The design proposal aims to draw attention to the bird strike issue at JFK Airport, particularly the T4 runway’s direct projection towards Joco Marsh and Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge. Aligning with the 1999 National Park Service report, the project envisions establishing an experimental bird colony at Fort Tilden, strategically located within the Atlantic Flyaway, outside the flight path, and away from airport noise.

Given the site’s flood level projections, the proposal addresses stabilization concerns by utilizing the abundant reed that was planted by the military in the early 1900s. Due to its rhizomatic root structure and rapid growth, the reed can become a mechanism for erosion control of the shoreline, thereby stabilizing the land for human use whilst providing micro climates for breeding and nesting for the avian.The proposal also considers repurposing the decommissioned steel of the artillery, and harvesting the excess phragmites on site cyclically to create a facade for an interspecies exchange.

This would enable engaging the local community and children in habitat protection, research, and maintenance, through the existing expeditionary learning program.