use. U.S. President Richard Nixon supported a third proposal: turning the entirety of Floyd Bennett Field into a national park. This had been suggested by the Regional Plan Association (RPA) the previous year, except that the RPA had advocated for a national seashore. In May, the president started the process of getting Congressional approval for this move. The state government objected, since the neighboring Marine Park was not used. In the meantime, Bennett Field was only sparsely used by Coast Guard and NYPD helicopters. National Park Service ownership Creation and early years The United States House of Representatives approved the creation of Gateway National Recreation Area in September 1972, and most of the land was transferred to the National Park Service (NPS) for inclusion in Gateway National Recreation Area. In the same vote, the House denied the state's provision to create a housing development at Bennett Field. The recreation area was officially created on October 27, 1972. The National Park Service acquired most of the Navy-owned portion of the field, as well as some city-owned land to the west and north that had not been owned by the Navy. Bennett Field became the headquarters for the Gateway Area's Jamaica Bay unit. The Coast Guard was able to gain ownership of CGAS Brooklyn, which it then proceeded to expand. In circa 1973, new concrete barracks were erected on the site of the former World War II-era barracks. The remainder of Bennett Field was owned separately by the Naval Air Reserve Detachment, as well as the United States Department of the Interior (the NPS' parent agency) and the United States Department of Transportation (the Coast Guard's parent agency). The NYPD's aviation unit continued to lease space in hangar 3, and later also started leasing hangar 4. The park opened in 1974. Most of the National Park Service's early actions regarding Bennett Field focused on promoting recreational activities. Due to a lack of funds, the NPS let much of the physical field revert to its natural state. The NPS added tents in two areas of Bennett Field, which it then designated as campgrounds. Around 1974, the NPS also planted pine trees near the field's southern boundary, forming the current "Ecology Village". By 1979, the NPS had developed a "General Management Plan" for the entire Gateway Area. The plan allowed for Bennett Field to be divided into three management zones: the "Natural Area", the