Naturally, It's yes for Greenbelt

1975

Preservation

Ten months of hearings and negotiations ended in a designation of parts of Riverdale as a Special Natural Area District — only the second in the city, the other is in Staten Island — in which steep slopes, mature trees and rock outcroppings were to be protected from development.

Borough President Robert Abrams called it “a major step in preserving the natural features of our environment.”

The district includes “parts of Spuyten Duyvil, Riverdale and Fieldston, which are of unique and significant ecological and geological value.” a Press article noted, “The area’s flora is unique in its variety, age and size; there are more than 70 varieties of trees. In the Fieldston section there is an impressive urban forest… [as well as] numerous bushes , shrubs, vines and ground cover… As a result, an abundance of small animals and birds flourish there.”