July 19, 2010 Stormwater Capture - Modeling the City of Brotherly Love
The Bronx River Alliance, a member of the S.W.I.M coalition, has pushed for ecological improvements to the Bronx River through best management practices around stormwater capture. Read the article from WNYC for more information about how The Big Apple may be seizing the opportunity to partner and learn from The City of Brotherly Love.
June 30, 2010 The NYTimes recognizes Bronx student
The NYTimes recognizes the work of an aspiring herpetologist, Erik Zeidler of Bronx High School of Science, who has collaborated with the Bronx River Alliance on several events and presentations.
Erik has pursued studying the impacts of the Bronx River's native Snapping Turtles for his high school thesis and has given presentations and attended numerous events to share his wealth of knowledge and love for the native reptiles. At many of these events, Erik often steals the show as his affection and devotion to understanding the ecology of the Bronx River touches everyone that he speaks to -- it also helps that he often carries a 40+ pound ancient creature for display.
June 30, 2010 Green Infrastructure - in your backyard.
The Bronx River Alliance presents an exciting new opportunity to qualified residents or property owners of the Bronx. If you’ve ever wondered how you could have an influential role in the green revolution, now is the time.
The Bronx River Alliance is looking for residents of the Bronx that are interested in hosting a rainwater catchment system. These rainwater catchment systems (or rainbarrels) help to collect water and prevent the overload of NYC’s combined sewer system after rain occurrences; alleviate non-point source pollution that flows into the Bronx River and Long Island Sound; provide free water for washing the car, watering the garden, lawn, and street trees, in addition to other homely tasks. Properties within the following areas may qualify:
Area A – Property that is located to the east of the Bronx River, to the west of White Plains Rd, and south of Nereid Avenue, but north of Allerton Avenue.
Area B – Property that is located to the east of the Bronx River, west of Laconia Avenue/Williamsbridge Avenue, and south of Allerton Ave, but North of I-95 (Cross Bronx Expressway) – this includes portions of the West Farm community.
Area C – Property that is located to the west of the Bronx River, but to the east of Van Cortlandt Park East, and South of McLean/Nereid Avenue, but North of 233rd Street.
If you believe that your property falls within these delineations, or you are unsure and would like more information, please contact Ecology Director, Robin Kriesberg at robin.kriesberg@parks.nyc.gov or by calling 718-430-4690.
(It is important to note that water provided by the rainwater harvesting systems is absolutely not fit for consumption.)
June 23, 2010 5th Annual Upstream Soiree
The Bronx River Alliance cordially invites you to An Upstream Soirée on Thursday, September 16th, from 6 to 8PM. The Soirée is a convivial evening to benefit the Bronx River Alliance, with music, cocktails, hors d’oeuvres and a silent auction, set in the award winning Hunts Point Riverside Park. Our honorees will be Adrian Benepe, Commissioner of the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation, and Roberto Garcia, Senior Director of Community and Government Relations at Montefiore Medical Center and outgoing chair of the Bronx Community Board 2. This event supports the Bronx River Alliance's mission to protect, improve, and restore the Bronx River and complete the Bronx River Greenway along its length.
Tickets are $100, or $200 for a patron ticket that includes a listing in the program. Click here for a direct link to the online registration page. There are also opportunities for corporate or individual sponsorships.
Hunts Point Riverside Park is located on the Bronx River at the end of Lafayette Avenue at Edgewater Road. Transportation will be available by shuttle van from the #6 Subway Hunts Point Avenue Station, or by reserved trolley from the Parks Department headquarters building, the Arsenal, at Fifth Avenue and 64th Street in Manhattan. Free valet parking will also be available. For further information or directions please call Stephen DeVillo at 718-430-4613, or email development@bronxriver.org.
June 22, 2010 Oyster Monitoring in the Daily News
The Bronx River Alliance and our friends at Friends of Brook Park, were featured in today's NYDaily News for oyster monitoring and the potential benefits for the improvement of water quality in New York City. Read more below.
The Bronx Kill could soon be alive - with oysters.
A South Bronx community group plans to reseed the waterway with oysters and mussels and, in the process, revive the polluted waterway, which separates the Bronx from Randalls Island.
The group - Friends of Brook Park - is waiting for word on a $50,000 grant from the United States Fish and Wildlife Service.
"This would expose more people to the wonder of our waterways," said Harry Bubbins, who runs the Mott Haven group.
The oysters won't be fit for human consumption, but could help clean the narrow Bronx Kill, which has been devastated by dumping, sewage and landfill.
Because the crusty bivalves are filter feeders - sucking in water and slurping algae and plankton from it - a square foot of oysters can filter 2,000 gallons of water per day. They also form reefs, which shelter fish, crabs and shrimp - more than 70 animal species all together, said Paul Mankiewicz of the Gaia Institute on City Island.
A century ago, oysters were so common that street stands sold them on the half-shell. But overharvesting, toxic waste and disease hit the mollusks hard.
Bubbins said his group was inspired by a Bronx River restoration project. Six years ago, the Bronx River Alliance and the city Parks Department set out to help a small colony of Bronx River oysters near Soundview Park. Like the Bronx Kill, the Bronx River had been ravaged by dumping and neglect.
In 2007 and 2008, volunteers used Long Island clamshells to build a reef for the oysters and gathered baby oysters from the water to boost the colony. In the Bronx Kill, Mankiewicz and Friends of Brook Park will install reef-like ropes made from recycled plastic, then reseed it with baby oysters.
Friends of Brook Park chose the Bronx Kill not only because it borders Mott Haven but also because the waterway is tranquil and too small for motorboat traffic. It would take an enormous oyster colony to rid the larger Bronx River of gunk, but a mollusk-powered Bronx Kill cleanup is doable, said Mankiewicz. Friends of Brook Park plans to work in the Bronx Kill near Lincoln Ave., but could also plant oysters near Mill Pond Park in the Harlem River.
We are happy to announce that the Bronx River Alliance has made the Honor Roll! The Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) program has placed the Bronx River Alliance on its Chief Scientist’s Honor Roll for Hydrology.
Since joining the GLOBE database in 2003 and submitting information, the alliance has taken over 4253 data measurements. The extraordinary effort to utilize the river as a living classroom could not have been done without the collaborative efforts of partner organizations and school groups. We thank all that have helped us to receive such a great accomplishment.
June 03, 2010 Bronx River Oil Spill in White Plains
June 4, 2010
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Oil Spill Highlights Stormwater Issue in Bronx River
Bronx, NY – An oil spill discovered on the Bronx River in White Plains on June 2, has been determined to be heating oil from a nearby apartment building. The oil entered the river through the storm drain system and has extended for three miles down the river, from South of Main Street in White Plains down to Crane Road in Scarsdale. Officials report that multiple containment booms were put into place as far south on the river as Mount Vernon, but the oil has not reached that far.
The oil was spilled in the basement of the building and flowed into an internal storm sewer which flushed it directly into the Bronx River. Stormwater poses a major threat to the health of the river, discharging untreated polluted runoff directly into the waterway on an ongoing basis. In the fall of 2009, an oil spill from a Con Ed substation in Yonkers resulted in hundreds of gallons of transformer oil flowing into the river. While spills such as these are relatively rare, runoff is a constant input to the ecosystem, with rainwater picking up pollutants as it runs over paved and hardened surfaces, ultimately flowing into storm drains which discharge to the Bronx River. These incidents serve as dramatic reminders of the vulnerability of our local waterways, and how increased coordination and cooperation across political boundaries are needed to protect the entire Bronx River watershed and ecosystem....click here for the complete press release.
If you notice any unusual conditions such as an oily sheen on the water, please let us know by sending an email to: robin.kriesberg@parks.nyc.gov.
If you are intersted in helping to rescue, clean, and release animals from the river contact Loraine J. Izzo, a licensed animal rehabilitator with the state Department of Environmental Conservation at 914-629-8352.
May 27, 2010 Bronx River Festival
The Bronx River Festival, even heralded by NY Daily News as 'the best back to nature festival', will take place on Saturday, June 26th at River Park. Be sure to come and enjoy a beautiful day at the Bronx River. Games, canoe rides, live entertainment, food will be availble at the event. It's sure to be fun for the entire family.
Event begins at 11AM and continues until 3PM at River Park (180th Street at Boston Road, Bronx, NY).
May 24, 2010 'I Am The Bronx River' Video Debut
The Bronx River Alliance has worked extensively with our partners and supporters in the Bronx community as a coordinated voice for the rejuvenation of the river, all while working to reintroduce community members that have long been physically cut off from the beautiful resource of the Bronx River. We’ve worked with Good Eye Video to recapture the spirit of our work, to highlight the tremendous strides, and to reinforce the beauty that is the Bronx and the Bronx River. We hope that you enjoy!
May 19, 2010 Shoelace Park Highlighted in Mind in the Gutter Exhibition
S.W.I.M. (Stormwater Infrastructure Matters) celebrated Earth Day at the exhibit launch and panel discussion for Minds in the Gutter, a project that seeks innovative designs to manage stormwater in the public right-of-way. A standing room only crowd at Museum of the City of New York joined a panel of dreamers and do-ers in the field of stormwater management, moderated by Deborah Marton of Design Trust for Public Space, to re-envision who is at the table when decisions about stormwater and public space are made. Thank you to all who came and made the event so much fun!
The Minds in the Gutter project continues to seek online submissions describing your innovative ideas for managing runoff from roadways within the public right of way. We encourage submissions from a wide variety of disciplines, the public or private sector, and all five boroughs of New York City. If you are a professional engineer, a student, a community leader, a forester, a pedestrian…If you are someone who has an inspired solution for diverting stormwater from roadways before it reaches the sewer, we want to hear from you!
Go to http://mindsinthegutter.org/ to view the creative ideas that were reviewed by a panel of judges and showcased at the event at the Museum of the City of New York. The Bronx River Alliance is particularly excited about the innovative entry by NYC DEP for a stormwater capture project at 224th St. and Bronx Blvd. near Shoelace Park. Check it out at http://mindsinthegutter.org/nyc-dep/
April 12, 2010 The Alewife Herring Returns to the Bronx River!
Bronx, NY – On Sunday, April 11, 2010, staff from the Bronx River Alliance and Queens College netted a 255 mm male alewife on the Bronx River. The capture marks the second year in a row that this species of fish has been observed in the river since the species was reintroduced in four years ago.
“Finding alewife in the river again this spring is evidence of the reintroduction program’s success and a testament to the improvements made by ongoing restoration efforts along the Bronx River,” said Linda Cox, Bronx River Alliance Executive Director/NYC Parks Bronx River Administrator.
In 2006 and 2007, the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation Natural Resources Group (NRG) and the Connecticut Department of Environmental Conservation reintroduced alewife into the river, in partnership with the Bronx Zoo, and in April 2009, the first alewife was netted as it migrated upstream to spawn. Under the direction of NRG, the Bronx River Alliance, and other partner organizations installed a trap in River Park near 180th St. in the Bronx on April 1, 2010, to determine the presence of alewife heading to spawn this year. Now that one has been caught, the trap will be removed, to minimize mortality to other returning fish.
The presence of alewives, together with the appearance of Jose the beaver in 2006, speaks to the remarkable ability of a heavily urbanized waterway to support a diversity of life. It also testifies to the resurgence in the overall health of the river that has occurred as a result of work by community members, local non-profits, and government agencies. The return of the alewife is an example of the positive benefits that occur when this partnership mobilizes.
“These alewives make an extraordinary journey from Nova Scotia, after which they pass combined sewer outfalls, garbage booms, active shoreline construction and a confined culvert on the Bronx River to reach the base of the 182nd St dam.” said Marit Larson, Deputy Director of Wetland and Riparian Restoration at NRG. “Our next step is to assure they have passage over this dam to enable them to reach suitable spawning habitat. NRG and the Bronx River Alliance are continuing...to plan the construction of fish ladders at all three dams in the Bronx. This will open the upper reaches of the river as spawning grounds for even more returning alewife."
March 18, 2010 Farewell to Community Health Advocate Megan Charlop
Yesterday, Wednesday, March 17, 2010, Megan Charlop was killed bicycling in East Tremont in the Bronx. According to media reports, she was avoiding a car door opened in her path when she was struck and killed by a bus.
Meg, an avid biker, was a huge champion of good health in the Bronx, working for healthy foods, exercise, anti-asthma, and lead abatement. She was a founder of Greening for Breathing, which led the movement to plant trees in the South Bronx. Currently, as the Director of the Community Health Division at the Montefiore School Health Program, Megan worked tirelessly to encourage more active, healthy living in neighborhoods with few open spaces or amenities. She was a respected colleague of many community organizations over the years and a warm and passionate person. She will be sorely missed.
This afternoon, some of Meg’s colleagues gathered to mourn her in Williamsbridge Oval, an appropriate outdoor setting for someone who encouraged people to “play outside.” The funeral service will be held tomorrow, Friday March 19, 2010, 9:30 a.m., at the Riverside Nassau North Chapel 55 North Station Plaza, Great Neck, NY; (516) 487-9600.
For close friends and family, the burial will take place at Mount Lebanon Cemetery. The Charlop-Powers family will be sitting shiva. Dates and locations to be announced.
In lieu of condolence packages, the Charlop-Powers family asks that donations be made to a charity which will be announced on Friday.
March 15, 2010 Serrano Hails Major Victory in Battle to Shut NYOFCo
Below is Congressman Serrano's announcement. There is also an article in the New York Times.
For Immediate Release: March 12, 2010
Serrano Hails Major Victory in Battle to Shut NYOFCo
March 12, 2010 - Washington, DC - Today, Congressman José E. Serrano hailed the NYC Department of Environmental Protection's recent decision to end its contract with the New York Organic Fertilizer Company (NYOFCo) to process sewage sludge at the company's Hunts Point location. The NYOFCo facility, which incinerated up to 2/3rds of New York City's dewatered sewage, was the source of persistent odor complaints and safety and public health concerns for more than a decade. Serrano said it was a "major victory for the people of the Bronx, for their health, and for the incredible community effort that made this happen."
"NYOFCo has polluted our community's air for 16 years, and today is the beginning of the end," said Serrano. "It is an end to the burning eyes, the coughs, the missed school days, even the asthma attacks, all conditions triggered by NYOFCo's acrid odors. It is an end to closed windows on hot days and ruined picnics in the park. It is an end to our community enduring odors that no other community in the City has to bear. We applaud the City for taking this action, and at the same time we say to them 'never let this happen in our neighborhood or any other ever again."
"The remarkable thing about the years-long fight against NYOFCo is that it became the tool that our community used to organize itself. We were fighting these battles in our own ways, but when we began to work together in the fight against this awful polluter, we organized in a way that has had a dramatically positive effect on our neighborhoods. The coalitions that formed in this campaign have gone on to fight on behalf of other pressing environmental causes - of which there are far too many in our borough - and have won many of those fights. The work that was begun by the Hunts Point Awareness Committee and was carried forward by Mothers On the Move, The Point Community Development Corporation, and Sustainable South Bronx demonstrates this organizing power.
"The organizing efforts brought about by NYOFCo's longstanding odor problems have changed the face of the Bronx permanently, making it a healthier, more livable place. More importantly, perhaps, they have helped all of us recognize that our community doesn't have to suffer indefinitely under the cruel effects of pollution and poor environmental conditions. Through this organizing work, our community has asserted its right to better conditions, and at the very least, the same right to clean air as New Yorkers in any other borough.
"This is a huge milestone in the Bronx reclaiming its environmental rights. I look forward to more victories like this one, but today's is particularly sweet. The moment when NYOFCo's lights are finally out cannot come too soon, but right now, I just relish the thought of that day in July when the city stops sending its sludge to be incinerated at the expense of our community. The South Bronx is no longer the City's destination for sewage sludge and it never will be again. That is the true victory for our borough."
Congressman José E. Serrano has represented the Bronx in Congress since 1990.
March 09, 2010 Herring fishery could close by 2012 DEC must prove species not declining
Times Herald-Record
By Adam Bosch
Posted: March 08, 2010 - 2:00 AM
An interstate commission has told New York and 14 other states to outlaw herring fishing, a staple of the Hudson River and its tributaries, if they cannot prove the fish population is stable.
Full story in the online Times Herald Record.
For more Alewife information: www.seatuck.org
March 03, 2010 Bronx River Alliance Returns from New Orleans 'Geaux Saints!', Louisiana
The Bronx River Alliance had the opportunity of participating in the 2 day Urban Pathways Initiative to Livable Communities Conference in New Orleans, Louisiana. The conference boasted of key speakers such as John Robert Smith the former Mayor to Meridian, Mississippi and current President and CEO of Reconnecting America, Keith Laughlin, President, Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, and Peter Harnik, the co-founder and vice president for Rails-to-Trail who now serves as the director for the Center for City Park Excellence at the Trust for Public Land.
The event included over 100 representatives from non-profits that are all working towards constructing greenways and open spaces to facilitate alternative means of transportation from Compton, CA to Washington, D.C..Rails-to-Trail is a partner organization with the Bronx River Alliance that strives to create a nationwide network of trails to build healthier places for healthier people -- the enhancement and promotion of trails in urban areas being recognized as the most vital to achieving their goal.
February 09, 2010 MINDS IN THE GUTTER call for submissions seeks designs for stormwater management in the public right-of-way for juried exhibition and resource guide.
MINDS IN THE GUTTER call for submissions seeks designs for stormwater management
in the public right-of-way for juried exhibition and resource guide.
Minds in the Gutter - a project of the Stormwater Infrastructure Matters (SWIM) Coalition, NYC Environmental Fund and North Brooklyn Compost Project - is currently accepting submissions for innovative design solutions that manage runoff from roadways within the public right of way (that’s public space, streets and sidewalks).
Submissions must be received before 5pm on February 15, 2010. Details for submitting your project can be found online at www.mindsinthegutter.org.
February 09, 2010 NYC Food and Fitness - Free Teacher Training
Livable Streets Education (LSE) invites you to participate in our FREE training sessions to enliven your classroom this spring! LSE develops inquiry-based lessons that use the streets outside your school as a laboratory and connects these ideas to your Core Curriculum.
Please attend our professional development programs on March 9th, 10th, or 11th. We will provide you with hands-on experience and step-by-step training to make it easy to bring these lessons to life in your classroom this spring. Participants can adapt these lessons to best suit their schedule and learning goals. An additional training session will be held on April 20th to help extend these ideas to service learning projects.
Trainings will be held on March 9th, 10th and 11th at The Open Planning Project, 148 Lafayette Street, Penthouse floor, Manhattan, NY. Free dinner is included at each session.
Tuesday, March 9th, 5-8pm
Elementary School - Projects designed for Kindergarten through Fifth Grade students highlight literacy, math, science and social studies.
• Grades K/1: The Streets Around Us,
• Grades 2/3: Getting Around Town
• Grades 4/5: Green Streets
Wednesday, March 10th, 5-8pm
Middle School - Projects designed for Kindergarten through Fifth Grade students highlight literacy, math, science and social studies.
• Grades 6-8: The Air That I Breathe
• Grades 6-8: Redesign Your Street
Thursday, March 11th, 5-8pm
High School - High School programming focuses on environmental stewardship and the social sciences.
• Grades 9-12: Making a Livable Community
Can’t make a training session?
If you are still interested in teaching a unit this spring but can’t make the training session, please email
rjacobs@streetseducation.org or call 917-388-9038.
Watch this short video to learn more about the work of our friends at desigNYC.
Updated 06/19/2010
February 08, 2010 Going Coastal NYC Book Release - Featuring the Bronx River
Going Coastal NYC 2nd Edition can now be purchased at your local bookstores. The book features information about Bronx River Alliance and the Bronx River including parks and estuaries, launch sites, and our canoe and kayak programs. Going Coastal NYC also includes details of significant historical sites, maps that covers over 500 miles of NYC waterfront, events and happenings, and much more.
The Going Coastal NYC Urban Waterfront Guide was published by Fordham University Press and is sold at a variety of book retailers including Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble, and Borders.
February 05, 2010 US Army Corps of Engineers Begins Ecosystem Restoration Project at Soundview Park
The NY City Parks Department is partnering with the Army Corps of Engineers to rebuild a wetland near the mouth of the river in Soundview Park. The Corps will foot most of the bill for the $6.3 million project to restore the 3-acre salt marsh, with the Parks Department providing the remaining 35% of the funding.
The project is in the design phase right now, and work at the site is expected to get underway in the fall.
Herring some good news
Herring made a triumphant return to the Bronx River in April, 300 years after dam-building drove the species out. In 2006, the Parks Department and conservation groups reintroduced alewife herring to the waterway, and this year their hatchings returned to spawn.
Green scene
Some of the borough's old abandoned lots, including Mill Pond Park and Concrete Plant Park, got a green lease on life as official parkland.
As of November 25, Con Ed had finished its clean-up operations and reported that the river looked great. Con Ed will wait two or so weeks to give the river "a rest" before they and staff from the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) revisit to see if there are any new indications of oil.
November 19, 2009 Click to support Bronx River Alliance!
JPMorgan Chase and Facebook have partnered to launch a corporate, philanthropic giving initiative for small and local charities. The Bronx River Alliance along with over 500,000 non-profits are eligible for the grand prize winning of $1 million. We are asking for your support, and your vote, to help Bronx River Alliance to make it to the final round.
Click on the hand to cast your vote. It's that easy!
This is such a unique opportunity and with your support, we hope to seize this moment. Please be sure to vote, and then most importantly tell your friends, family, and loved ones about the chance to make the Bronx a healthier and safer place for all of its inhabitants; hairy, feathery and scaly alike.
***Details of contest***
The contest is broken into two rounds. In the first round of the Chase Community Giving initiative Facebook users vote for non-profits that they believe should win a portion of the larger $5 Million dollar pot. On December 15th the top 100 qualified charities will be announced to receive $25,00 each, and then they will move on to the next round.
The second round the top 100 organizations will have the option to submit a "Million Dollar Grant" proposal to Facebook users (of course we need YOU to make it there) detailing the difference that they would make in their local community with the additional funds. Facebook users will then vote again beginning January 15th, and on February 1st the organization that received the most votes will be announced. The next five organizations with the most votes will receive $100,000 each, and the Chase Advisory Board will donate $1 million to the nominated charities of its choice.
November 16, 2009 Con Ed transformer explosion in Yonkers triggers Bronx River clean-up
November 11, 2009 Bronx River Teacher, Nic Vitale, Honored by NYC and Sloan Foundation
Banana Kelly science teaher Nic Vitale was honored recently for his hard work and innovation. Please follow the links for more news of this well deserved praise:
November 05, 2009 Con Edison Substation Fire Causes Oil Spill on the Bronx River
On November 4, 2009 oil from the Con Edison Dunwoodie substation was released during a fire. Con Edison is on the scene of the cleanup with the NY State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Emergency Response Team and the NY City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP).
Con Edison notified Linda Cox, Executive Director of the Bronx River Alliance and the Bronx River Administrator for the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation, on Thursday, Nov 5. Linda immediately notified NYC Parks, and both the Bronx River Conservation Crew and Parks Natural Resource Group staff investigated. Booms placed by Con Edison and DEC to contain and absorb the spill were already in place at several locations along the river. Staff members observed oil slicks and strong petroleum smells along the river, and oil seeping under the booms, heading downriver. The Alliance has been keeping in close contact with Con Edison, Parks and neighboring partners such as the New York Botanical Garden and the Bronx Zoo – all who observed the spill on their sites.
Latest (11/10/09)
The Bronx River Alliance has been advised of the sub-station fire last Wednesday and subsequent oil spill by Con Ed. We are in contact with the agencies involved. Until experts are able to issue their assessment, we are advising the public to refrain from fishing or disturbing the clean-up in the Bronx River.
UPDATE (12/01/09)
As of November 25, Con Ed had finished its clean-up operations and reported that the river looked great. Con Ed will wait two or so weeks to give the river "a rest" before they and staff from the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) revisit to see if there are any new indications of oil.