| Mount Loretto Unique Area | |
|---|---|
 View looking across Mount Loretto Unique Area; Church of St. Joachim and St. Anne in the distance | |
  Location of Mount Loretto Unique Area within New York City Show map of New York City Mount Loretto Unique Area (New York) Show map of New York Mount Loretto Unique Area (the United States) Show map of the United States | |
| Location | Staten Island,New York |
| Nearest city | New York City |
| Coordinates | 40°30′28″N74°13′03″W / 40.50778°N 74.21750°W /40.50778; -74.21750 |
| Area | 241 acres (98 ha) |
| Established | 1999 |
| Governing body | New York State Department of Environmental Conservation |
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Mount Loretto Unique Area is anopen space reserve andnature preserve administered by theNew York State Department of Environmental Conservation on theSouth Shore ofStaten Island,New York City. The area's total size is 241 acres (98 ha), of which 49 acres (20 ha) is underwater.[1]
Mount Loretto was once the largest orphanage in New York State.[2] It was started by FatherJohn Christopher Drumgoole, an Irish Catholic priest and founder of the Mission of the Immaculate Virgin in Manhattan, an organization to help poor and disposed children. He purchased the Staten Island land for the orphanage in the 1880s and named it "Mount Loretto" in honor of one of the nuns who worked with him at the mission. It was served by theMount Loretto Spur of theStaten Island Railway.
The area is also referred to as "Mount Loretta" [sic] in the official New York State Gazetteer, maintained and published by theNew York State Department of Health, which includes numerous defunct hamlets and towns, some with alternate or archaic spellings.[3]
The area that encompasses the Mount Loretto Unique Area was purchased from theArchdiocese of New York by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation in 1999. The property formerly contained various buildings including the St. Elisabeth's girls' dormitory, a largeVictorian Era building that was destroyed by arson during the time that title to the land was being transferred to the state.
Today, Mount Loretto has approximately one mile (1.6 km) of shoreline frontingPrince's Bay andRaritan Bay.[4] Along the shoreline are the highest ocean-facingbluffs in New York State, which reach a height of 75 feet (23 m).[citation needed] The bluffs are part of aterminal moraine of clay and gravel left by theWisconsin Glacier, which reached its southernmost terminus in Staten Island. The highest bluff is the location of an historic lighthouse, thePrince's Bay Light. The stone lighthouse, which was built in 1864 with an attached lighthouse keeper's cottage built in 1868, is a New York State Landmark.
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Within the preserve, in addition to the bluffs, there are extensive brackish and freshwater wetlands including a largevernal pond. The preserve contains a wide variety of native plants, shrubs, and trees, owing to the diverse habitats represented within the park.[5]
Various species of birds frequent the park during various parts of the year. Its large mowed fields make it attractive to many species of upland shorebird such asbuff-breasted sandpiper andupland sandpiper. Other field birds, such aseastern meadowlark andbobolink, can also be found here during migration. The wetlands areas support habitat utilized by various species ofwaterfowl such as the wood duck (Aix sponsa), blue and green-winged teal, as well as many species of ducks, waders and marsh birds. Many rare birds have visited the preserve includingwhite ibis,scissor-tailed flycatcher andwestern kingbird. The preserve is also home to snakes, turtles, frogs and toads, as well as raccoons, chipmunks, moles and field mice.[4][6]
