Dubos Point Wildlife Sanctuary

Dubos Point was a saltwater marsh until 1912, at which point it was filled with dredged materials for real estate development. The project failed to materialize and the site reverted to a more natural state. Now, the 33-acre site is home to the largest salt marsh on the north shore of the Rockaway peninsula east of Rockaway Point. Marsh interior species can be observed here, including saltmarsh sparrow (Ammospiza caudacuta), seaside sparrow (Ammospiza maritima), and willet (Tringa semipalmata). Upland grassland and maritime shrubland provide habitat for diamondback terrapins (Malaclemys terrapin), Fowler's toads (Anaxyrus fowleri), and black-crowned night herons (Nycticorax nycticorax). Peregrine falcons (Falco peregrinus), an endangered species in New York State, have been seen on Dubos.

The Dubos Point Wildlife Sanctuary is named to honor two environmentalists, Dr. Rene Dubos (1901-1982) and his wife Jean Dubos (1918-1988). As advisor to the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment (1972), Rene Dubos coined the phrase "Think Globally, Act Locally." Rene Dubos died in 1982 and was survived by Jean, who was the moving force behind the formation of this sanctuary. Its creation corresponds with the Dubos' vision of global environmentalism achieved through local action.