Thanks to all who participated, the youth, adults, community and staff of the NYC Parks Department. We recovered over 100 trees!
Thanks especially to the teens from buildOn and Brotherhood and Sister Soul.
Here is a video to pass around!
Author: brookpark
For the people in general, you need help here I am.
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.
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.
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
Mulchfest 2011
Chip in! Mulch your tree! Help NYC grow!
January 8 & 9, 2011
Bring your holiday tree to a designated city park to be recycled into mulch that will nourish plantings across the city! Remember to remove all lights and ornaments before bringing the tree to a MulchFest site.
List of sites besides Brook Park here.
Better yet, don’t buy a dead tree, and don’t choke it with electric lights powered by fossil fuels!
Check out this video below from previous fun times at Brook Park’s MulchFest.
Donate before 2011 & your gift is doubled!
Friends,
Thank you to all of you who responded to our year end to call. Just a final reminder to give before the end of 2010 for your tax deduction for the year, AND to DOUBLE your gift.
A generous donor, wanted me to remind you that your gift of $5-$5,000 will be doubled before December 31st, so please help today.
If you cannot give at this time, please email to your friends with a personal note of your involvement with us.
Every little bit helps!
Or mail to:
Friends of Brook Park
PO Box 801
Bronx NY 10454
Thanks again for all you do!
Harry J. Bubbins
From a 9th Grader:
“Today I visited Brook Park and I loved being there feeling the air
on my face and tasting nutrients that are fresh and clean and from
mother nature herself.
Places like this are important because they let people stop and think
and breathe in the good nature air and take a step back to what we
have to do to keep our planet healthy and clean.
Brook Park is called Brook Park because there was/is a body of water
under all the construction that there is right now.
What I loved about this experience was that I did alot of things I
never thought I would be able to do. Like handle with logs and
decomposing. Moving concrete around and tasting sugar from a leaf.
(Stevia!) All that was new to me, and I’d love for someone else to
have an experience with places like Brook Park.”
Year End Special: Brook Park Farming Video
What amazing people we work with, thanks to you!
Thanks for being part of the Friends of Brook Park family and team.
Please consider making a year-end contribution online by clicking here!
Thanks again for all you do!
Roasting Marshmallows
Where else in the City can children, teens and adults share around a campfire and enjoy roasted marshmallows after engaging meaningfully with Nature on community service projects?
After a day of engagement in the garden, more fun! Bronx youth with our partners at buildOn.
Only Brook Park!
Compost Class
Six 12th grade Science classes from the International High School across the street from Brook Park were able to benefit from the composting expertise of the “Urban Transformers”.
Students learning about compost, using a pitchfork to turn the decomposing pile.
Click HERE for the lesson plan of the day.
From the Urban Transformers website, which you can visit here:
Our Mission – Go Green with Composting
Learning about the chemical composition of the decaying matter and the impact on climate change. Using the corkscrew to turn the warm pile
Replacing landfill disposal with composting is one of the easiest and most effective ways for New Yorkers to fight global warming. New York City has numerous inspiring green initiatives; however, eliminating organic matter being hauled to landfill is not one of them. As it stands now, composting is not widely available to New York City residents.
Urban Transformers is working to change this. Through designing and implementing composting programs, education and community organizing, we will expand on-site composting in our parks, community gardens and throughout the City.
Urban Transformers is a special project with Friends of Brook Park. You can reach them at urbantransformers [at] gmail [dot] com.
Giving Thanks
Dear Friend,
As November comes to an end, cover crops are sown, leaves are raked and our thoughts turn to remembering how this country was founded and the enormous work for social justice in America, at Friends of Brook Park, we’d still like to pause for a moment to reflect on all the reasons we have to be grateful. 
Here are just a few:
*We are grateful for the indigenous peoples and cultures, the philosophies and way of life that sustain a possible future on this finite Earth if we listen and act on them.
*We are grateful for our volunteers – educators, parents, organizers and activists – who devote their time and energy to teaching their neighbors to grow food, to eat well, and introducing their children to Nature in the inner city, encouraging free play and those challenging a system of greed and unfairness.
*We are grateful for our supporters – our donors, foundations, elected officials and private sponsors, and others who give so generously of their time and resources to support the mission and work of Friends of Brook Park.
As a nonprofit organization, we are 100% reliant on the generosity of friends and supporters – and with another year of accomplishment coming to a close, we have a lot to be thankful for.
Wishing you a reflective time filled with much to be thankful for and all the locally-grown delights of the season,
Harry J. Bubbins
Executive Director
PS
To learn more about the origins of “Thanksgiving” Look up the 1637 Pequot massacre, or visit here.
Cleaning the Harlem River
An email from our friends at Urban Divers:
“For now 10 years, from the beginning of our inception DEP was mandated by STATE and FEDERAL law to began mitigating its failure to comply with the Clean Water Act for illegally Discharging RAW UNTREATED SEWAGE IN OUR WATERWAYS. 
A condition that causes record beach closures, and is also known to introduce the largest concentration of pathogens ( disease causing bacteria) in our waterways.
DEP was charged to establish the USE, STANDARD and ATTAINMENT public outreach program. A Study with community involvement to work together to come up with ideas and implement solutions to this violation. Millions of dollars was invested in this project. DEP was to prioritize the areas of greatest impact.
Though the Harlem River has over 37 points that get direct discharges from WARD ISLAND… DEP’s largest regional waste treatment plant…. NO ATTENTION WAS GIVEN TO THE HARLEM RIVER and many other impacted communities.
TODAY now 11yrs down the line… ALL we are seeing is DEP’s new postage of warning signs NOT TO SWIM, KAYAK, OR FISH IN THE RIVER….. IS THAT A SOLUTION?
IS DEP’s MESSAGE- “F ( german) YOU” NEW YORKERS- DARE NOT SWIM, KAYAK or FISH in THE HARLEM RIVER THAT WE ( DEP) ARE POLLUTING?
THIS IS DARN INCEDIOUS AFTER 11YRS OF WAITING FOR AN EFFECTING SOLUTION TO STOP TO MOST EGREGIOUS and SHAMEFUL POLLUTER ON THE HARLEM RIVER— OUR VERY OWN NYC DEP.”
Brook Presentation at SWIM Coalition
Consider attending the next SWIM Coalition meeting where our own Aaron Petersohn will report on the exciting work happening to restore the natural hydrology of this site that was part of a historic Bronx waterway. Fore mor info on this project, or to support our effort to raise $300,000 ( WE ALREADY HAVE $45,000!), 
VISIT HERE to learn more about this project
Friday, November 19, 2010
10am to 12pm
Hudson River Foundation
17 Battery Pl # 915
New York, NY 10004-1114
S.W.I.M. Coalition!
Fall is off to an active start with green roof-related legislation in City Council
Please join us for our next meeting:
As usual, we will devote half of our time to S.W.I.M. business and half to an exciting and informative presentation “from the field”. This month we will be hearing from three practitioners from our membership that work at the intersection of art, community and Green Infrastructure.
Lillian Ball
Aaron Petersohn
PLEASE RSVP: swimmablenyc@gmail.com
—
—-
Kate Zidar
Coordinator
Stormwater Infrastructure Matters (S.W.I.M.) Coalition
http://swimmablenyc.info/
—
Aaron Petersohn,
Habitat Restoration Projects Director
Friends of Brook Park
www.friendsofbrookpark.org
P.O. Box 801
Bronx, NY 10454
Tel: (347) 262 6624