Attorney Joel Kupferman said that after recently reading in The Villager’s Scoopy’s Notebook about the new red-tailed hawk in Washington Square Park, opponents will file an environmental lawsuit against the Parks Department’s embattled $16 million park renovation plan.
Kupferman said that among plaintiffs he will be representing on the lawsuit is the Emergency Coalition to Save Washington Square Park, or ECO.
The presence of the hawk, Kupferman said, shows “There’s life there. There’s bird life. Because of the large, broad-leafed trees that are there, birds are attracted to that park. Trees will be removed [under the renovation] to relocate the fountain, and it will also harm the [trees’] root system.”
A previous Eco lawsuit opposed the renovation in part for its disruptive effect on the park’s wildlife, including squirrels.
Dave Lawrence, manager of the park’s small dog run, said he showed a photo of the red-tail to a hawk expert, who told him it is a juvenile male.
