Planting Helps Communities Grow NOTHING INSPIRES A COMMUNITY TO CARE FOR ITS PARKS like the promise of a garden in bloom. From Staten Island to the Bronx, volunteers are coming together to plant the seeds of a beautiful future in our city parks. Until recently, Staten Island's Sylvan Grove Cemetery hardly lived up to the poetic name bestowed by its colonial-era founders: it consisted of five acres of unkempt burial ground and five acres of garbage dump. Thanks to the Friends of Abandoned Cemeteries, all that has changed. The group has removed thousands of cans, dozens of old tires, and eight abandoned cars. Following their efforts, the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation tilled the soil in the unused portion of the cemetery, setting the stage for transformation. Local senior citizens working with a group of mentally disabled adults planted over one hundred perennials, and now the seniors maintain a healthy garden. Next on their agenda is restoring the historic burial ground by planting native grasses and removing invasive species. Friends President Lynn Rogers happily reports, "It was a garbage dump and now it's a nice little community garden that will only get better, " adding, "Cleaning makes a park usable, but horticulture makes a park a place that people can really enjoy." In the Bronx, Mosholu Preservation Corporation (MPC) President Dart Westphal points to new gardens blooming at each of five entrances to Williamsbridge Oval, agreeing that "Horticulture is the best way for communities to add to the improvement of neighborhood parks." A grant from Partnerships' Capacity Fund financed plants and tools, but MPC's volunteers provided the labor. Grace Martinelli from the New York Botanical Garden's School of Professional Horticulture designed two gardens, two were done with the help of Jennifer Beaugrand from Parks, and the local community created one. Manhattan College student Dan Morrisey organized teams of volunteers from Walton High School, Middle School 80, and Fordham University to plant. Staff from Partnerships pitched in withan erosion project, and workers from Moshulu Montefiore Community Center's summer youth employment program helped with maintenance. Westphal sums up, "We could never have done this without an extraordinary array of partners: Parks & Recreation, Partnerships, the Community Center, local residents, students, and business owners." In Queens, small groups are also making a big impact in their parks. The Friends of Brookville Park just began meeting in May, but they have already been raking, painting, cleaning, and looking forward to spring planting. President Marie Granato explains her motivation, saying "I used to come to Brookville Park before I even lived in the neighborhood. Now I want to help renew the park so it can be a meeting place for our community." Yvonne Richardson, President of the Friends of Roy Wilkins Park, started out in much the same way in June 2004. Her group first worked to clean their park, and now they focus on beautifying it. They created a garden of perennials and annuals on either side of the front entrance, and planted two interior triangles with daffodils and perennials. On It's My Park! Day last month they added more flowers and trees. Richardson is pleased with the effect, saying "People are interested: they see me gardening and say that they want to help. I also notice more people using these areas of the park." Whether the goal is to bring in visitors, cultivate stewardship, or restore a community space, planting a garden yields wonderful results that only grow with time. TEN YEARS OF CONNECTING Communities to New York City Parks Partnerships for Parks marked its 10th Anniversary at our annual "Summer in the City" benefit on July 19. Since 1995 we have: » Grown our network of supporters from 600 in 1995 to over 55,000 today; » Supported community involvement in over 800 neighborhood parks; » Engaged over 120,000 volunteers across the city; » Catalyzed the restoration of the Bronx River by leveraging $113 million andorganizing 75 partners to form the Bronx River Alliance; » Strengthened park stewardship groups by providing customized workshops, strategic support, and over $525,000 in small grants; and » Received national recognition for our accomplishments with the Innovations in American Government Award in 2000. With so much to celebrate, this year's event drew more than 300 guests for cocktails and a concert by Elvis Costello in Central Park, and was featured in The New York Sun. Thanks to everyone who helped make it happen, especially benefit chair and Partnerships' founder Tim Tompkins, the CityParks Junior Committee, special guest Ted Allen, largest individual donor James Gandolfini, largest corporate donors Bloomberg and Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP, and in-kind sponsors Svedka, Lee's Ice Cream, Magnolia Flowers & Events and Whole Foods. Partnerships for Parks is offering free workshops for community groups at locations citywide. Upcoming workshops will cover topics such as Time Management, Caring for Greenstreets and Street Trees, Leadership and Group Structure, Successful Meetings, and Building Alliances with Elected Officials. For a workshop schedule, registration, or additional information, contact Technical Assistance Coordinator Asaf Klein at (212) 676-6054 or email asaf.klein@parks.nyc.gov. Wave Hill offers plenty of opportunities to enjoy the fall foliage or learn to do autumn garden crafts. Upcoming events include Native Plants and Arts Weekend (Nov. 5-6), Garden Workshop: Terrariums (Nov. 12), Garden Workshop: Natural Wreaths and Swags (Dec. 3), and Garden Demonstration: Heirloom Apples and Homemade Cider (Dec. 10). For a full schedule, visit http://www.wavehill.org or call (718) 549-3200. The Brooklyn Botanic Garden is hosting a number of informative workshops this fall. Topics include Community Gardening: Horticulture and Design; Mulch, Leaves & Cover Crops: How to Protect and Improve Your Soil; Composting in the City, and many more. Most programs are free, and some are offered in Spanish as well as English. For a full schedule, visit www.bbg.org/edu/adult/community.html or call (718) 623-7368. The Urban Park Rangers need your help for a forest restoration project in Inwood Hill Park on November 5 between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Stop by the Inwood Hill Nature Center at 218th Street and Indian Road in Inwood or contact Rich Love at (212) 360-1448 to sign up. The Rangers will also be leading educational workshops concerned with local flora in all five boroughs throughout the fall. Learn more about upcoming lessons on winter tree identification (multiple dates), salt marsh ecology (Dec. 10), native evergreens (Dec. 10-11), and more by visiting www.nycgovparks.org or calling 311. On October 15, thousands of participants came out for It's My Park! Day to celebrate and improve their neighborhood parks. This day of community-led cleanup, planting, restoration and beautification projects was made possible with help from our presenting sponsor Starbucks, supporters at Home Depot, International Bulb Company, and B&K Bulbs, and our media partners at The New York Observer, WB11 and WBLS. For more information on how you can get involved in future It's My Park! Days, visit www.itsmypark.org or call (212) 360-1357. Dear Friends, Partnerships for Parks is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year. As we reflect on our successes, we're proud of the relationship that this program has forged among City Parks Foundation, the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation, and thousands of park volunteers. From working with you in hundreds of parks, we better understand your interests, and can maintain and program your parks with you in mind. In turn, your commitment has protected and improved New York City's parks. Our shared investment has made them safer, more vibrant spaces, beloved by all New Yorkers. Our growing partnership is full of possibility, and we look forward to working with you in the coming decade. Sincerely, Adrian Benepe, Commissioner Parks & Recreation David Rivel, Executive Director City Parks Foundation BUSY WINTER GARDENERS City Parks Foundation's Learning Gardens in Jackie Robinson Park in Harlem and the Grove Hill Community Playground in the South Bronx work with schools and neighborhood groups year round. In fall, the gardeners and educators harvest the last of their vegetables, prune, weed, and celebrate with a Halloween festival. This winter, they will participate in classroom environmental lessons and set up indoor worm composting bins. There's plenty you can do to put your garden to bed and stay busy indoors, too. » Pull up annuals and prune perennials to ground level. » Cut ornamental grasses once you see new growth at the base, usually in early spring. » Avoid damage from freezing by bringing terra cotta planters inside, and cover the ground with mulch, compost, or other organic cover to nourish the soil. » Consider having an indoor compost bin to feed your garden in spring! Call the Brooklyn Botanic Garden's Compost Hotline at 718-623-7290 for more information. Gardens Grow Citywide Last year, urban gardeners planted 1,192,783 bulbs and flowers in our parks and added 7,160 new trees to our city streets. DO YOUR PART TO KEEP NATURAL AREAS FOREVER WILD! Over 8,000 acres of city parkland are designated as sanctuaries for native flora and fauna. Here are three simple things you can do to preserve these natural areas: » Stay on established paths to minimize your impact on the ecosystem. » Leave nothing behind - even organic litter can disrupt the local habitat. » If you have a garden near a natural area, avoid growing exotic plants that could escape cultivation and reseed, threatening native species. GRANT OPPORTUNITIES Free Seeds The America the Beautiful Fund's Free Seeds! program provides grants of 100 to 2,000 seed packets for community planting projects. Visit www.america-the-beautiful.org. Build Your Capacity Take your park stewardship to a new level with a grant of up to $5,000 from Partnerships for Parks' Capacity Fund. The next deadline is February 1, 2005. Call 212-360-8180 or visit www.partnershipsforparks.org.

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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
Jason Schwartz, Director Partnerships for Parks EDITOR: Hillary Angelo, Manager, Technical Assistance Program WRITER: Jennifer Kenney Sendrow 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.