New Year’s Day River Patrol

We started out the new gregorian year with a fun and safe patrol of the Harlem River, Bronx Kill and small part of the East River. It was a warm January 1st, but with the snow still along the banks, especially along the lovely coast of Randall’s Island. On the Bronx side of the Kill we saw a pheasant flying thru this special Nature corridor.

paddling bronx kill in the snow

Also, due to the low tide we were able to see a number of seemingly unofficial pipes discharging from Randall’s Island. In addition, the Con Ed Electric cable that is a navigational obstacle with the right tide has a crumbled foundation. The metal holding it up has rotted entirely.
Rotted foundation of Con Ed cables across Bronx Kill

Please contact NYCDOT and explain that this structure is now an imminent danger and needs to be removed.
Click here to contact the Commissioner.
Thanks!

Harlem RiverWatch, a project of Friends of Brook Park

Support Friends of Brook Park!

Show your Support for Friends of Brook Park

Dear Friend,

Friends of Brook Park needs your help.Mulchfest 2010

As 2009 comes to a wintry end, we reflect on what a great year it has been here. While we are proud to bring you our environmental programs, we need your support to keep us going. Whether you’ve known us for 2 months or our ten years, now is a great time to help us out with a generous end-of-year donation.

Your contribution is fully tax-deductible and will go directly to offering nature education activities, making New York a greener, healthier place to live.

Donate now and up to $2,500 will be matched! Think about who does more with few resources. Click here to give on-line now.

In the words of a seventh grader:

By doing what you do, you and your team are saving the community and a lot of animals. The tomatoes and the spicy peppers were very good. Also the scented plants smelled really good. It was very interesting because I never thought that plants that don’t have flowers have a nice smell, like the leaves that I ate which was peppermint plant. I also liked the little fire you made for us and all the people that were going in the park. I had so much fun moving the heavy logs around and fixing them so the garden could look prettier. The garden made me feel really relaxed.

Your support has helped us:

* Continue to expand a model of urban farming, with hundreds of youth involved in organic gardening with local and city-wide schools and groups like ASPIRA

* Expand our growing area and move forward on the brook restoration project with Gaia Institute

* Advance a new park on the Harlem River, convening meetings with a Parks Commissioner and two City Council Members

* Restore the shoreline by designing and planting hundreds of native species with NYC Council on the Environment, Sustainable South Bronx and Waste Management

* Jumpstart the Harlem River Working Group, over fifty stakeholders invested in the long-term enhancement of this vital waterway

* Spearheaded challenges to rezoning and inappropriate infrastructures that would block waterfront access and navigation

* Hosting many arts and indigenous cultural gatherings uniting a diverse array of people with groups like Vamos La Pena and United Confederation of Taino People

* Engaging in city and state-wide, regional, national and international efforts about Climate Change

And more!

We know this is a busy time of year, but please take a moment to give right now, knowing that you’ve done your part to support an organization you care about and a cause you believe in.

Click here to support Friends of Brook Park today.

As the year ends, we at FoBP want to thank those of you who have helped us this year with contributions of much-needed funding, volunteer time, and personal support.

You sustain us.

To more!

Harry J. Bubbins
Executive Director

P.S. Friends of Brook Park is a 501(c)(3) organization – your donation is deductible to the fullest extent allowable by law. Please remember to make your contribution by December 31 for a 2009 tax deduction.

P.P.S. Even if you don’t feel like you can give a lot, being part of the behind-the-scenes support system helps us more than you’d imagine. One more person can make a big difference. Please contact me if you can volunteer. Gardeners, proposal researchers and writers, designers, educators and artists, and people with other skills are always needed. You can also pass on this appeal to your networks with a personal note.

P.P.P. S. Keep reviewing our updated blog at: www.friendsofbrookpark.org/blog

Please give at the bottom of this page here: http://www.friendsofbrookpark.org/donations

Or Donate by Mail:

Friends of Brook Park
PO Box 801
The South Bronx, NY 10454

You can also help by by sharing this appeal with your network of friends and family, on Facebook too. If you have used the garden or the rivers, or just appreciate what we do, please email this letter out with a personal note to your friends and colleagues and families.

Some companies have a matching grant fund, please inquire about that at your place of work.

Thanks again for all you do.

Friends of Brook Park

Meeting at Harlem River





Our many years of advocacy for real waterfront access for our South Bronx communities on the Harlem River received a big boost today. With a site visit arranged by our local Council Members Viverito an Arroyo, NYC Parks Department, NYC City Planning and the Federal National Park Service gathered with local constituents to map out the final plan of action to achieve official park status! Stay tuned and stay involved.

Harlem River Paddle


Greetings Friends, Members of Harlem River Workgroup,

We are planning a GET ON THE WATER! Harlem River awareness day for Sept 19th in conjunction with the  and we are inviting all Harlem River Workgroup members to participate and help share information, educate about the Harlem River.  The program thus far is being coordinated by Ludger ( UDEC/HREC) , Harry ( FOB), and Chauncy ( Highbridge Coalition and Rep of Harlem River Greenway Project)

AS TIME IS UPON US… PLEASE FEEL FREE TO JUMP RIGHT IN!… PLEASE ACT QUICKLY ON THE FOLLOWING… The project can be as grand or small as we wanted to be…What is most important is exercising this Collab and get folks on the Harlem River… connect the community to this natural resource.

here is the draft flyer for the HARLEM RIVER ECOCRUISE EVENT

The idea as discussed previously was to provide the community and folks from Harlem River Workgroup to come together to the waterfront and GET ON THE HARLEM RIVER.

We thought the best  day to this would be in conjunction with the 400th Anniversary Celebrations taking place through the month of the SEPT , which is also in conjunction with Hudson River Ramble

The day would be basically be comprised of guided ecocruise on our Giant canoe and small canoe trips on the Harlem River-
They may also be a ceremonial launch of a Lenape Dug Out Canoe. We can offer tabling, and Refreshments.

PARTNERS CAN HELP PRINT AND DISTRIBUTE SOME OF THE FINAL APPROVED FLYERS,  POST EVENT ON THEIR WEBSITE,  EMAIL BLAST, TURN SOME FOLKS ON THE HARLEM RIVER WATERFRONT, GET FOLKS ON THE WATER, BRING SOME REFRESHMENTS.

NO ONE NEEDS TO GO BROKE AND LABOR TO HARD ON THIS ENDEAVOR…. JUST DO WHAT YOU CAN…  OUR BOAT WILL ACCOMMODATE 21 PADDLERS AT TIME. WE LOOK FORWARD TO THREE BOAT TRIPS  ACCOMMODATING 60 to 100 PEOPLE ON THAT DAY.

PARTNERS CAN ALSO HELP MUSTER PRESENTATION MATERIALS ABOUT THE HARLEM RIVER GREENWAY,  HARLEM RIVER BOA ETC to HELP EDUCATE THE PUBLIC… WE CAN HELP CREATE A COOL MOBILE EXHIBITS IF THE  MATERIALS ARE PROVIDED IN TIME.

PLEASE RESPOND ASAP,

I THANK FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION and ENTHUSIASM,  PLEASE REVIEW AND COMMENT…. LIKE I SAID THUS FAR ONLY FOB, UDECHREC ARE FULLY COMMITTED… WE LOOK FORWARD TO YOU GUYS JUMPING RIGHT IN.

TIME IS A FACTOR…WE NEED TO ACT FAST.

Please Encourage Active Civic Engagement

Ludger K. Balan
Executive, Environmental Program Director