Park Groups Walk on Water ACROSS NEW YORK CITY, PARK GROUPS are finding new ways to connect to the water. New York City Surfriders in Queens, the Greenpoint Waterfront Association for Parks & Planning in Brooklyn, and Staten Island’s North Shore Waterfront Conservancy have dreams for their waterfront and are working to open them up to the public. BIG WAVES: Joel Banslaben, New York Chair of the Surfrider Foundation, is the first to point out that people don’t think of New York City as a destination for surfers. Still, athletes like him have been riding waves in the Rockaways for more than twenty years. Until recently, they risked being fined. On April 22, however, Parks & Recreation designated a portion of 90th Street Beach in Far Rockaway, Queens, a surfing beach. This designation was the result of three years of work in which Rockaway surfers lobbied State and City officials, first to amend an item in the 1850 Health Code and then to define a space for surfing. Banslaben believes that what made the process a success was that the surfers were already stewards of Rockaway Beach. In the five years since their founding, the Surfriders have held three beach cleanups a year and offered environmental education and surfing clinics for teens each summer. Banslaben advises other groups to recognize that good citizenship equips organizations to bring about political change. He counsels, “First you build relationships with people in the local community. You add resources to improve the natural environment. Then you push for your activism.” FLOATING POOLS: The push in Greenpoint, Brooklyn is for improved waterfront access and recreational space. As part of the rezoning of the neighborhood, a 2-mile esplanade is planned for the East River waterfront. The band of continuous park will be made up of small street-end properties and larger park parcels like the former site of WNYC’s radio transmitter. The plan for this park includes more than visual access to the water; it even proposes a swimming pool built on a barge and stationed off the coast of Greenpoint. Imagine staring at the tip of the Empire State Building while swimming laps, or splashing beside — but not in — the currents of the East River. At the turn of the 20th century, floating pools docked in the East River and were used to teach children to swim. Roughly a century later, and with the support of Ann Buttenweiser and her Neptune Foundation, a similar facility would provide two rare commodities in Greenpoint: waterfront access and recreational space. Community organizations such as the Greenpoint Waterfront Association for Parks & Planning have been active in shaping the vision for WNYC park and the entire Greenpoint waterfront. LOTS FOR SALE: In Staten Island, the North Shore Waterfront Conservancy is developing street ends into waterfront parks. They’re even supporting proposals to call such parks BlueStreets (after Parks & Recreation’s Greenstreets) and to create a program dedicated to their propagation. The Conservancy's other priority is the acquisition of new waterfront parkland. This has been a priority of many groups in the North Shore, including the long-standing group The North Shore Waterfront Greenbelt. In 2001, members of The North Shore Waterfront Greenbelt learned of a North Shore landowner's intention to sell his marina. As a result of their brokering - and the support of other neighborhood groups - he chose to see his 9.7 -acre property to the City for use as parkland. Angela D’Aiuto, Vice President of the Conservancy, says she takes her inspiration from conservation efforts around the city. “When you travel and see other places, you realize what you could do.” Working with the City to change policy, communicating neighborhood priorities, building on the successes of other organizations – in their own way, each of these groups is adding to a citywide effort to create more waterfront access for all. 2005 is an election year. DO YOU KNOW WHO YOUR CANDIDATES ARE? Over the next few months, candidates will be seeking out opportunities to meet constituents. It’s a great time for you to meet the officials who represent your neighborhood, and educate them about the important role your park plays in the community. Tell them about the exciting things happening at your park and let them know that parks are a top priority for you. For more information on elected officials in your area and the candidates this season, try these online resources: www.nypirg.org will tell you the names of your current representatives if you click on “Who Represents Me” www.gothamgazette.com will tell you who’s running for City office this fall if you click on “Campaign 2005” www.eany.org will tell you how your State Representatives vote on environmental issues To register to vote or find the appropriate polling place, visit www.vote.nyc.ny.us More than 1,200 volunteers have signed up for the New York City Street Tree Census, the largest street tree inventory in the country. In every neighborhood volunteers are being trained and equipped to record vital information about the city’s half a million street trees. If you’re a tree enthusiast and can commit 2 to 3 hours a week between now and September, please call 311 or visit www.nyc.gov/treescount. Volunteers are particularly needed in Queens and Staten Island. Four waterfront film festivals promise to keep you entertained in settings more picturesque than any screening room. Socrates Sculpture Park’s 7th annual international film festival will take place Wednesday evenings until August 31 (www.socratessculpturepark.org). Brooklyn Bridge Park will show films with an aquamarine theme on Thursday nights until August 25 (www.bbpc.net). Hudson River Park will serve up free popcorn for Wednesday night films at Pier 54 and family films each Friday at Pier 25. Their last screenings of the summer will take place August 24 and 26 (www.hudsonriverpark.org). Riverside Park South celebrates summer on the Hudson with its "Hollywood Originals/Broadway Revivals." Hollywood films that are also current Broadway musical productions show every Wednesdays July 13th through August 17th. (www.riversideparkfund.org) Highbridge Park in Manhattan and Queensbridge Park in Queens are among the great locations where City Parks Foundation is offering free concerts this month. For a full schedule, visit www.cityparksfoundation.org. On September 17, all around New York State, volunteers will be cleaning up their beaches. At the American Littoral Society Annual Beach Cleanup, participants not only collect debris, they also record what type of debris they find so that trends can be documented and pollution stopped at its source. To help out at one of more than 300 sites, contact the Beach Cleanup hotline at 800-449-0790 or visit www.alsnyc.org. It's My Park! Day, a day of volunteer projects and fun events, will take place on October 15, 2005 in parks and waterfront areas all over the City. Last It’s My Park! Day on May 14th was a record success with close to 7,000 participants at over 200 parks throughout the city. Special thanks to sponsors: The Skin Cancer Foundation, Gillette, and the Gap Foundation and media partners: The New York Times Community Affairs Department, The New York Observer, WB11 - WPIX New York, and WBLS 107.5 FM. Dear Friends, As New Yorkers we all know the value of parks and open spaces; each summer, we're reminded of the importance of connecting to our beaches, rivers, and piers. Partnerships for Parks is supporting New York City residents working to increase waterfront access from Astoria to Valentino Pier, and helping them find new ways to enjoy it! Like the city's parks, the waterfront is yours to enjoy. In collaboration with dedicated community stewards, this summer we offer you more exploration of the city's waterways than ever before, whether by bike, surfboard, or kayak. So take a break from your hard work and cool off in the ocean, in a boat on the river or a new park by the waterfront. To those of you partnering with us to increase access to the waterfront, thank you for your energy and commitment to enhancing summer fun for all New Yorkers. Sincerely, Adrian Benepe, Commissioner Parks & Recreation David Rivel, Executive Director City Parks Foundation CANOE AND KAYAK TOO! New York City’s waterways are open for boating. Depending on your level of experience, you can participate in a guided instructional tour or file for a permit to explore independently. Free canoe trips with the Bronx River Alliance are scheduled in August and September. Experienced guides will lead you along the Bronx River. For more information, call 718.430.1864 or visit www.bronxriver.org. Parks & Recreation’s Urban Park Rangers also offer canoe trips and tips. Their summer schedule is available at www.nyc.gov/parks. The New York City Downtown Boathouse offers an enclosed embayment along the Hudson River. From May 15 to October 15, on weekends, holidays, and many weeknights, would-be kayakers can take a 20-minute paddle free of charge. Visit www.downtownboathouse.org for details. In addition, free canoe and kayak trips on the East River are now being offered by the Long Island City Community Boathouse. For more information, email licboathouse@aol.com. If you have your own canoe or kayak and are familiar with the rules of the river, you can apply for a boating permit at www.nyc.gov/parks. (There you’ll also find a complete list of launch points.) 14.7 million people visited New York City’s seven public beaches last summer. With 10.6 million visitors, Coney Island attracted the most beach-goers. Rockaway Beach ran a distant second, hosting 2.3 million visitors. CAPTURING WATERFRONT ACTIVITIES In an effort to raise awareness of community events at the waterfront, RECYouth students from A.R.R.O.W. Computer Resource Center (CRC) will be producing public service announcements about waterfront activities in Queens. First on their itinerary are City Parks Foundation puppet shows and concerts in Queensbridge Park. CRCs are computer labs located in 27 recreation centers citywide. Members learn about technology, and many of these labs run multimedia programs called RECYouth (Reel Education & Communication for Youth). For CRC locations, visit www.nycgovparks.org and click on “Things To Do”; to volunteer email kami.griffiths@parks.nyc.gov. BUILD YOUR CAPACITY Apply for a Partnerships for Parks Capacity Fund grant. The next deadline is October 1, 2005. Up to $5,000 is available for organizations ready to take their park stewardship to a new level. More information is available at www.partnershipsforparks.org or call 212-360-8180.

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Partnerships for Parks works to increase community support for and involvement in parks throughout New York City. Founded in 1995, Partnerships works to start, strengthen, and support neighborhood park groups; to link these groups together so that they can learn from each other and become stronger collectively; and to promote involvement in parks so people will join in efforts to restore and preserve them.

Michael R. Bloomberg, Mayor City of New York
Adrian Benepe, Commissioner Parks & Recreation	David Rivel, Executive Director City Parks Foundation
EDITOR: Dana Molina, Director, Volunteer Program WRITER: Julia Schaffer DESIGN: brownstone studio & Anne LaFond

http://www.partnershipsforparks.org
http://www.nyc.gov/parks
http://www.CityParksFoundation.org

To contact Partnerships for Parks and for information on volunteering in parks,
call (212) 360-1357 or call the City's non-emergency hotline, 311.