 Many of the springs have been channeled underground by urban development as the population expanded throughout New York City and Staten Island.The New Creek watershed encompasses and consists of marshland which supports a variety of flora and fauna.Spartina grass flourished in a tidal wetland before the restoration of the shore and beach area and the development of a shoreline urban park by the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation in the 1960s, blocking tidal flow to the area.