Eibs Pond Park
Eibs Pond Park is located in Clifton off Targee Street, behind
the Home Depot and PS 57 on Palma Dr and Hanover Street.The area lies is surrounded by the Park
Hill Apartments to the north, the Fox Hills development to the south, and other condos and homes.
PS 57 opens onto the park, and Concord Alternative High School is two blocks away on Targee. The
children in the community along with adult volunteers continue to work in order to reclaim their
park. Work projects include: cleaning, gardening, and creating wood chip paths.
The area lies below rolling hills
covered by blue stem grass with sweeping views of the Verazzano Bridge and the harbor.
The clay-bottomed pond itself covers three acres, making it the largest kettle pond in New York City.
Because the only source of water for the pond is rain and runoff, the water level can vary
significantly from season to season and year to year. The resulting variety of plant and
animal life is quite impressive. The pond is fringed by a cattail and arrow arum marsh, and
bulrushes, cinnamon fern sassafras, and fragrant water lilies all thrive here. Snowy egrets,
bluegill sunfish, large-mouth bass painted turtles,and muskrats all live in or use the pond.
Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) lived near this site during the summer of 1843. Its beauty
led him to comment that "the cedar seems to be one of the most common trees here, and the fields
are fragrant with it...The whole island is like a garden."
Starting in late June, visitors to Eibs Pond Park can often enjoy a glimpse of monarch butterflies
as they travel through the city. Monarch butterflies from New York City begin migration in September
and travel as much as 2,100 miles to reach their winter destination in central Mexico, in the state
of Michoacan, by the end of October.
Partnership for Parks Involvement
The Parks Department works with the community to set up weekend events.
They provide support, tools, and educational programming.
Patricia Lockhart is a teacher at PS57 working with the
community through SI ToughLove and the Eibs Pond Education Program. She
has written grants and hopes to see that the park is restored and a nature
center is built in the future.
Reverend Hatti Smith Davis has been working at the pond for over twenty years. She was
responsible for removing over 2,000 tires illegally dumped at the park.
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