Birdstrikes at J.F.K.

Back in the early 1940's the land that is now J.F.K. International Airport was a recreational area (The Idlewild Golf Course). 

In the mid 1940's the golf course was raised to construct an airport that would relieve the pressure on our other Queens Air terminal, LaGuardia Airport. 

Construction began in 1947 and in 1948 the new "New York International Airport - Anderson Field" opened to commercial flights.  The airport's name not withstanding, everyone still referred to the airport as "Idlewild", after the golf course.

In December of 1963, one month after President Kennedy's assassination, "Idlewild" airport was renamed J.F.K. International Airport.

Now while all of the above was transpiring, the island land just north of Broad Channel was under the jurisdiction of the New York City Parks and Recreation agency.  When he was not busy constructing parks and roads, Robert Moses had two freshwater ponds ("East" and "West" ponds) constructed on this parcel of land which immediately attracted all manner of wildlife, especially birds. 

The National Park Service was suitably impressed with the environmental possibilities and in 1972 New York City transferred ownership of this parcel of land to the federal government as part of the Gateway National Recreation Area which we now know as the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge.

Obviously J.F.K. Airport and the National Park Service have been coexisting for 40 years now (since 1972) so the issue of "birdstrikes" is not something new to either entity.

The questions remain....

Just how serious is the threat of birdstrikes to the lives of airline crews and passengers as well of those of us who reside in the immediate area of the airport?

and....

What can be done about it?