simply as the result of water line position on a beach slope. This could potentially add up to significant errors in horizontal shoreline distance, as measured from the baseline. For example, an error could be as much as 40- 60 feet in terms of shoreline location for a near-shore slope of 1:20 (horizontal: vertical) and a 2 to 3 feet difference in tidal water elevation. This assessment was considered during the mapping of the waterline feature.
The other reference feature analyzed, the stable vegetation line, was more difficult to determine, and best judgment had to be applied in early black and white pictures to locate the feature.
Based on the analysis of the reference features in the historical and recent aerial images, the following observations can be made relative the southern portion of the Gerritsen Creek Site:
1. The 2002 shoreline is approximately 30 to 40 feet further out into Mill Creek than it was 43 years before in 1959.
2. During the period from 1959 to 2002 there was a general trend of accretion along the entire shoreline.
3. The 2002 shoreline generally follows the same line as the 1966 shoreline, with the exception of the sandy beach area.
4. The sandy beach area has shown a recessionary trend since 1966, with the shoreline receding approximately 50 feet.
Given the wave conditions presented in the previous section, it is assumed that the erosion observed along some sections of Mill Creek results from the following conditions:
1. Occasional boat wakes from vessels of sufficient size and speed;
2. Upland drainage that carries sediment down the profile to the intertidal zone, which is then carried offshore by tidal currents;
3. Very rare large waves that travel directly up the creek toward the project site during periods of high storm surge (winds and waves from this direction only occur about
1.8 percent of the time and the fetch is severely limited in width); and
1. Refraction by the abandoned bridge located just off site in Mill Creek.
In conclusion, although larger boats may sometimes create a deep wakes to close to the shoreline, it has been determined by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers the erosion is caused mainly by nature and not boating/skiing activities.
Jim D
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Our point exactly, thank you Jim. Years of tidal erosion, neglect and lack of proper stabilization of the shoreline have had a greater impact on erision than all of the combined boating traffic. Boat usage is seasonal and with fuel priced being what they are, boating traffic has deminished greatly over the past several years and is at an all time low right now.
Water quality back there is also on the comeback with the exception of samples taken after heavy rains. The fish and wildlife thrive back there and are certainly not intimidated by our presence…
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I’m a member of the Gerritsen Beach Water Sports team and I’m sorry to hear you have such a negative opinion of us. Firstly, as some of the other posters have indicated, you’ve been misinformed by anyone claiming that the area is a no wake zone. We’ve done our research on this subject and verified that this is not the case. And while I can’t vouch for every boat and jetski in the vicinity, our team members are responsible boaters and very safety conscious. We would never endanger the swimmers or paddlers that share the waters with us. You seem intent on painting a picture of us as lawless hooligans but the truth is that for most of our group, skiing and boarding are family activities. We have about a dozen children waterskiing, wakeboarding and kneeboarding with us, some of whom have been involved since they were just 4 years old!
We’re nature lovers too with a strong interest in preserving the area for future generations and addressing the problems it faces. That’s why we’ve been participating in community meetings regarding the work on White Island. We’re concerned about toxins from the landfill leaching into the waters but we were also alarmed to learn that herbicides were sprayed on the island without proper notice to the community. We’re also closely following the issue of rising nitrogen levels in Jamaica Bay due to sewage runoff following heavy rains.
How about doing something constructive with your photography by using it to generate community interest in addressing these critical issues?
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Masterskierman, Jim B and HoneyB. I think you folks are saying Gerritsen Creek including is a public waterway and not regulated but I read in the report I think Jim B refers to the following (Page 12)
5.4 Water Resources
Jamaica Bay is recognized by the NYSDEC under the State Environmental Quality Review Act
as a Critical Environmental Area (CEA). The NYSDEC states that Jamaica Bay and its
tributaries, tidal wetlands, and regulated adjacent areas are considered to be a CEA. As a tributary
to Jamaica Bay, Gerritsen Creek and its tidal wetlands and regulated adjacent areas are
considered as part of this CEA. The NYSDEC defines a CEA as having “exceptional or unique
character.†The distinct characteristics associated with Jamaica Bay are: 1) a natural setting (e.g.,
fish and wildlife habitat, forest and vegetation, open space and areas of important aesthetic or
scenic quality) and 2) an inherent ecological, geological or hydrological sensitivity to change that
may be adversely affected by any change†(NYSDEC, 2003a).
Jamaica Bay is also designated by New York City as one of three Special Natural Waterfront
Areas (SNWA). The New Waterfront Revitalization Program (New York City Department of
City Planning [NYCDCP] 1999b) defines SWNAs as coastal areas with special characteristics
identified in New York City’s Comprehensive Waterfront Plan that “have particular natural
habitat features that should be considered in connection with any waterfront activity.†It further
directs that “activities that protect and restore these features would be consistent with waterfront
policy for these areas.â€
This comes from a 2003 Army Corps Report.
http://www.nan.usace.army.mil/front/gerritsen.pdf
Is it possible that the status of the Creek changed because it is now part of the CEA? Can it be part of the CEA and still be public and unregulated water?
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Can’t comment on the CEA reference as I don’t know all of the details. Also in this very lengthy article are references to the use of the waterway for passive and Non-passive activities such as waterskiing, jet skiing, Kayaking, canoeing, fishing etc.
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I had posted a comment a few weeks ago but it is lost in cyberspace. The general gist of it was to thank masterskiman, Jim D, HoneyB and Mr. Slate for some civil discussion. HoneyB, unfortunately there has been some “hooligan†behavior on this site and off in response to use of Gerritsen Creek.
Jim D I think you are referring to a document found here:
http://www.nan.usace.army.mil/front/gerritsen.pdf
I didn’t match your quote word for word but they look the same except for one line. The first paragraph you quoted should end with this statement “However, on occasion, there is the possibility that a boat may pass too close to the shoreline or travel in excess of 20 mph, creating an erosive wave. “
I found that on page 17 of the report. As Mr. Slate suggests I’m sharing concerns I and others have with fast moving water craft coming too close to the Salt Marsh Nature Center Building (on Ave U). I’d further qualify that the folks I photograph seem to be easily going above 20 mph and are within 100 feet of the shore by the Nature Center. I also read the following on regulations for Personal Water Craft: “speed is limited to 5 miles per hour within 100 feet of shore, dock, raft or anchored boats.â€
Page 64 of the NYS Boaters Guide.
http://nysparks.state.ny.us/boating/docs/boaters_guide.pdf
For sure the photos I photograph are going way faster than 5 mph and are easily within 100 feet of the shore of the Nature Center and the Marine Park Nature Preserve area.
From what I’ve been told and I think confirmed by what I am reading, the folks I have photographed are not acting responsibly. HoneyB, masterskiman, Jim D and Mr. Slate, I am sure you are being very responsible and ethical in your recreational use of Gerritsen Creek.
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all I know is when I am on my kayak, no one is “Considering my safety” They makes loops on me with a smile on their face.
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LOL photos I photograph. I meant folks I photograph, doh.
Anyway, EliasV that is really my point but also in part the point of some of the last few folks posting. There is a way we can all share this area if we all act responsibly and are mindful of each other.
I think a dialog here is a good start and as Masterskiman suggests this discussion can be carried out in community meetings. However I’m personally trying to avoid direct conflicts with dogmatic and just rude individuals who are really unwilling/unable to engage in a civil exchange. Masterskiman, HoneyB, Jim D, Mr. Slate, etc. I hope you know I count you folks in the very civil group.
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[...] reported last summer with Salt Marsh Hall of Shameand Salt Marsh Hall of Shame Continues, it originally brought attention to the [...]
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I am glad I had a chance to read your message, if you have more vein thearpy information elsewhere let me know or post it here.
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