Long Pond natural area

The 91-acre Long Pond Park combines a variety of habitats, from upland oak-beech woods, to swamp forests, bogs, and vernal ponds. Long Pond, protected from pollution by the surrounding forest, provides open water habitat for waterfowl, fish, reptiles, and amphibians. Long Pond Park is contiguous with the northern Mount Loretto Woodlands, and both areas combined are large enough to provide breeding habitat for forest interior birds as well as an important stop on the Atlantic flyway for migrating birds. Mature beech, oak, and hickory woodlands provide much of the foliage in the park. Under the canopy of these trees is an understory layer of spicebush (Lindera benzoin), blueberry (Vaccinium spp.) and many herbaceous plants.

Long Pond's history stretches back for thousands of years, beginning with the Wisconsin Ice Sheet. Until about 15,000 years ago, a huge sheet of ice, hundreds of feet in thickness, blanketed the area. The pressure of the ice caused depressions in sections that had weak underlying rock layers. As the ice receded, these sunken areas formed wetlands such as Long Pond and Pam's Pond. Areas of stronger underlying rock were left above sea level. This topographical feature, known as "knob and kettle terrain," can be seen throughout much of Staten Island except for the extreme southern and southeastern parts that were not covered by the Wisconsin Ice Sheet.

Long Pond and other bodies of water in the park have been incorporated into the "Bluebelt" stormwater drainage system by the NYC Department of Environmental Protection. Encompassing several parcels of state-protected wetlands on the island's South Shore, the Bluebelt system was specifically designed to provide stormwater drainage for the neighboring communities.