Parsons Wins Honor Award for Gateway National Recreation Area – West Pond Environmental Assessment

PASADENA, CA (May 22, 2017) – Parsons announced that the American Planning Association (APA), Federal Planning Division, has recognized the corporation with the Honor Award for Outstanding Environmental Planning Project for its West Pond Environmental Assessment. Parsons completed the Environmental Assessment under contract with the U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, for Gateway National Recreation Area, Jamaica Bay Unit, Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge located in Brooklyn and Queens, NY. This award recognizes the highest standards of quality among all submissions received by the APA, Federal Planning Division.

“Parsons’ collaboration with the National Park Service resulted in numerous ecosystem and visitor use benefits while solving multiple engineering and community challenges in this dynamic environment at Gateway National Recreation Area,” stated Carey Smith, Parsons Group President.

Parsons’ multidisciplinary team of planners, engineers, scientists, and resource managers collaborated with the National Park Service to address the breach of West Pond and loop trail caused by Hurricane Sandy. The team engaged more than 450 stakeholders and conducted numerous workshops with community user groups and resource specialists during the early stages of project planning. The alternatives developed will improve the defenses at West Pond to make it more resilient to future impacts such as storm surge, sea level rise, and other environmental changes, while addressing ecosystem recovery, restoration, and management concerns in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. The innovative plan includes phased implementation solutions that allow for improved conditions and ecological resilience as ecosystems recover as well as the application of adaptive management measures over time.