We all care about Putnam Trail

To the editor:

(re: “Trail paving is a big plus,” Sept. 12)

It’s a tad dismissive to say that the Putnam Trail was “under discussion” for 10 years and not prevailing doesn’t mean being ignored, etc. Many people came out in support of the aesthetics of the park, the history, the wildlife — which at one time the state described as having a rare biodiversity seldom seen in the Bronx, something they did not say about north and south of the park.

We did get two boardwalks, bioswales — which would be needed whatever was done — curves and narrower width, as long as the parks department follows through on its permits. But endorsing changing the ecosystem around the trail to look more like the ecosystem around the West Drive in Central Park, or the urbanized north, is not a stance we took.

Both sides showed up to hearings and meetings on the issue, but in this case, the “system” sided with the agency, significantly helped by a Community Board 8 chair who thought resistance was futile, current and former council members, and other organizations that did show up to protect the Special Natural Area District.

Paving the trail may violate the public trust doctrine, which says that parkland cannot be dedicated for non-park uses. Asphalt was insisted on to create a bike greenway with a “continuous surface” to connect the bike trails to the north. And more recently, there’s been mention of an Empire State Trail.

In both cases, the paving is for activities outside of the park. But if history is prologue, that will be gotten around.

I’ve asked that the trail inside the park be renamed the John Kieran Natureway, to commemorate the great naturalist. In fact, part of the Putnam Trail is the John Kieran Nature Trail, and as a way to remind those passing through that an unusual ecosystem exists there, and others may be there to enjoy it.

In terms of urban planning, the innovative approach suggested in a recent Riverdale Press letter — of choosing indicators of living creatures to influence choices made — may be a lifesaver. Scientific measures and formulas could be developed to figure out how to do that.

In the last half-century, Earth has lost 50 percent of its wildlife and 40 percent of its phytoplankton. Phytoplankton makes up 75 percent of the air we breathe.

The City Planning Commission and the urban planning classes need new ideas about how we approach landscapes. Otherwise, that trajectory won’t change.

Suzanne Corber

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