Mau Mau Island

Mau Mau Island, also called White Island,[1] is a small uninhabited island in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, located between Gerritsen Creek and Mill Creek in the Marine Park recreation area.[2] Historically, the area around Mau Mau Island was a salt marsh with shifting topography. The island came into existence permanently after 1917,[note 1] and most likely formed in 1934 as dumping led to the current shoreline.[3]

Looking south at Mau Mau Island and the Marine Parkway Bridge from Marine Park.

The area was uninhabited by European settlers until the last 1700s, when a mill and bridge were built. It was donated to the City of New York in the early 1930s, along with much of Marine Park, by Alfred Tredway White and Frederic Pratt with the requirement that it become parkland.[4][5]

In the 1930s, sand excavated during construction of the Belt Parkway was added to the island. Subsequently, patches of asphalt were laid on top to prevent the sand from blowing onto the nearby Marine Park Golf Course.[6]

In 2011, the New York City Parks Department began a restoration project on the island, with the goal of restoring salt marsh and bird habitat.[7]

Notes
  1. According to Seitz & Miller 2011, p. 310, "[T]here was no island in the creek in 1917."

References
  1. Chaudhury, Nadia (July 26, 2011). "Sailing the High Seas of Brooklyn with Swimming Cities". The L Magazine. Retrieved September 17, 2013.
  2. "Mau Mau Island". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. Retrieved September 17, 2013.
  3. Kadinsky, Sergey (2016). Hidden Waters of New York City: A History and Guide to 101 Forgotten Lakes, Ponds, Creeks, and Streams in the Five Boroughs. Countryman Press. p. 213. ISBN 978-1-58157-566-8.
  4. Seitz, Sharon; Miller, Stuart (2011). Other Islands of New York City. Countryman Press. p. 310. ISBN 1581578865.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  5. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on October 29, 2013. Retrieved August 7, 2014.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  6. Sullivan, Robert (September 10, 2010). "The Concrete Jungle". New York. Retrieved October 24, 2013.
  7. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on October 16, 2013. Retrieved September 17, 2013.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)


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