Queens, and Sandy Hook in New Jersey. The park now includes the Nichols Marina, a beach, trails, fishing and bird-watching areas, and sports fields. Radium contamination The park's 15 million cubic yards of 1940s-era landfill included sanitary and medical waste. In 2005, radioactive radium (226Ra, once used in cancer treatments) was found in the sand at a depth of about 1–1.5 feet (30–40 cm). Directly at the sources, investigators measured gamma radiation about 200 times higher than the natural background level. Approximately half of the park has been closed to the public since 2009, and in 2021 the National Park Service was working to complete a comprehensive "Remedial Investigation Report" for its long-term decontamination project. References External links Gateway National Recreation Area Parks in Staten Island Radioactively contaminated areas Great Kills, Staten Island