Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge is a protected wetland within New York City that spans open water, salt marshes, shoreline, islands, ponds, woodland, and fields between Brooklyn and Queens. Shaped by plans advanced in the late 1930s and 1940s and built beginning in 1950, it became part of Gateway National Recreation Area in 1972 while retaining its older name. The only wildlife refuge in the National Park System, it is especially important for birdlife, with hundreds of species recorded and ospreys nesting regularly since 1991. Its marshes also support terrapins and horseshoe crabs, while restoration efforts address erosion, sea-level rise, flooding, and storm damage.

Photo: Wikipedia · Public domain