Harbor Brook natural area

The Harbor Brook natural area is located within the western side of the larger Snug Harbor Park on the North Shore of Staten Island. Harbor Brook begins in Goodhue Park, flows through Allison Pond Park, and then enters a pipe. The brook re-emerges at the south end of Snug Harbor Park, where it flows north through a riparian forest and several wetlands, before becoming tidal and discharging under Richmond Avenue into the Kill Van Kull.

The natural area includes plant communities such as low salt marsh, high salt marsh, salt shrub, and forest. Several ecological restoration projects are planned for the area, including a wetland restoration to restore the natural tidal hydrology, enhance habitat diversity, and increase the extent of the native plant community; a forest restoration to remove surface debris and species that out-compete other plants and to establish native plants; and the installation of a bioretention basin, which will capture and filter street runoff, reducing pollution to receiving waters.