The New York Times reported on the partial re-opening of the Hallett Nature Center which has been a well-kept secret of New York City — to people, if not to migrating birds, the occasional wandering coyote and annoying, invasive plants like wisteria: a four-acre peninsula in Central Park that the groundskeepers did not bother with and that was off limits to the public.
Not since the 1930s has it been open regularly; now, it will be — from 2 to 5 p.m. three days a week through June 30, and four days a week from July 1 to Aug. 31 with slightly different hours. The opening is the result of work done under the Central Park Conservancy’s Woodlands Initiative, a $40 million project that involved revitalizing areas of the 843-acre park, including the Promontory, as the peninsula was originally known.
“The story is, Robert Moses closed it off because he wanted it to turn into a bird sanctuary,” said Douglas Blonsky, who as president and chief executive of the Central Park Conservancy is the park’s administrator. Moses became the parks commissioner in 1934. Mr. Blonsky said parks workers began the labor-intensive process of clearing the sanctuary about 15 years ago. To read the article in its entirety, along with seeing photos, click here.