Saturday, April 22, 2023

Dolphin Spotted In East River Today Between Roosevelt Island And Long Island City Near The Queensboro Bridge, 2nd Time In 2 Weeks

For the second time in 2 weeks, a dolphin was spotted swimming in the East River near Roosevelt Island today. 

During today’s Roosevelt Island Little League game, George Estreich spotted a dolphin in the East River swimming past Roosevelt Island and Long Island City near the Queensboro Bridge and shares these photos.

 As previously reported about the earlier dolphin sighting:

Bob Babcock, an original Roosevelt Island resident, adds:

When I worked on the launch of NYWaterTaxi in 97 (my cover letter, describing life on the East river, and seeing the changes over time, secured the job) we saw dolphins in the lower harbor by Governors Island. The Gowanus was still a toxic stew, but the waterways around NYC had greatly improved since we moved to the Island in 1975 when the joke on Barney Miller was the you don’t drown in the East River, you dissolve.

Much of the credit for this transformation should go to a Roosevelt Island pioneer and her cadre of environmentalists: Sally Leifer, the first teacher assigned to PS/IS217, was part of the protest to GE’s pollution at Storm King, that led in part to the passing of the EPA. She went on to help establish the first Environmentally-focused public school in NYC. Her friend, Tom Fox, a Ranger at Gateway National Park (who taught us about horseshoe crabs and mollusk beds), went on to found the Greenway Project, to restore the New York City waterfront, which ultimately became Hudson River Park. 

So dolphins out your window are courtesy of a long history of concerned citizens working to protect the environment, getting regulation passed, and then continued vigilance. Be a part of it.

Here's a 2022 story from WPIX News about researchers at the Wildlife Conservation Society and NY Aquarium studying dolphins in the NY waters.

 

Keep a look out for East River dolphins. Snap a photo or take video and share.

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