Can Two Maple Trees At The Entrance To Roosevelt Island's Southpoint Park Be Saved From Cutting Down? Here's A Sneak Peak At What Southpoint Park Looks Like Just Before It's July Opening - Hopefully

Image from Reader of Maple Trees At Southpoint Park Gate Entrance In Danger of Being Cut Down

I received the following plea from a Roosevelt Island resident hoping to save two Maple Trees in Front of the East Side entrance to Southpoint Park.

Down at the new Park, at South Point, I believe they are calling it Wild Gardens there are 2 beautiful Maple trees left untouched by the bulldozers. A lot of wildlife has disappeared since all the park construction as well as the beautiful trees and bushes that were down there....well, I have attached a picture of 2 Maples trees that are there at the left of the big new black iron gates as you approach the entrance...they are such nice trees. If you go down there, they have placed some rusted iron columns at the entrance to the gate, maybe an artistic touch, not sure, but the trees are so perfect right there at the gate.

They are so beautiful framing the entrance to the park there...it is on the South Eastern side if you walk down behind Gold Water Hospital. The trees have been there many years and I hear they are tearing them down in the coming days...they have leveled every other tree and bush down there...I wonder why they would tear down 2 beautiful trees that frame the entrance to the park?

Several of us that are concerned about the trees being torn down. If you could post the picture and maybe just shed some light on saving some of the natural and wild trees and fauna at the new park that would be so cool.

I notice how barren and sterile the 1st part of the park looks, no shade to sit under, no fountain sending water up into the sky, not benches or places to have a picnic ... Have you been down there and check it out?

I hope that those 2 Maples that have been there 20 or 30 years will continue to live and provide shade and beauty to not just us that live here, but for others to visit and see and provide many memories about people meeting at the Maple tree on Roosevelt Island.

The reader's message was slightly edited by me.

After receiving the reader's message, I took a walk down to Southpoint Park. The gate was open

and a Roosevelt Island Public Safety Officer was stationed just outside of the Gate. I asked the Officer for permission to enter so I could take some photos but the Officer politely informed me that I could not at that time.

I did manage to take some photos of the new Wild Gardens/Green Room Park from just a couple of feet past the gate and did see some wildlife, these geese,

young trees and

and a grass lawn

as well as the two Maple Trees just in front of the Southpoint Park entrance framing the Citigroup Building in Long Island City.

Another reader asked when Southpoint Park was scheduled to open. I replied:

The northern portion of Southpoint Park, called Wild Gardens Green Room, is scheduled to open in July.

The southern portion of the Park, site of the Kahn/FDR Memorial, is not scheduled to open for at least another couple of years.

Did this post on the opening of Wild Gardens.

I am very much looking forward to the opening of Wild Gardens/Green Room on Roosevelt Island, although I think it may have a different name now but am not sure about that.

Here are some more pictures from just inside the gate of Southpoint Park and leaning over the top of the fence on the Western side of the park.