History

To Park designers Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux, the Ravine was to be the heart of Prospect Park and the centerpiece of an Adirondack-like tableau. The "Ravine District" represented their greatest challenge: It was at the most remote and topographically varied section of the Park, with the highest elevations and the most rugged terrain. This limited the potential uses of the area and subjugated all plans to the natural tendencies of the land. At the same time, the Ravine epitomized the designers’ desire to create heavily forested mountain scenery right in the middle of Brooklyn.


                                                                                      Ravine, date unknown. Herbert Mitchell Collection.

In addition to its natural splendor, the Ravine also presented the ideal configuration for the development of the Park’s primarily man-made watercourse. Park builders were able to turn the entire 143 acres of the Ravine district into a forested watershed, with an interconnected water system that includes the waterfall and Pools at the head of the course and the Lullwater and Lake at the end. All of this was connected by a narrow stream enabled by a combination of natural topography and thoughtful design.

In order to construct the Ravine, the natural ridges and valleys of the terrain were enhanced to create the 100-foot-deep gorge through which the watercourse flows on its way from the Long Meadow to the Nethermead. However, the steep slopes have been subjected to decades of soil erosion. Rainwater draining off of the hills forms gullies through which layers of topsoil slide into the waterway, blocking the passage of water further downstream. Many of the smaller pools became so filled with silt that they completely disappeared.

As the slopes of the Ravine began sinking into the ground below and filling the stream bed with silt and mud, soil erosion also threatened the heavily forested uplands. As topsoil eroded, tree roots became exposed and smaller plants lost their grip on the land. Soil compaction from a century of use also contributed to the degradation of the woodlands, making the soil too hard for roots to grow properly. Soil compaction also contributes to erosion, because healthy root systems normally hold soil in place.

In the 1980s, a series of Historic Landscape Reports were commissioned and the Prospect Park Landscape Management Office was formed to study the area and plan for large-scale restoration efforts. Soon after, the Park’s first Design and Construction Office was formed and a full-time staff of landscape architects, architects, and other professionals began to prepare a Master Plan.

In 1994, the Prospect Park Alliance launched a 25-year restoration plan for the Park’s 250 acres of natural areas. Phase I restored the landscape in the forest core, including the beginning of the watercourse at the Fallkill Falls, the Pools, and the surrounding woodlands. Phases II and III continued the stabilization of the Ravine. In 2000, the Ravine restoration was completed and work begun to restore the Binnenwater, a section of the waterway adjacent to the Ravine district that borders the Nethermead. Originally designed as an open-air reflective pool just downstream from the Ravine, the Binnenwater had become a slow-moving swampy channel overgrown with dense thickets.

                                                                  The Falkill Falls in 1995 and 2000, before and after restoration.

The restoration of the Ravine, Binnenwater, and surrounding woodlands includes labor-intensive soil stabilization and replanting techniques that will prevent further destruction. Hundreds of people contributed to this massive effort, including the Alliance’s Natural Resources Crew, the Woodlands Youth Crew and many volunteers. In total, the Alliance planted approximately 10,000 trees, 10,000 shrubs, 200,000 herbaceous plants, and 30,000 aquatic plants.

Erosion-fighting methods include cribbing (pegged logs placed along slopes to prevent the soil from moving) and the installation of coarse erosion blankets called "coirs" that hold the soil in place and allow new plantings to take root. Also, portions of the waterway have been dredged to remove the excess sediment that blocks the flow of water and restore the shape of the stream bed to its original design. The Ravine’s shrunken pools were excavated to remove invasive phragmites (giant reeds that crowd out a range of ecologically important aquatic species) and replanted with a range of flora that supports the area’s wildlife. Most of the areas under renovation were fenced off so that new plantings would have a chance to take root and grow. In 1998, sections of the Ravine were opened to the public for guided and self-guided tours. In 2002, the Ravine I section was permanently reopened. Restoration of the Park’s watercourse and natural areas will continue for several more years, with the next phase focusing on the Lullwater.

Click here to see the Ravine today.