Long Island’s Sea Ducks

To most mainland New York hunters, gunning for sea ducks is as foreign a sport as an African safari. Yet it can be as much of an adventure as any bird hunt can be. Even though the action takes place within sight of one of the greatest metropolitan areas on Earth, sea duck hunting on Long Island Sound offers first-rate sport that should not be missed!

Long Beach offshore gas plant

Surfers, environmentalists and local politicians will gather tonight in Long Beach for a federal hearing on a liquid natural gas processing plant proposed for a 60.5-acre man-made island that would be built 13.5 miles south of Long Beach.

Coney Island Restaurant Landmark, Auctioned

 An auction was held yesterday afternoon to liquidate the contents of Gregory & Paul’s restaurant, one of the last remaining components that made up Astroland’s three-acre space. The Gothamist

$16M A YEAR FOR PLANNED B’KLYN PARK

The controversial Brooklyn Bridge Park project will cost $16.1 million a year to maintain — making it the city’s second-most-expensive park per acre to operate.

Report to detail, address coastal pollution in NY

Faced with more beaches closed by algae, bacteria and toxics, depleted shellfish beds and sharply reduced commercial fisheries, New York is poised to act against a rising tide of unhealthy coastal waters.

Sail on MSC Cruises Spectacular Winter Sailings to Quebec and New York City

MSC Cruises, long a leader in the European cruise market and a growing presence in the Caribbean cruise winter market, will be adding Canada and New England cruises to its offerings in 2010.

On This Day in History: Ocean Parkway Becomes Landmark

On Jan. 28, 1975, Ocean Parkway was designated a scenic landmark. Ocean Parkway runs about six miles north to south from Prospect Park to the southeastern edge of Coney Island.

Astroland’s Rocket Is Set for Re-entry

After the Astroland Park rocket in Coney Island was dismantled this month, its fate seemed up in the air. But the city announced on Wednesday that it had found a landing place for the beloved rocket — and it is, um, Coney Island.

Dutch Help to Celebrate Hudson’s Journey

The mayor of Amsterdam, Marius Job Cohen, and the mayor of New York, Michael R. Bloomberg, joined forces on Wednesday to announce NYC 400, a yearlong celebration of the 400th anniversary of Henry Hudson’s arrival in New York Harbor in 1609 aboard the Half Moon.

Cites Unexplained Costs of New Parks in the Bronx

With costs ballooning to replace two Bronx parks that were bulldozed for the new Yankee Stadium — the latest estimate is almost $195 million — the city’s Independent Budget Office said on Tuesday that more than $16 million of the higher expense “remains to be explained.”

New York to Transform Land Strip Into Eco-Haven

In a matter of a few years, New York plans to turn Governors Island into a sustainable eco-park featuring such attractions as botanical greenhouses and a two-mile-long promenade In New York it’s hard to escape the billowing exhaust fumes emanating from vehicles, the cacophonous sounds of honking taxi cabs, the stench of garbage piled along narrow streets, or even the dingy rats that carelessly scuttle along the gritty underground railway tracks.

Obama Wants to Reopen Lady Liberty’s Crown

Visitors to Liberty Island and the Statue of Liberty will once again be able to climb the 354 steps from the base of the Statue of Liberty to the iconic crown that overlooks New York Harbor — but not quite yet.

Asser Levy Us Alone!

Borough President Markowitz’s pet project — a major concert venue in Coney Island that would be a physical legacy of his two (and perhaps three) terms in office — crashed into neighborhood opposition from critics who say it will be too big and too loud.

The New School Oyster Midden

Internationally acclaimed environmental artist Mara G. Haseltine announced the unveiling of her latest creation, The New School Oyster Midden, at NYC’s The New School for Liberal Arts Located at: The New School Courtyard on 66 West, 12th St New York City (front Garden) this innovative project merges public art, environmental awareness and a slice of New York’s history.

Plastic boardwalk takes shape on Coney Island

A board-free boardwalk is taking shape on Coney Island – and a lot of New Yorkers don’t like it.

Mannahatta, Past, Present and Future

Four hundred years ago this month a legal contract was quietly negotiated that, arguably, would change the face of New York. You could even say it would point America toward the ethnic and racial diversity now personified by Barack Obama.

Rife With Sludge, There’s a New Vessel to Haul It

The Red Hook — not the neighborhood, but a state-of-the-art, 1.2-million-gallon sludge vessel that took three years to build — was officially commissioned on Thursday morning in a ceremony at the dock of the Wards Island Wastewater Treatment Plant, on the East River.

port authority to offer cash incentive to rail shippers

Yesterday, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) board approved an incentive program aimed at encouraging shippers to transport more cargo by rail.

Miss Liberty and Ellis Isle draw larger crowds

The ferry operator that carts visitors to and from the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island insists that security snafus prevented last year’s growth from being even bigger.

Mayor unveils plan for Coney Island rezoning

The city wants to create an expanded 27-acre amusement district as well as residential towers up to 27 stories high.