Beach Parking Fees in Fairfield County, CT – Exclusionary Pricing for Non-Residents

Exorbitant parking fees to access coastal parklands have become the norm in Fairfield County it seems.  Was recently faced with this when I attempted to go for a short walk at one of my former kayaking launch spots - Norwalk's Calf Pasture Beach - they wanted $65 to park on a cold late September day.    This price-shock experience at Calf Pasture Beach motivated me to look into the non-resident parking fees now charged (2022) at a number of shoreline/beach parks in Fairfield County, the details are listed below.  

Some years back a Stamford resident who enjoyed running on the beach, Brenden Leydon, had a similar experience in Greenwich, CT.  Leydon was prohibited from entering Greenwich Point Park so he sued the Town of Greenwich. (See the book "Free the Beaches"  which recounts this case and the larger issue).  In response to the court ruling in that case, which found in favor of Leydon, Greenwich reopened its beaches to non-residents but began charging them much higher fees than residents – orders-of-magnitude higher fees, effectively creating exclusionary pricing for non-residents.

As the years go by, access to land bordering the nation's coastlines and waterbodies becomes increasingly concentrated in the hands of a few.  And so, parks and public boat launches are an increasingly vital resource to prevent the complete exclusion of boating, fishing, swimming, and coastal recreating.  Nevertheless, use of and access to the waters of the U.S. is a ‘right’ of all U.S. citizens enshrined in various laws and legal decisions. This right of access is called the “Public Trust Doctrine”, and began (according to Wikipedia) with ancient laws of the Byzantine Emperor Justinian which held that the sea, the shores of the sea, the air and running water was common to everyone.  In the United States, the Public Trust Doctrine limits the rights of ocean front property owners to exclude the public below the mean high tide line.  One could argue that a $65 parking fee is exclusionary and unlawful according to the Public Trust Doctrine… 

On the other hand, perhaps pressures on these beachfront parks are extreme such that a $65 parking fee is a legitimate mechanism to reduce crowding in summer?   One argument against that position is that parking fees are not as high at the shoreline parks I frequent in New York – parks that arguably face more pressure from crowds than those in Fairfield County.  Public beaches in Westchester County and NYC typically charge only $10 to park in-season (Glen Island, Orchard Beach, Playland).  Parking fees for Town beaches in Fairfield County are all $40-and-up for non-residents.  The exceptions to this “rule” are the Connecticut State Parks which charge non-residents a more reasonable parking fee ($15 weekdays, $22 weekends).   Note also that the beach “season” varies considerably, from a minimum of Memorial Day to Labor Day, up to a maximum of April 1st until October 31st.   So, the take-home message is to visit these parks in the off-season when they’re free to park if all you plan to do is take a walk or launch a kayak.

List of Parking Fees charged for Non-Residents at Long Island Sound Shoreline Parks in NY and Fairfield, CT (listed from west-to-east) as of May 2022:

1. Orchard Beach NYC: parking fee charged May 28^th (Saturday) until Sept. 12^th, parking fee is $8 weekdays, $10 weekends.
2. Glen Island New Rochelle: parking fee charged weekends only in May and Sept until Sept. 25^th; then daily May 28 through Labor Day. $10 for resident non-pass holder, plus car-top launch fee of $10 w/out County Pass.
3. Rye Town Beach Park: parking fee charged from May 1 to September 27. $5 for every 2 hours on weekdays (mon-thurs), $10 for every 2 hours weekends (fri-sun). 
4. Playland Amusement Park:  season dates not yet published, amusement park under construction as of spring 2022. Website says it will be $12/car to park weekdays, $15/car sat/sun. The kayak launch area is currently occupied by construction trailers. Access uncertain until new park leasing company, Standard Amusements, completes construction and opens park…
5. Byram/Greenwich Beaches: Park Passes or daily parking fee required from May 1 - October 31. $40/vehicle plus $9/person.
6. Stamford Cove Island Park: parking fee charged from May 1st through September 30^th; week days $42.50, weekends $69.00 per car.
7. Weed Beach, Darien: beach permit stickers required mid-April through late September,  non-resident daily parking fee is $53/vehicle plus $70 boat launch.
8. Pear Tree Beach, Darien: beach permit stickers required Memorial Day through Labor Day,  non-resident daily parking fee is $53/vehicle plus $70 boat launch
9. Bayley Beach, Rowayton/Norwalk: Fee charged from Memorial Day Saturday until September 15, (non-resident) vehicles without permits $25 (weekdays); $30 weekend (non-holiday).
10. Norwalk Calf Pasture Beach:  Parking fees are in effect from May 15 to October 15, non-resident parking fee is $40/car weekdays, $65/car weekends."Calf Pasture Beach, Veteran's Park, Taylor Farm, and Cranbury Park parking fees are in effect from May 15 to October 15 every year." (Nov. 2022)
11. Compo Beach, Westport: daily fee is charged to park from May 1 through Sept. 30, $45/car weekdays, $70/car weekends.
12. Sherwood Island State Park: parking fees required for visitors with out of state registered vehicles from April 1 until October 31; $15 weekdays, $22 weekends.
13. Burying Hill Beach, Westport: town of Westport parking emblem required Memorial Day to Labor Day. Non-CT-resident fee is $35/car weekdays, $50/car weekends. (NOTE: Town of Westport website says "no kayaking or canoeing".  Unclear if this applies year-round)
14. Southport Beach, Fairfield: from Memorial Day Saturday (May 28^th 2022) to Labor Day only residents with a beach sticker are permitted to park in the lot. There are no daily fees.
15. Sasco Beach Park, Fairfield: from Memorial Day Saturday (May 28^th)  to Labor Day only residents with a beach sticker are permitted to park in the lot. There are no daily fees.
16. South Pine Creek Beach, Fairfield:  from Memorial Day Saturday (May 28^th) to Labor Day only residents with a beach sticker are permitted to park in the lot. There are no daily fees.
17. Penfield Beach, Fairfield CT: from Memorial Day – Labor Day, non-resident daily parking fee of $40 weekdays, $50 weekends.
18. Jennings Beach, Fairfield CT: parking fee Memorial Day to Labor Day. Beach sticker or daily fee of $40 (Monday - Friday) and $50 (Weekends and Holidays).
19. Seaside Park Beach, Bridgeport: parking fee Memorial Day – Labor Day. Season sticker or daily fee of $50 weekdays or $60 weekends for cars w/ out-of-state registration.
20. Long Beach, Stratford (Pleasure Beach, Bridgeport): parking fee Saturday before Memorial Day until Labor Day. Daily parking fee for non-residents is $20 Monday through Thursday, $40 Friday through Sunday and holidays, for Long Beach and Short Beach.
21. Short Beach Park, Stratford: parking fee Saturday before Memorial Day until Labor Day. Fee fo non-residents is $20 per day Monday through Thursday;  $40 per day Friday through Sunday and holidays, for Long Beach and Short Beach.
22. Charles Wheeler Wildlife Mgt Area, Milford: off Court St., free but muddy outside of high tide.
23. Housatonic River State Boat Launch (under I-95): free but can be crowded.
24. Walnut Beach and Gulf Beach, Milford: parking fee from May 1 to September 30 non-residents $40 per day.
25. Silver Sands State Park, Milford: $15 weekdays, $22 weekends parking fees are required for visitors with out-of-state registered vehicles from April 1 until October 31.

Plastic Shrink-Wrapping Boats for Winter Storage – Adverse Effects on Environment

Plastic shrink-wrap on a plastic kayak…really? (see photo). When people start covering cheap-plastic with more plastic, it’s surely a sign that shrink-wrapping is getting out of hand!  

UNBELIEVABLE!?  Plastic shrink-wrap winter storage layer over a cheap, plastic recreational kayak (“banana-boat” type kayak).   What a waste….  (City of Rye NY Municipal Boat Basin, March 26, 2020)

Covering boats with heat-shrink LDPE (low-density polyethylene) film for winter storage has caught on quickly in recent years – now it seems every boat in the marina is shrink-wrapped. The mountain of plastic waste this generates every season is scandalous. But is shrink-wrapping boats for winter storage even necessary?  I did a little research on the topic and consolidated what I found below.

1    1. The Problem:

The overarching problem of plastic waste is a huge issue having larger societal and ecological consequences.  This blog post here is focused solely on the issue of boat shrink-wrap plastic.  At present, most of this shrink-wrap material is sent to landfills or is incinerated. It is made from LDPE, combined with additives to provide UV resistance and other properties. As discussed below, very little of this material is recycled. The average boat requires 15 lbs of shrink-wrap each season, multiplied by the 13 million registered boats in the United States it’s easy to see how disposal of shrink wrap could cause a landfill crisis. (1)  Incineration of LDPE and other plastics causes its own problems – principally the release of heavy metals, organic pollutants, and other toxins into the air and in incinerator ash residue, which itself must be landfilled. (2) And lastly, plastic constitutes the predominant form of marine debris. (3)  As kayakers, we all see more and more plastic (including boat-wrap) littering the shores.

 2. Is Shrink-Wrapping Boats Even Necessary?:

Retailers and manufacturers of boat shrink-wrap say the protective film is necessary to keep rain/snow out of your boat and to minimize UV sun damage when the boat is in storage for the winter. If you dig deeper though, you’ll find that this isn’t the whole story.

Firstly, the cost of wrapping your boat annually is not cheap. I’ve seen local prices range from $15-25 per foot – starting at $450 flat rate for boats 25’ or under. That’s every year.  By comparison, a well-maintained canvas cover can last 20 years and many are made from cotton duck fabric so are ultimately biodegradable. Though more expensive to purchase initially (roughly 2x/3x cost of disposable LDPE wrap), the extra up-front cost of a canvas boat cover can be quickly recouped in just a few years. (4, 5)

After reading many online sources, it appears shrink-wrapping your boat may actually be worse than doing nothing when it comes to mold. The sun’s radiation will heat up any water trapped on/in the boat beneath the plastic wrap cover.  Temperatures under the cover will swing up by day causing evaporation (increased humidity) and drop down at night causing condensation. The result – MOLD. Now you’ve got another problem so must use fungicides or other mold-preventives (sprays, heaters, desiccants, etc.). (6)    Alternatives, like keeping a boat under a more open/breathable cover (like canvas) or under the roof of a garage can provide more air-flow and prevent humidity and mold problems.

Another alternative to shrink-wrap is to have no cover at all. (How's that for a concept). UV damage can be minimized by spraying a UV protectant (303 etc.) on rubber parts a few times in the off-season and by applying a protective coating of wax on the hull before storage. If that’s too much work, then do nothing – wait until the boat's finish fades then polish/restore any oxidized gelcoat once every 20 years – remember, gelcoat has UV inhibitors in it so resists oxidation!   Isn’t restoring a boat hull with some polish and a power buffer once every 20 years a better solution than adding 300 lbs of plastic waste to landfills (15 lbs/year x 20 years)?

3      3. Recycling:

While better than landfilling, recycling LDPE shrink wrap is a mixed bag.

The EPA estimates that only 6.2% of LDPE (recycling number 4) is recycled in the United States. (7) That’s for LDPE overall – most of which is the rigid kind, used in food containers, etc. The plastic film type of LDPE is the material used in plastic grocery bags and is also the class of plastic used for shrink-wrap boat covers. Recycling of these thin, flexible LDPE films presents added difficulties over the more rigid type. These films must be separated from the general plastic recycling waste stream because they require special machines that will not become clogged during the milling process. Also, LDPE films are often contaminated (dirty) and must be cleaned before they can be recycled, adding  time and energy to the process, and accounting for the very low percentage of LDPE recycling worldwide. (8) 

Even if recycled, LDPE plastic is not “closed-loop” recycling. That is, it cannot be recycled into the same product, over and over. It is “recycled”, or more accurately “converted”, into a different final-use product, like composite lumber or carpet material. (9) This is partly due to the additives in plastic – UV inhibitors, flame retardants, coloring agents, etc. – that act as contaminants and prevent it from being reused in the same form.  Also, plastic can only be recycled a few times before its quality decreases to the point where it can no longer be used. Typically additional virgin material is added during the recycling process in order to “upgrade” the quality of the plastic. (10, 11)  

By comparison, aluminum and glass are “closed-loop” recyclable materials – they can be made over-and-over into new bottles and cans without losing quality or purity. Unlike plastic recycling, there’s no need to add virgin material in the glass/aluminum recycling process. (12)  As an aside, I’ve personally tried to eliminate all single-use plastic – bottles, bags, cutlery, etc. – and only use aluminum cans when buying beverages and fabric grocery bags when shopping, surprisingly easy things to do.

At present the cost of boat shrink-wrap disposal is largely borne by taxpayers in the form of garbage hauling, landfilling, etc. While some businesses offer prepaid shipping bags that can be used to send boat shrink wrap in the mail for recycling (“Dr. Shrink” sells a prepaid shipping bag for $50), a marina-based collection/hauling operation is clearly preferred to reduce costs and to avoid the need for additional materials to wrap/mail the waste! (4, 13)  Westchester County’s Boat Wrap Recycling program collects boat-wrap if your marina participates. (14)  Now, whether “recycled” boat wrap plastic is ultimately processed into recycled products depends on the status of the world’s recycling market at the time it is collected.  If the market is uneconomical (as it is now for many plastics), this material will be landfilled or burned... (15)  Some have advocated for an upfront “product stewardship” deposit to address the full cost of plastic boat wrap over its life cycle, thereby shifting recycling costs from municipalities to the consumers who directly benefit from the product. No such regulations currently exist in New York that I’m aware of.

So that’s it – something to think about and something for boaters to work towards eliminating if possible.  It should be noted that many kayaks are also made from LDPE and should also be recycled when their useful life has ended. And perhaps old fiberglass boats can be milled into fibers and reused.  In my view, the difference between the plastic/fiberglass material used to make boats themselves and the plastic shrink-wrap used to cover them is that shrink-wrap covers are essentially single-use items for which there are alternatives. 

For more - check out this recent PBS documentary, Frontline: Plastic Wars, which delves into the conundrum of recycling plastic:  https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/film/plastic-wars/

References:

1: https://www.boattrader.com/resources/shrink-wrap-recycling-easier-think/
2: http://theconversation.com/why-municipal-waste-to-energy-incineration-is-not-the-answer-to-nzs-plastic-waste-crisis-126824

3: https://www.no-burn.org/burning-plastic-incineration-causes-air-pollution-dioxin-emissions-cost-overruns/

4: https://www.seacoastonline.com/article/20140514/OPINION/405140366

5: http://www.fishercanvas.com/aboutus.asp#armyduck

6: https://tomdwelsh.com/2015/10/08/shrink-wrap-boat-storage-dangers-and-long-term-effects/

7: https://millerrecycling.com/ldpe-out-of-landfills

8: https://www.plasticexpert.co.uk/plastic-recycling/ldpe-recycling-plastic/

9: https://www.dec.ny.gov/chemical/8817.html

10: https://www.newenglandshrinkwrap.com/SW%20Recycling%20Guide%201.pdf

11: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S030438941730763X

12: https://blog.nationalgeographic.org/2018/04/04/7-things-you-didnt-know-about-plastic-and-recycling/

13: https://operationsplash.org/2010/04/03/growing-problem-of-shrink-wrap/

14: https://www.pressherald.com/2017/08/20/to-protect-them-from-the-elements-many-maine-boats-are-shrink-wrapped-in-plastic-for-the-winter/

15: https://environment.westchestergov.com/residents/212-news-events/2582-boat-wrap-recycling-expands-to-hudson

Bring Back the Crying Indian! – Mamaroneck River “floatables” – Saxon Woods Park

Plastic Bottles on shore of Mamaroneck River, NY - 10.5.11

I took a hike along the newly cleared floodplain of the Mamaroneck River this week – hurricane Irene and the subsequent storms really re-oriented the latticework of stream courses. Interesting to see how an urban stream can move sediment around. New piles of sand on the banks, all the invasive porcelainberry knocked back and moved out (at least until next spring). If I had a little WW kayak I’d poke around here – it’s the biggest “river” close to my home and seems to have enough flow to struggle downstream past shallow spots in a plastic boat.

But what really got me was the piles of plastic bottles everywhere – “floatables” in the parlance of stormwater engineers. I’m amazed how so many people just throw trash on the sidewalks these days, 40+ years after the first Earth Day. It all gets washed down the stormdrains and ends up on our stream shores and coastal shores. I’ve been to areas by the mouth of the Hutchinson River that have layers of plastic bottles several feet thick – the streambank stratification that forms by the accretion of sediment is now using plastic refuse to “build” the streambank! Pretty sickening.

Mamaroneck River Floodplain 10.5.11

 
 
 
 
At these times I just wonder whatever happened to the old “Keep American Beautiful” commercial that had the Crying Indian riding his horse and seeing people throw trash along the highway and paddling his canoe and looking at all the riverbank garbage. As a child, I know this had a profound affect on me and many of my peers. It enlightened us, shamed us, and stopped us from becoming litterers ourselves. In my opinion, if you show these things to kids when they’re young, it can make a real, lifelong difference in their behavior. How many thousands/millions of American kids saw that commercial and came to learn that littering is bad? Think of how much littering was prevented by the commercial in shear tons of garbage. And just think how inexpensive that ad was considering the many people it affected – probably the single most cost-effective anti-pollution measure of all time.

But they no longer show the commercial on TV and haven’t replaced it with something similar - now several generations of kids have grown up without the shame they should feel in littering. Not long ago a young man pulled up at a red light in front of me, opened his car door, placed his soda can on the ground carefully, then sped away at the green light leaving his empty can upright in the middle of the road! In the parking lot next to my apartment I witnessed another young guy dumping the contents of several fast food runs from his car onto the ground and he was within 20 feet of a garbage can!!

Bring back the Crying Indian before it’s too late – we need him again.

Kayaking Urban Islands - Western Long Island Sound's Coastal Heritage - the Pelham-New Rochelle-Bronx Islands



Fort Slocum Mortar Battery

Hart Island Prison Bldg

Old Boat Engine - Hart Island 2011

Marsh Re-growth Hart Island

Hart Island Abandoned Bldgs









I’ve been sea kayaking in the western-most end of Long Island Sound since the mid-1990's, so it occurred to me to gather some thoughts and photos of the on-water area I’m most familiar with. Not all kayaking enthusiasts are thrilled about paddling in an urban setting - places with old boats bashed up on the shore, abandoned buildings from a bygone era, and views of bridges and skyscrapers in the distance. If I had to venture a guess I'd say most people who live in this region and enjoy water-related recreation gravitate to more pristine settings: such as the southern shore of Long Island where wave action wipes clean the evidence of yesterday’s visitors or the Hudson Highlands with its unspoiled views of the hillsides Hudson himself witnessed. And that’s fine. But for me, kayaking was initially a revelation in the proximity of nature and “wild” places hidden close to home, and for much of my life my home has been the near suburbs of New York City. It is here, in the western end of Long Island Sound off New Rochelle, Pelham, and the Bronx, that a number of near-shore islands sleep like remnant carcasses from the not-to-distant past.

The secret of this region of Long Island Sound, if you can call it a “secret”, is that few paddlers get out to explore the area.  Although kayaking is getting more popular every year, I still rarely see other paddlers here. While it's true the nearby Greenwich, Norwalk and Thimble Islands further east are great places to paddle –  most of these CT islands are more actively used for private homes, for summertime beach picnics , etc. So oddly enough, if you’re seeking a feeling of island isolation, in my experience you’re more likely to find it in the western-end of Long Island Sound.  Many of these western Long Island Sound islands have been abandoned for decades and attract few visitors. 

One of the coolest things about this region is the "ghost town" feel of it, people have left and plants and animals have returned. The isolation of these places, plus the slow but steady battering by wind and waves has reduced former coastal structures to bits and pieces of living space that nature has reclaimed. Decades ago all the Pelham Islands had more active uses, described in some detail below.  But over time these uses ended and the abandoned docks, buildings, and bulkheaded shorelines have been modified by a natural "re-scaping". Shore birds seem to be the most obvious beneficiary of this. Sizable, unoccupied rocky islands appropriate for bird nesting are relatively few in number in Long Island Sound. As a result, these abandoned islands are well-used (sometimes crowded) by herons, oyster catchers, sea gulls, cormorants, “peep” sandpipers, etc.  It behooves the sea kayaker to visit this area to see the life that has re-colonized since active human use has abated.  My encounters with nature while paddling around these "Urban Islands" – bluefish charging past my bow, osprey nesting on an abandoned jetty, harbor seals hauled out on shallow rocks – have been as inspiring to me as any I’ve had in more remote areas.


Islands in Detail:

The islands grouped together off Pelham, New Rochelle, and the Bronx have a unique heritage. Each has its own story to tell. A great deal more can be gleaned from the internet – but here are a few tidbits:

Originally inhabited by the Siwanoy band of Lenape Indians, the Pelham Islands area was settled by Europeans as part of property bought from the Indians by the English nobleman Thomas Pell in 1654. Prior to that, English settlers led by Anne Hutchinson (seeking religious freedom) settled in an area nearby on the river (now known as the Hutchinson River) in 1642. These islands were once part of the town of Pelham, but are now roughly divided between the City of New Rochelle and the Bronx. The map below shows their locations:

 

City Island:

Although not a dormant island as some of the other islands in this region are, City Island is the largest in the chain and  the closest to shore. So it is a good one to describe first. Formerly part of the Town of Pelham until 1895 when the boundary was established between the Bronx and Westchester County, City Island is part of NYC and connected by bridge to the mainland. It’s now the site of many residential homes and restaurants but retains its island and historic feel. Some older, grander homes mixed in with more modest residences, a nautical museum, several churches, a public school, and a variety of eateries catering to New Yorkers who make the trek to have seafood. In the past shipbuilding was perhaps the island’s longest active industry. Many military craft were built there during the World Wars and seven America’s Cup Winning Yachts. Last but not least, City Island is home to the Touring Kayak Club (photo), founded in 1927 as a club for kayaking enthusiasts and very active to this day.

Circumnavigating City Island is fun – I typically launch from the Orchard Beach kayak launch (discussed below) but if you’re paddling solo or in a small group you can find a dead-end street on the island to launch from if you’re intrepid.  Check for the monk parakeets (Myiopsitta monachus) on the southern part of the island by the big fast-food restaurants - the parakeets are native to South America, but now naturalized in some local populations in the NYC area where they build large structures of sticks at the top of telephone poles to keep warm next to electrical transformers.


NW shore of City Island with Radio Tower on High Island

Touring Kayak Club - City Island

Davids Island:

To me the most interesting of the “abandoned” islands in this area, and also the one I’m most
familiar with, is David’s Island. Davids Island is the site of the former Fort Slocum, which began as a military fort to house wounded prisoners of war during the American Civil War, and was developed in a configuration common to forts of the time, including the Fort that still exists on Governors Island in NYC. Officers quarters on one side, barracks and common buildings on the other, embattlements to ward off attacks on the corners - all around a central open parade ground. When its military use ended, the island was sold to the city of New Rochelle in mid-60's and for the next 40 years lay dormant and unmaintained. Normally closed to the public, I had the opportunity to visit David’s Island as part of my job doing Environmental Compliance work in the mid-90’s. We were hired by Donald Trump to conduct an environmental review and investigation and the most striking memory of this experience for me was seeing all these beautiful old buildings in brick and marble being reclaimed by nature. It was like the land that time forgot, Victorian officers quarters moth-balled since the time the Army left the island; old 1950’s era cars in a repair garage; huge embattlements dug into the earth that formerly housed massive cannons for harbor defense; a chapel, gymnasium, barracks…just amazing. The photos below were taken some years later during an Asbestos survey and give you the idea. Another interesting thing was how unafraid the wildlife population I encountered on the island was - raccoons coming down in daylight hours to wash mussels. Not surprising really, several generations of animals adapted to seeing few human visitors for 40 years.

Subsequent “landings” I’ve made to the island by kayak were usually on the adjacent rocky/sandy areas exposed at low tide. The island has a long history, too long to summarize here, but after many proposed developments (power plant; residential towers, Trump’s mansions for millionaires) it eventually came under the ownership of New Rochelle. All buildings were demolished in 2008 sadly due to the desire to make the island “safe” for recreational visitors. What is lost was an amazing heritage of historical architecture and military history – too bad really. But I have high hopes that the future use of the island as a park will be a benefit to visitors (and kayakers).



1936 Aerial of Davids Island showing Fort Layout



Water Tower on Davids Island 2002

Pediment on Davids Island Building

Nature Reclaiming the Island - Davids Island



Trees Growing inside former Army Barracks Bldg



Hart Island:

The second biggest island in the chain is a great one to circumnavigate by kayak. Derelict buildings from it’s era as a prison annex for Riker’s Island and nature reclaiming the edges by growing salt marsh are the main visual attractions. Hart Island’s “claim to fame” is perhaps its use as potter’s field for the burial of indigent or unclaimed persons beginning in 1868, a function it continues to serve to this day.  Landing on the island is offically not allowed.




Hart Island - Stack on Former Prison

Western Shore w/ Abandoned Buildings - Hart Island

Osprey Nest - Hart Island

Columbia and Pea Islands:

These two are next to each other but quite different. Columbia island looks like a concrete bunker, bulkheaded in a square shape – it seems foreboding and unwelcoming. And it is, there’s no easy way to land a kayak there at present so forget it. But it looks cool nonethess. See the photo below – like a concrete ranch house just waiting for someone to reclaim it. In 1939 the island was sold to CBS who renamed it Columbia Island (from Little Pea Island) and turned it into a "radio island", constructing a concrete foundation to support a transmitter building topped by a 410 foot (125 m) antenna tower for WCBS-AM. In 1963 it was purchased by the show-business couple Peter Lind Hayes and Mary Healy who broadcast a breakfast conversation show from their home there and later gave the island to the College of New Rochelle. Seems there’s some activity there of late (2011) but no major renovations – still basically abandoned.

Pea Island is my most typical lunch spot. Located east of Davids Island, it’s a good ½ way spot for a circumnavigation of the overall island chain. The island is owned by the Huguenot Yacht Club which is located on nearby Neptune Island. The island is littered with the remnants of former club structures that were destroyed during a coastal storm in the late 1990's. (Sorry don't have a photo of Pea Island).

Columbia Island taken from kayak

Huckleberry Island:

Huckleberry Island is little visited and used by waterbirds for nesting (egrets/night herons/cormorants). I’ve landed on the sand/rocky areas surrounding the island for a lunch break. It is largely undeveloped and forested. The island is owned by the Huckleberry Indians, Inc., a club within the New York Athletic Club. In the 19th century local tradition held that the island was the location of the buried treasure of Captain William Kidd, one of the most well known pirates in history.



Lunch Break - sandy/rocks exposed at low tide

Visiting/Launch Sites:

The two primary “designated” launch sites for these islands are:

1. Orchard Beach Kayak Launch – located on the bay side of Pelham Bay Park (NYC). Parking nearby is a cinch and there is no charge after Labor Day. Preferred launch spot for reaching the southern islands – City Island and Hart Island.

2. Glen Island Park Boat Launch – located in New Rochelle. My preferred launch spot and closer to the more northerly islands (Davids/Huckleberry). Again, no parking fee after Labor Day.

In addition to exploring the Pelham Islands, from this area one can paddle further out into the Sound to the Execution Rocks Lighthouse, or across to Long Island itself. I've crossed over to Sands Point and Hewlett Point when boat traffic isn't too bad - both are a very doable day-paddle from the Westchester/Bronx shores. The map above shows launch points and island locations.

Orchard Beach Kayak Launch

The End

Kayaking and Coastal Ecology

Here's a link to an article I wrote for Atlantic Kayak Tours - a BCU kayaking center running trips and instructional programs in the NYC Metro area.

Article includes some information and photos of local plants and animals you're likely to see from your cockpit and discusses tips for responsible enjoyment of coastal habitats.

LINK:
http://enviroyak.googlepages.com/KayakingandCoastalEcology12.06.pdf