A project to transform a birder’s paradise into a children’s playground and garden in Prospect Park could help lead to the local “extinction” of already-suffering migratory fowl, critics say.
The $37.5 million plan to revitalize the dilapidated and overgrown Vale in the northeast corner of the park would take away precious shelter for millions of warblers, sparrows and thrushes during their biannual voyages — simply to indulge humans, birders argue.
“When you see the habitat disappearing slowly — a little bit here, a little bit there — it adds up to becoming a real danger for the survival of our migrants, which is very troubling,” said Tom Stephenson, a Brooklyn bird guide and Princeton University bird lecturer.
“Humans are not in danger of extinction, but birds are in danger of extinction.”
The Prospect Park Alliance, in tandem with the city Parks Department, broke ground on the project last month, announcing it would bring the Vale back to its former glory after it has been left virtually untouched for more than 50 years.
The 8-acre corner of parkland was originally designed in the 19th century as a children’s playground and later became a rose garden, which has deteriorated into overgrown foliage today.
The planned restoration would add such things as restrooms, a pollinator meadow, a revival of the historic Children’s Pool and a play space while removing invasive plant species that have taken hold in the area.
But birders worry the upheaval will destroy crucial layers of vegetation between the forest floor and canopy that species such as ovenbirds and warblers cannot survive without.
“They are ground feeders, period,” Stephenson said of the species. “They do not see trees as an opportunity to feed and rest. That’s just the way they have evolved, so you need a range of habitats to help these species survive.”
The birders are also extremely concerned that the project’s planned Nature Exploration Area, a “nature-based play area” to be surrounded by plants, trees and shrubs, which will help support local wildlife, will be trampled soon after it is established.
A similar incident has already happened: The Brooklyn Bird Club donated about $20,000 to plant a native garden at the southern end of the Vale in 2009, but the site was destroyed as kids walked through and ripped out sections meant to serve as a haven for birds.
“That area is devoid of birds now. That was a very rich habitat for low canopy warblers, and they’re essentially not there anymore,” said Dennis Hrehowsik, president of the Brooklyn Bird Club.
The Prospect Park Alliance insisted that the surrounding woodlands will be protected by “strategically placed shrubs” and mesh fencing, as well as wood chips and a timber deck.
The bird club was invited to provide input on the Vale restoration project — and is ecstatic over features such as birdbaths and the inclusion of fritting on bathroom windows to prevent bird injuries — but feels the final plan still does not prioritize fowl.
Bird populations in the country have been plummeting in recent decades because of climate change and habitat loss, with the 2025 US State of the Birds report finding that a third of the American bird species are in need of conservation action.
The Prospect Park Alliance claimed that it considers preserving the Vale as a habitat for birds and other wildlife crucial to its project.
“Woodland restoration is in our DNA and part of our founding mission,” said Deborah Kirschner, a rep for the alliance.
“In the Vale, our architects and designers worked closely with our landscape management team to create a design using native plants, trees and shrubs that will provide rich habitat for birds and other wildlife. This includes … groundcover, shrubs and small trees.”
