Mau Mau Island’s Message To Us: Join My 365-Day Peaceful Photo Challenge
DAY 144. Curating peace through photos, with and without words.
January 23, 2025
The discovery of another Marine Park Salt Marsh trail a few days ago, and a return walk led me back to the Marine Park Golf Course. From the Golf Course, I could see the north side of Mau Mau Island.
Mau Mau Island (White Island) is an artificial island between Gerritsen and Mill Creeks in Jamaica Bay. It was created when New York City dumped tons of trash into the salt marsh in the early 1900s.
In the mid-1930s, sand excavated for the construction of the Belt Parkway was laid atop the dump. Later, asphalt was deposited on the sand to prevent it from blowing onto the Marine Park Golf Course.
According to Brooklyn resident Tom and the rangers at the Salt Marsh Nature Center, Mau Mau is now a sanctuary for the area’s wildlife. In 2011, the New York City Parks Department began working on the island to restore the salt marsh and bird habitat.
While people can take canoes there in the summer, they should not unless they are on a Parks Department-run birding expedition.
Walking along the southeastern edge of the golf course, where it meets Mill Creek, I beheld serene, calm-water views of the north side of the island.
The weathered wooden posts — remnants of the bridge formerly connecting the Golf Course with the island — flying birds and cloud-speckled blue sky added to the peacefulness of this place.
Merging the views of the island with its history filled the crisp morning air with tranquility.
With the fresh spirit of change we are embracing due to the recent transition of power in the U.S. government, it was good to stand in this space, which reminds us of the importance of preserving our earth for future generations.
The walk, the view, and these photos symbolize the cycles of life and renewal.
If disheartened and discouraged today, let us ask ourselves, as Marcus Aurelius suggests, “Have I done something for the common good?” Then, “stay centered on that. [Do not] give up.”
Let us take lessons from nature and the men and women who fought and continue to fight to preserve Jamaica Bay and the Marine Park Salt Marsh.
Let us understand the lessons of change and the importance of individual and collective stewardship of our environment and each other.
Let us choose to curate peace.
What do these photos and this reflection make you think about? Are they peaceful thoughts, and how can you put them into action?