White Island Lookout

What secrets does White Island Lookout hold? White Island, also known as Mau Mau Island, sits quietly in Brooklyn’s Marine Park, nestled between Gerritsen Creek and Mill Creek. It’s a small, uninhabited island, a peaceful spot in a bustling city. White Island Lookout isn’t a towering structure. It’s the island itself that offers the viewpoint. The island wasn’t always there. Before 1917, the area was simply a shifting salt marsh. The island likely solidified around 1934, formed by landfilling. This landfill came from the construction of the Belt Parkway. Sand was dumped in the area, creating the island we see today. To prevent this sand from blowing onto the nearby Marine Park Golf Course, patches of asphalt were added. In the early 1930s, the land that now forms Marine Park, including White Island, was donated to New York City. The donors, Alfred Tredway White and Frederic Pratt, stipulated that the land be used as parkland. This generous gift ensured the preservation of this natural area for generations to come. In 2011, the New York City Parks Department began a restoration project on White Island. Their goal was to revitalize the salt marsh and create a thriving bird habitat. White Island Lookout provides a unique perspective on the city. It’s a place where you can observe the interplay of nature and urban development. From the remnants of its industrial past to its current role as a haven for birds, White Island tells a story of change and resilience.