NYCkayaker Rachel Gorden, NYS Parks, Willing To Listen--Follow-Up w/ Specifics Needed

[rob buchanan]

Tom,

A number of us have specifically discussed the sandy pocket beach in
empire-fulton ferry state park with ms. Gordon. She is not prepared to
approve its use, even for landing, because of the slippery rip-rap behind
the beach--boaters might try to get up to the walkway, or pedestrians might
be encouraged to climb down. She did not say she wasn't ruling it out in the
future, but let it be known pretty clearly that for this season it wouldn't
be possible.

>From your standpoint that's a bummer, but there is a fallback solution about
50 feet away--the cobble beach on the city parks side of the dividing line.
It's not a legal landing either, but there's never anyone in the city park
to tell you not to.

Here's a link to a photo that shows the two beaches, the state parks one is
at the right of the frame--the little sandy one in front of the red brick
warehouse. The city parks one is the bigger rocky beach at the center of the
frame. 

http://www.newyorkharborbeaches.org/image/beach12img01.jpg

Going north on the east river, there are at least two other state parks that
would be nice to land in--east river state park in williamsburg, and gantry
plaza state park in long island city. As far as I know, you can't land in
either, even though east river state park has a nice long beach:

 http://www.newyorkharborbeaches.org/image/beach11img05.jpg

(picture was taken before it became a state park, but beach still looks the
same)

I don't know what the situation is at gantry plaza state park--there are a
lot of coves and a perfectly good dock for small boats. From what I've heard
they still won't let you land, but maybe the folks at the long island city
community boathouse know better.

My suggestion is to go try to land at all three beaches, write down the
names of the people you have 'discussions' with, and then write ms. Gordon
with the details. I'm sure she's right that there's no such state regulation
on paper, but the effect is the same.

Rob
 



On 6/23/08 7:38 PM, "TomBrooklyn" <tombrook11232 at yahoo.com> wrote:

>>>> From: rob buchanan
>>> The state parks rule [not to land kayaks] seems to extend to all the other
>>> state parks on the east river, in williamsburg and long island city.
>>> Rachel Gordon, the head of
>>> the nyc region for state parks, has heard from boaters before about this,
>>> but I think more notes and letters could only
>>> be a good thing.  Rachel Gordon: Rachel.Gordon at oprhp.state.ny.us
>> 
>>> TomBrooklyn wrote:
>> Done.  She ought to be inundated with emails regarding this...
>> 
>>> From: rob buchanan  To: TomBrooklyn, nykayak
>> I think she's interested but there's a lot of hierarchy at
>> state parks, so it will take a concerted effort to get things to move.
> *********************
> 
> Apparently Ms. Gordon is interested and willing and eager to helf as I
> recieved a
> response from her today indicating so.
> 
> I don't know the particulars so someone else who does will have to respond to
> her if
> anything concrete is to be accomplished.
> 
> Ms Gordon deny's their is a "State Regulation" against landing and asks
> specifically
> where kayakers would like to be able to land.
> 
> Below is a copy of her response to me.  I hope neither she nor LH (LH's email
> was
> part of Ms. Gordon's response) will mind if I reprint it here.   I will also
> below
> reprint the email I sent her for context purposes.
> Cheers,
> TomBrooklyn
> ===========================================
> RE: small craft landing    Mon, 23 Jun 2008
> From: Rachel.Gordon at oprhp.state.ny.us
> 
> Clearly all three of you have written to me together, so I shall answer you
> together. You have been misinformed. There is no such ³State regulation.²
> Please
> tell me where you plan to boat that might create an emergency if you are
> unable to
> land. Please tell me where there is a beach that you believe is safe for
> boaters to
> come ashore. Delighted to discuss this further if you have specific questions.
> Rachel Gordon  
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> --
> From: Laura H   To: Gordon, Rachel (NYC2) Subject: small craft landing
> Hello There!
> I've been hearing a lot about small craft being unable to come ashore at State
> Park
> property. What are the regulations in that regard? And what is the rationale?
> I
> intend to go boating for the first time & I'm concerned about the lack of
> places to
> come ashore in case of emergency or just plain old fatiged.
> Thanks.  Laura H
> ===========================================================
> Dear Ms Gordon,
> Kayakers ought to be able to land and launch from State Parks in NYC.
> At the very least they ought to be able to land and rest on the beaches.
> This
> would have no adverse impact whatsoever, and denying them this right is a
> blatent
> disregard for their right to use their park.    Note I said their park, not
> the
> Government's park.
> Please fix this problem with the current park regulations.   Thank you.
> Regards,
> Tom Dowling
> [aka TomBrooklyn]
> **********************************************************************
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