Paddling the Bay

Jamaica Bay is an ideal place to encourage human-powered boating. The Rockaway Peninsula protects the bay from the Atlantic Ocean creating relatively calm waters. The natural landscape provides a scenic experience perfect for education and recreation programming. And the area is easily accessible for the hundreds of thousands of local residents and regional visitors alike.

Since 2008, 15 official and non-official human-powered boat access points have been established around the bay. The sites are part of the citywide Water Trail system managed by NYC Department of Parks and Recreation (NYCDPR), part of Gateway National Recreation Area managed by the National Parks Service (NPS), or owned by private service providers who occasionally allow the public to land and launch from their facilities. In recent years, various government entities and community members have expressed the desire to expand human-powered boat access in the bay. This sentiment has been reiterated in a number of planning efforts and documents, including: Vision 2020 (NYC Department of City Planning 2011), Gateway National Recreation Area Final General Management Plan (National Park Service, 2014), Rockaway Parks Conceptual Plan (NYCDPR and NYCEDC, 2014), and Gardening the Bay (SCAPE Landscape Architecture, Rebuild by Design, 2014). In 2014, over 6,700 visitors took to the water — taking advantage of free programming offered by NPS and NYCDPR, or the various kayak rentals, lessons, tours and events offered by local businesses and non-profit organizations. The growing interest to paddle the bay creates a unique opportunity to further rejuvenate New Yorkers’ relationship with the Jamaica Bay Waterfront by strengthening and expanding the water trail to be a recreational asset for all users. While some water trail infrastructure such as signage and launch pads currently exists, there has not been a collaborative effort to create a cohesive water trail vision that will enable and encourage more visitors to experience this recreational resource.

Since 2011 Regional Plan Association (RPA) and NPS have had a Cooperative Agreement to conduct a comprehensive public engagement campaign and planning process to identify ways to improve access to the Jamaica Bay Greenway and waterfront from neighboring communities. Building on this effort, RPA received a NPS Challenge Cost Share Program grant to explore the opportunities and challenges to advancing the Jamaica Bay water trail concept. Over the last year and a half, RPA collected public input regarding the water trail at three paddling events and three community workshops, interviewed local business owners, experienced paddlers, and park rangers/managers to gain insight into the challenges and opportunities in improving the water trail, and conducted site visits and research about various access points. This paper explores the most important issues to be considered, highlights existing and potential water trail infrastructure, and recommends potential strategies to advance the Jamaica Bay Water Trail.