Strack Pond

Pond in Queens, New York

40°41′25″N 73°51′43″W / 40.69028°N 73.86194°W / 40.69028; -73.86194TypeKettle pondBasin countriesUnited StatesSurface area3 acres (1 hectare) (approximate)SettlementsQueens, New York City

Strack Pond is a glacial kettle pond located inside Forest Park, Queens, New York City. The pond was buried in 1966 and restored four decades later.^[1]

Its namesake was a Woodhaven resident killed in the Vietnam War. The pond is located at a point to the west of Woodhaven Boulevard and south of Forest Park Drive in a natural depression. Historically, Strack Pond did not have an official name. It was given its name in February 1969 after Private First Class Lawrence E. Strack. Strack grew up in Woodhaven and ice skated on what was then an unnamed pond. In the summer, he played in the Rich-Haven Little League, which was composed of children from Woodhaven and Richmond Hill. He signed up to serve as a paratrooper in 1966 and briefly returned home to marry his childhood sweetheart. On March 3, 1967 during a combat parachute jump in Vietnam, PFC Strack was killed in a fierce firefight.

For many years after the renaming, the site was used by the Rich-Haven Little League. The site often flooded after even a moderate rain, making it unusable for much of the year. In May 2004, the restored pond was opened to the public as a three-acre nature preserve with a trail descending to the pond.^[2]^[3] Cleanup of the pond started in 2019. A full renovation with a patio has been proposed but is currently unfunded.^[4]

References

^ Kadinsky, Sergey (2016). Hidden Waters of New York City: A History and Guide to 101 Forgotten Lakes, Ponds, Creeks, and Streams in the Five Boroughs. New York, NY: Countryman Press. pp. 131–133. ISBN 978-1-58157-566-8.
^ Parks & Recreation celebrates restoration of Strack Pond” NYC Department of Parks & Recreation May 19, 2004
^ Joiner, Bryan (May 27, 2004). "Strack Memorial Pond Unveiled After Two Years Of Construction". Queens Chronicle. Retrieved January 30, 2022.
^ Shain, Michael (June 6, 2019). "Once a pond a time in Forest Park". Queens Chronicle. Retrieved February 21, 2020.

External links

Strack Pond, Hidden Waters Blog

Waterways of New York City

Tidal straits

New York Harbor	Buttermilk Channel The Narrows Ambrose Channel New York Bight
Other interstate	Arthur Kill Kill Van Kull Long Island Sound
Intra-city	Bronx Kill East River Hell Gate Harlem River Rockaway Inlet Spuyten Duyvil Creek

Bays and coves

New York Bay

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East River

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Rivers, creeks,
canals

Hudson River
- North River

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Lakes, ponds,
reservoirs

Long Island	Baisley Pond Beaver Pond Bowne Lake Golden Pond Goose Pond Kissena Lake Meadow and Willow Lakes Potamogeton Pond Prospect Park Lake Ridgewood Reservoir Roy Wilkins Park Pond Strack Pond
The Bronx	Crotona Park Reservoir Jerome Park Reservoir Van Cortlandt Lake Williamsbridge Reservoir
Manhattan	Collect Pond Central Park Conservatory Water Harlem Meer Lake Onassis Reservoir Pond Pool and Loch Turtle Pond Croton Distributing Reservoir Highbridge Reservoir
Staten Island	Clove Lakes Long Pond Sharrotts Pond Silver Lake Wolfe's Pond