Turtle Cove is the inlet from Eastchester Bay, and it is being restored by the Parks Department as part of the ongoing Pelham Bay Park project. The main difference is a footbridge that is now part of a Siwanoy hiking trail to preserve plants and animals.
The Turtle Cove restoration project began a couple of years ago, with the goal of flushing out invasive, non-native species, promoting salt water flow from the bay and improving the quality of the cove’s ecosystem.
The NY Department of Environmental Conservation removed non-native trees and vines, which gives the cove a more open appearance from afar, even if visitors may not want to trudge through the marsh. Volunteers from the MillionTreesNYC have planted 2,400 trees and 600 shrubs. Friends of Pelham Bay Park are planting salt marsh grass in the north end of the cove.