The installation of a brand new wooden fishing platform and gravel access road come as a result of Assemblyman Borelli’s 2014 request to determine the potential of opening the pond to fishing
Assemblyman Borelli (R – South Shore) is happy to announce that the first phase of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation’s (DEC) project, part of Governor Cuomo’s $6 million initiative to increase accessibility at state parks, at Mount Loretto Unique Area has been completed, allowing access to the pond on the Hylan Boulevard side of the property via a newly constructed, wooden fishing platform.
Borelli had requested that the pond located in the Mount Loretto Unique Area off of Hylan Blvd in Tottenville be made accessible to the public, and that a study be initiated to determine the pond’s potential for fishing. A gravel path has also been installed leading from the parking lot to the fishing platform and pond in order to provide easy access to the pond for licensed catch and release anglers and nature observers.
The project is still ongoing, and will ultimately include a widening of the current parking lot off of Hylan Boulevard to accommodate more vehicles. At the request of Assemblyman Borelli, the DEC will also consider the need to stock the pond with fish that are indigenous to the area and beneficial to the ecology of this preserved space, which is home to and visited by many rare animals, including bald eagles.
“I’m proud of the work that has been done by the DEC in a relatively short period of time, and I’m grateful that they have been so responsive to our requests for additional access. As a Staten Islander and a fisherman, I’m excited to get my line in the water and enjoy another aspect of this wonderful preserved area,” said Borelli. “I, like so many others, anxiously await the completion of this project and the additional utilization that this unique area will receive from the south shore community.”