Keep Reservoir As A Natural Preserve

Editor’s note: The following letter was originally sent to New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Alexander B. Grannis. Dear Commissioner Grannis:

I am writing to urge you to support the continued evolution of the Ridgewood Reservoir in Queens as it returns to a forest ecology. This is more educational and economical land use than new sports facilities.

In recent years, I have led walking tours that focus on Brooklyn’s historical water supply and its symbiosis with Queens. The walks begin at the end of Conduit Avenue in Brooklyn, follow Force Tube Avenue and ascend the terminal glacial moraine to the edge of the Ridgewood Reservoir in Queens, with marvelous views to the south.

The reservoir is the most visible element of this walk. It marks the historical and ecological symbiosis of the two counties in the late 19th century— one rural and higher, the other urban and lower. Over the years, it has been fascinating to observe the regrowth of vegetation in the reservoir bowl.

This can be a unique nature study area for young people on both sides of the borough divide.

Dr. Jack Eichenbaum Queens Borough Historian