On May 18th, 2024, AYLUS Oakland Gardens held its 71st event at Fort Totten Park. During this event, our volunteers toured Fort Totten Park while learning about its history and wildlife from Park Rangers Brandon, Shantel Mena, and Sergeant Joe. We would like to thank the generous Park Rangers for taking the time to teach us about the park.
Our volunteers were separated into 2 groups, and only people who were at least 8 years old could attend this event. The first group consisted of people 12 or older, and the second group consisted of people from 8 to 11 years old. The first group was led by Ranger Brandon, and the second Group was led by Ranger Shantel Mena.
During the event, we were shown Fort Totten Park’s visitor center. We were told that the visitor center is open to the public on weekends and used to be an ordnance building. This meant that the building was used to store ammunition and repair weapons. We learned that the park used to be a fort that was originally built during the American Civil War as a training camp and was named Fort Totten in 1898. Demonstrating its military history, there were model ships, historical images, and uniforms on display. There was also an antique rifle in a display case. In addition to its military history, the visitor center was adorned with books and posters teaching us about the park’s wildlife. There were also animal bones and taxidermy animals (such as a coyote), as well as live animals such as turtles and snakes.
We were brought to a tunnel that led us to the fort itself. There was an area near the entrance to the tunnel that the Park Rangers told us was originally used to store torpedoes. This area is currently being used as a storage area by the park. We were led through the tunnel, where we were shown some graffiti labeled “Remember the Maine,” referring to the ship the USS Maine, whose destruction in Havana Harbor helped lead to the Spanish-American War.
When we arrived at the fort, we were shown windows in the wall where cannons could fire through. Iron hatches were also placed on the windows, where they could protect cannons when they weren’t being fired. This was a mechanism that was developed at the fort. We were also shown a window where we could see Fort Skyler. Fort Skyler is located in the Bronx and is the sister fort of Fort Totten.
We learned that the fort was made of granite because it is a stronger material than bricks. The fort also had stone archways, which made the building more stable. We also saw another ammunition storage area next to a “monkey run,” a pathway used to transport ammunition.
We were also able to examine the damage caused by testing artillery on the fort. In the areas that were hit by older types of ammunition, there was only minor damage. However, in the areas that were hit with newer types of ammunition, there was significant damage to the fort. After this test, construction stopped on the fort because it was considered obsolete. Only 2 floors and 2 sides were built out of the 4 floors and 5 sides that were originally planned.
Urban Park Ranger Brandon told us that the fort had been decommissioned and sold to the city in the 1990s. It is currently being shared by the Parks Department, the Fire Department, the Police Department, and the Coast Guard. The army still maintains a reserve center on the site. He also told about the efforts of the Urban Park Rangers to educate and connect New Yorkers with nature by running free weekend events and educational programs in classrooms.
It is important to participate in events such as this because they give us an opportunity to learn more about the parks and the community we live in. We become more connected to our environment and community, enabling us to use these skills to benefit both. This also enables us to teach other people about these things. While we may not be actively working in nature, this is still something that helps improve our community.
After the end of the event, Sergeant Joe told us that while these rangers wouldn’t normally be available during this time, they had specially volunteered their time to guide us in the event. They told us that because they didn’t have enough rangers and that they had to divert rangers away for an event like this, it would have normally cost $100 per 30 people. We would like to thank the Urban Park Rangers for their generosity and for volunteering their time to teach us about the park.
Sergeant Joe also mentioned that the park is facing budget cuts and that many rangers are leaving. He encouraged us to write letters to the New York City Council to tell them that we appreciate the rangers and that they should keep funding parks. He also told us about the necessity of volunteer organizations such as ours due to these budget cuts. Finally, they informed us that they were happy to keep working with us on events such as park cleanups and puppet shows.
We would like to thank our volunteers for participating in this event, and we would like to especially thank the Urban Park Rangers, whose commitment to serving the community and their excitement in teaching us about the park have inspired us. Words cannot express how much we appreciate your generosity and kindness. Without their valiant efforts, this event would not have been possible, and we hope to continue working with you in the future!
Our volunteers:
Hong Hao Liu: 1.5 hour
Jia Qi Liu: 1.5 hour
Vicki Lin: 1.5 hour
Sophia Gao: 1.5 hour
Derrick Gao: 1.5 hour
Aaron Shi: 1.5 hour
Justin Cheong: 1.5 hour
Sophia Li: 1.5 hour
Alex Lu: 1.5 hour
Kaisa Wu: 1.5 hour
Rex He: 1.5 hour
Aiden Lin: 1.5 hour
Brandon Lin: 1.5 hour
Ryan Wu: 1.5 hour
Ryan Chen: 1.5 hour
Jasper Lee: 1.5 hour
Chris Chen: 1.5 hour
Michael Chen: 1.5 hour
Zhen Xie: 1.5 hour
Songen Yang: 1.5 hour
Melissa Chen: 1.5 hour
Owen Guo: 1.5 hour
Siqi Chen: 1.5 hour
Chong Chen: 1.5 hour
Hangxu Yu: 1.5 hour
Mo Yu: 1.5 hour
Shirley Chiu: 1.5 hour
Iris Lee: 1.5 hour
Nicole Chen: 1.5 hour
Anthony Lin: 1.5 hour
Jiaheng Yu: 1.5 hour
Sunny Chen: 1.5 hour
Hannah Zheng: 1.5 hour
Emily Zheng: 1.5 hour
Austin Yuel: 1.5 hour
Evaline Yuel: 1.5 hour
Sebastian Wong: 1.5 hour
Thomas Liang: 1.5 hour
William Liang: 1.5 hour
Kobe Zheng: 1.5 hour
Brian Chen: 1.5 hour
Charles Chen: 1.5 hour
Zhiyan Zeng: 1.5 hour
Xiyan Zeng: 1.5 hour
Abby Zheng: 1.5 hour
XiLin Huang: 1.5 hour
Hannah Liu: 1.5 hour
Evina Liu: 1.5 hour
Ayden Shi: 1.5 hour
Owen Liu: 1.5 hour
Darren Li: 1.5 hour
Carolyn Zhao: 1.5 hour
Alecia Zhao: 1.5 hour
Parent Adviser Team:
Hsinhui Liao (Karen): 2.5 hours
Cui Fang Li (Fannie): 2.5 hours
Teng Fei Liu (Faye): 2.5 hours
Report Written by: Anthony Lin
Reviewed by: Jia Qi (Angela) Li
