Jamaica Bay Guardian

The Jamaica Bay Guardian is the American Littoral Society's eyes and ears on the waters of Jamaica Bay. In the person of Don Riepe, the Guardian provides a voice for the Bay and the wildlife and people that live, work, and play in its waters, mudflats, beaches, and marshes. Established in 2002 with funding from a NYS Department of Environmental Conservation pollution penalty, the Jamaica Bay Guardian Program focuses on restoration, education and advocacy.

Jamaica Bay is the jewel in the crown of New York City’s ecological resources with more than 13,000 acres of water, salt marsh, meadowland, beaches, dunes, and upland buffer woodlands. Despite being surrounded by the commercial, industrial, and residential development of Brooklyn and Queens, Jamaica Bay’s waters, upland salt marshes, and islands are a valuable resource for resident and migratory fish and birds, including many listed species.

The salt marshes are disappearing at a rate of 40 to 50 acres per year. Until science isolates the cause or causes, stricter regulations and focused restoration and debris removal programs have been recommended by federal, state and local officials, environmental groups, and the public. The work of the Jamaica Bay Guardian supports and acts on these recommendations.