A major achievement for what some call an ecological treasure in Queens.

The National Park Service has added the Ridgewood Reservoir to the National Register of Historic Places. The reservoir was already listed on the New York State Historic Register. For years, the community has been fighting to preserve it. The reservoir is a 50 acre natural oasis that is home to a diverse variety of wildlife. It was built in 1859 to supply Brooklyn with water when the borough was an independent city. The reservoir became obsolete as a water source once the city started getting its water from the Catskills in the 1950s.