HELP THE LEAFLET GROW – TELL US WHAT YOU THINK! We want The Leaflet to be your #1 read, so we hope you'll take a moment to let us know how we're doing by completing this online survey. Thanks for participating! On the Waterfront WHETHER WE LIVE in apartments in Coney Island, ride the Staten Island Ferry to work, or run in East River Park, all New Yorkers have a stake in the future of the city's waterfront. As new commercial, residential, and recreational spaces appear along our waterways, Partnerships for Parks is working to connect waterfront park stewards, boaters, greenway advocates, and educators to the waterfront and to each other. Water is, after all, the historic link between all five boroughs, and one thing is certain: the next decade will leave us with an urban shoreline completely transformed. Shorelines are complex ecosystems and working along them brings many challenges. Testing water quality demands specialized skills and strategic planning is necessary to clean polluted manufacturing sites. Designers must decide where and how to create safe points of access to the water. Water sports require sponsors to obtain legal permits and insurance beyond what is expected on land. Finally, volunteers working on waterfronts must partner not only with local communities and city government but state and federal authorities as well. To ensure that community voices help shape our waterfront's transformation, Partnerships is developing resources and leaders today that can make it happen tomorrow. Through our Catalyst for Neighborhood Parks program, we are working with volunteers in Red Hook, Brooklyn and Astoria/Long Island City, Queens to increase connections among, access to, and activity in these waterfront parks and public spaces. In response to the needs of waterfront volunteers, our Technical Assistance program is partnering with other citywide advocacy groups to provide information and hands-on experiences working on and along the water. The Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance (MWA) brings together concerned citizens to advocate for recreational and open spaces at the shoreline, promotes waterborne transit, and designs “creative edges” to link water and land, while the New York City Soil & Water Conservation District sponsors stewardship projects, offers educational programs, and more. Local groups are also playing big roles. In the Bronx, the Bronx Council for Environmental Quality (BCEQ) has spent the past 36 years leading the effort to clean polluted riversides. With support from our Outreach Program, BCEQ recently hosted a conference titled “Opportunities to Develop Brownfields Along the Harlem River” promoting New York State's Brownfield Opportunity Area Program for volunteers at the grassroots level. Likewise, shoreline cleanups and recreational events organized by the growing coalition of groups and community residents dedicated to improving the waterfront in Astoria and Long Island City have raised awareness of coastal Queens. Some groups are linked by interest rather than geography. The Shorewalkers advocate for environmental conservation as they hike waterfronts throughout the city and suburbs. Whether you are already working on the water or eager to get started, this fall Partnerships welcomes you to attend “Make the Most of Your Waterfront: from Usership to Stewardship,” a workshop series dedicated to teaching you the skills you need to improve your waterfront. Hear success stories from seasoned activists, learn new skills, and get hands-on experience. For more information, contact the Technical Assistance Program at (212) 360-1357, or visit www.partnershipsforparks.org. PARTNERSHIPS' TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE WORKSHOPS Registration is required for all the following workshops. To register, please call (212) 360-1357, or email workshops@partnershipsforparks.org. Caring for Greenstreets and Street Trees Learn how to care for young street trees and greenstreets at this popular workshop. You will receive free gloves, trowel, cultivator, garbage bags and watering tools. Participation is required in order to receive a volunteer permit to garden and maintain young trees and greenstreets throughout the city. Monday, September 18, 6:30-8:30 pm Manhattan: The Arsenal, 830 Fifth Ave. @ East 64th St. Thursday, November 16, 7-9 pm Brooklyn: Litchfield Villa, 95 Prospect Park West @ 5th St. Graphics Training A hands-on, two-session graphic design workshop covers the basics of how to create clear and attractive publications. Participants will create a sample flier. Wednesday, November 1 & 8, 6-8 pm Manhattan: Arsenal West, 24 East 61st St. CALLING ALL GARDENERS! Partnerships for Parks, GreenThumb and the Lower East Side Ecology Center are offering the following garden-related workshops this fall. Get your COMPOST on! Two-part workshop taught by the Brooklyn, New York, Queens, and Staten Island Botanical Gardens and the Lower East Side Ecology Center. Tuesday, September 12, 6-8 pm Discover how to make "black gold" for your park or garden. Tuesday, September 19, 6-8 pm Learn the uses of compost. Both sessions meet at Marcus Garvey Park in the Pelham Fritz Recreation Center, 120th St. & Mt. Morris Park West. For a $20 compost bin, contact (212) 477-3155 or email info@lesecologycenter.org. Dividing Perennials Tuesday, September 26, 5-7 pm Learn to divide common perennials like hostas to increase plant material. Perennials will be distributed. Taught by Bronx Green Up/NYBG at the Little Green Garden, 377-381 East 161st St. between Courtlandt & Melrose Aves. Bulb Planting at Tompkins Square Park Saturday, November 11, 10 am-12 noon Learn about spring bulb planting, volunteer opportunities and participate in a hands-on project. Let us know at time of registration if you would like to receive free bulbs. Tompkins Square Park, Park House near children's area. Dear Friends, With 578 miles of shoreline, New York is one of the world's great maritime cities. Parks has spent the past decade striving to make our city's waterfront accessible to all New Yorkers by expanding greenways and parks, restoring piers, boardwalks and boathouses, and creating public programming for boaters and landlubbers alike. This summer, we invite you to take a stroll on an esplanade, paddle out in a canoe, or find out if the surf is up. If you like what you see, we hope you'll contact your local waterfront volunteers and get involved in a greener – and bluer – future. Sincerely, Adrian Benepe, Commissioner Parks & Recreation David Rivel, Executive Director City Parks Foundation Got something to say? Over the past three years, more than 15,000 park patrons have made their voices heard through the Parks Customer Survey Program. This year's survey is just getting started, so seek out one of our volunteer interviewers in park near you or visit the Parks website and complete a questionnaire online at www.nyc.gov/parks. Better yet, if you want to help conduct surveys, please call Sherry Lee at (212) 360-8228. From May to October, the Red Hook Boaters welcome aspiring paddlers to Brooklyn's Louis Valentino Jr. Park and Pier to help clean the beach, learn techniques of canoeing and kayaking, launch their own boats, or join open water trips. “There is only one park in the city with a beach, free canoe and kayak rides, and a stunning view of the Statue of Liberty,” boasts Red Hook Boaters volunteer Tim Gamble. All activities run by this chapter of the Gowanus Dredgers are free – just remember to wear clothes that can get wet! For more information, visit their website at www.redhookboaters.org. Thanks to all who submitted “Proof of Age.” Of respondents, the oldest park volunteer group is The Garden Club of City Island. Founded in 1960 by a group of Bronx boaters, the group began beautifying waterfront land near the City Island Bridge. Know of an older group? Tell us about it. BUILD YOUR CAPACITY Apply for a Partnerships for Parks Capacity Fund grant. The next deadline is October 1, 2006. 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.

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, Director, Technical Assistance Program WRITER: Jennifer Keeney Sendrow DESIGN: Anne LaFond PHOTO OF KAYAKER: Jonathan Barkey 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.