Sustainability Guidelines for NYC Parks

Posted on 2011-01-09 by admin

Panorama, Frozen Lullwater at Prospect Park at Sunset

The New York City Department of Parks and Recreation (Parks) recently released new sustainability guidelines for the design and maintenance of NYC’s green spaces, High Performance Landscape Guidelines: 21st Century Parks for NYC:

High Performance Landscape Guidelines is the first document of its kind in the nation: a comprehensive, municipal design primer for sustainable parks and open space. The product of a unique partnership between the Parks Department and the Design Trust, a nonprofit organization that helped create sustainable guidelines for NYC buildings, High Performance Landscape Guidelines covers every aspect of creating sustainable parks, from design to construction to maintenance, and feature many best practices for managing soil, water, and vegetation resources.
– Press Release, January 6, 2011

The Guidelines, running over 270 pages, cover site assessment; design, construction and maintenance; and soils, water and vegetation. the final section of the manual includes several case studies, including two of Brooklyn’s Parks: Calvert Vaux and Canarsie Parks.

Climate change is identified as a major factor, if not the single most important consideration, for the guidelines:

Climate change threatens the stability and longevity of New York City’s infrastructure, buildings, and parks; it also compromises the health and safety of the city’s population. Unless the growth of greenhouse gas emissions is curbed and reversed, experts predict that climate change will result in significant sea level rise, increased storm intensity and frequency, and increased temperatures.

Two factors will exacerbate the impacts of climate change in New York City: the urban heat island effect and the city’s overburdened stormwater infrastructure.

– Climate Change and 21st Century Parks, Part 1, Guidelines

[goog.gl]

Links

High Performance Landscape Guidelines: 21st Century Parks for NYC, available as PDF (273 pages)
Parks Press Release: A New Year Launches A New Era In Great Park Design, 2011-01-06

Mulchfest 2011: Recycle Those Trees!

Posted on 2011-01-02 by admin

The giant tree shredder in action at last year’s Mulchfest at Park Circle in Prospect Park.

It’s tree recycling season in New York City. Residents can have their trees recycled into mulch for the City’s parks and gardens. Note that, although recycling pickup is still suspended after the post-Christmas blizzard, you can leave trees curbside for recycling pickup.

Remove all lights, ornaments, tinsel and tree-stands from your tree.
Leave your tree unwrapped. Don’t put it in a plastic bag.
Leave trees curbside starting Monday, January 3 for recycling pickup, OR
Bring your tree 10am-2pm Saturday, January 8th or Sunday, January 9th to one of 70 locations citywide.

Residents can also pick up free mulch at designated chipping locations.

Brooklyn Locations

This year’s Mulchfest locations for Brooklyn are almost the same as last year’s. Those marked with an asterisk (*) are on-site chipping locations.

th>Service

Location	Address
The Amazing Garden*	Columbia Street at Carroll Street	Chipping
Cobble Hill Park*	Verandah Place & Clinton Street	Chipping
Coffey Park	Dwight Street & Verona Street	Drop-off only
Fort Greene Park*	Washington Pk. & Willoughby Avenue	Chipping
Green-Wood Cemetery	25th Street & 4th Avenue	Drop-off only
Hattie Carthan Garden*	Across from Von King Park: Lafayette Avenue & Clifton Place	Chipping
Lincoln Terrace Park	Buffalo Avenue between East New York Avenue & Eastern Parkway	Drop-off only
Maria Hernandez Park	Knickerbocker Avenue & Suydam Street	Drop-off only
Marine Park*	Avenue U & East 33rd Street	Chipping
McCarren Park*	Driggs Avenue & Lorimer Street	Chipping
McGolrick Park	Monitor Street & Driggs Avenue	Drop-off only
Owl’s Head Park*	Colonial Road & 68th Street	Chipping
Prospect Heights Community Garden	252-256 St. Marks Avenue	Drop-off only
Prospect Park*	Third Street at Prospect Park West	Chipping
Prospect Park Circle*	Parkside Avenue & Prospect Park Southwest	Chipping
Sunset Park	44th Street & 6th Avenue	Drop-off only

Map

View Brooklyn MulchFest 2011 in a larger map

[goo.gl]

Links

Mulchfest, NYC Department of Parks and Recreation
MillionTreesNYC
Partnerships for Parks
Prospect Park Alliance

Community Gardens Town Hall Meeting, Saturday, 10/2

Posted on 2010-10-01 by admin

This event is also listed on Facebook and EventBrite.

When:
Saturday, October 2
12:00pm – 4:00pm

Where:
The New School – Wollman Hall
66 W. 12th St, 5th Floor
New York, NY

On October 2, 2010, the New York City Community Garden Coalition will convene a Town Hall Meeting to discuss the recently published “new rules” for community gardens on City land set to go into effect on October 13, 2010, as well as look to alternative legal strategies for long-term preservation.

While media reports have characterized the Coalition’s opinion of the rules as favorable, NYCCGC has officially held comment, …and has been meeting with Coalition members, conferring with other greening groups, and consulting with legal experts to fully assess the scope and impact of the recently updated rules.

“We held comment on the new rules for a reason,” says NYCCGC President Karen Washington. “The far-reaching impact of these rules is not something to be taken lightly, and needs to be analyzed thoroughly. While we appreciate that steps in the right direction have been made, there are still some serious concerns that need to be addressed before we claim total victory for the City’s community gardeners.”

While NYCCGC had originally been involved with the drafting of the new rules, negotiations eventually broke off, leaving the Coalition and its allies frustrated. On the morning of August 10, NYCCGC rallied supporters, helping fill Parks’ public hearing regarding the rules to overflow capacity. Over 300 garden devotees shared their passion as well as their consternation at the then-proposed rules, ultimately having a positive impact on the recently published rules.

One revelation that came to light at the hearing was from Christopher Amato, who served as lead attorney in the NY State Attorney General’s 2002 landmark lawsuit against the City, is that all 198 community gardens transferred to Parks (and more since then) were permanently protected by the 2002 “Community Gardens Agreement,” which he also helped author.

12:00pm – 2:00pm: The first half of the Town Hall meeting will include an introduction to the current state of community garden affairs, followed by analysis of the new rules governing community gardens on city-owned land by several experts in the field of environmental justice.

2:00pm – 4:00pm: The second half of the event will be devoted to looking above and beyond the new rules: the pervasive sentiment, shared by supporters including City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, Parks and Recreation Committee Chair Melissa Mark-Viverito, and Christina Grace of the NYS Office of Community Gardens, is that true permanency for the gardens lies in legislation. Several legal strategies will be discussed; the Coalition is urging all elected local and state representatives with an interest in this important environmental justice issue to attend.

Both sessions will conclude with comments from invited greening groups, and an open question & answer period.

Links

Brooklyn Botanic Garden (BBG): Community Garden Alliance
New York City Community Garden Coalition

Daffodil Project 2010

Posted on 2010-09-21 by admin

Update 2010-10-22: Manhattan distribution date changed.
Updated 2010-10-09: Bronx distribution date and location changed.
Updated 2010-09-23: Added distribution dates and sites.

Daffodil bulbs just planted in place in a tree bed on Cortelyou Road in November 2007.

Today and tomorrow are the last two days to request Daffodil bulbs from New Yorkers for Parks for this year’s Daffodil Project. Bulbs will be distributed in October. In Brooklyn, bulbs will be available for pick up on Saturday, October 23, from 8am-11am, at Grand Army Plaza at the Greenmarket Manager’s tent near the white flagpole.

For nearly a decade the Daffodil Project, a living memorial to 9/11, has been a citywide effort to beautify every neighborhood by planting daffodils. Led by New Yorkers for Parks in cooperation with the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, this annual volunteer effort serves as a living memorial for the victims, a symbol of remembrance, and an act of rebirth that involves citizens in the revitalization of their communities.

Each fall, New Yorkers for Parks distributes hundreds of thousands of daffodil bulbs to New Yorkers in all five boroughs. The bulbs are free to anyone who commits to planting them in a park or public space.

Dutch bulb supplier Hans van Waardenburg of B&K Flowerbulbs has pledged to donate 500,000 daffodil bulbs to the project each year as long as there are volunteers willing to plant them. Over 20,000 New Yorkers have responded to this challenge, making the Daffodil Project one of the largest citywide volunteer efforts.

Since the project’s inception, nearly 4 million daffodils have been planted throughout New York City.
– The Daffodil Project, New Yorkers for Parks

Distribution Dates and Sites

Thank you to all the community groups who signed up for bulbs for partnering with us to make this living 9/11 memorial possible. Bulbs will be distributed to those who registered at the five sites across the city (one in each borough). Please try to arrive earlier rather than later.

Staten Island, Silver Lake Tennis House: Sunday, October 17th, 10am-12pm
On the Forest Avenue side of Silver Lake Park near the intersection of Hart Boulevard and Forest Avenue.

Brooklyn, Grand Army Plaza Greenmarket: Saturday, October 23rd, 8am-11am
At the manager’s tent near the white flag pole.

Manhattan – Date changed – Union Square Greenmarket: Sunday, October 24th, 10am-1pm
At the manager’s tent near the corner of East 15th Street and Union Square West.

The Bronx – Date and location changed – Bronx Borough Hall Greenmarket: Tuesday, October 26, 10am-12pm
at the manager’s tent, Grand Concourse between 161st and 162nd streets

Queens, The Overlook in Forest Park: Saturday, October 30th, 10am-1pm
At 80-30 Park Lane, Kew Gardens NY 11415. Enter through the service road.

We are asking groups who requested over 300 bulbs to bring their own bags or boxes to take the bulbs away on the day of the distribution. Tote bags will not be handed out this year. Thank you for your assistance with this!

[goo.gl]

Links

The Daffodil Project, New Yorkers for Parks

City Announces Revised Rules for Community Gardens

Posted on 2010-09-13 by admin

Updated 2010-09-14: Added links to news reports.

Note: The full press release claims that “there are more than 600 gardens across New York City.” This in incorrect. The latest census lists only 482 gardens, 20% fewer than claimed in Parks’ press release.

Parks Press Release

Monday, September 13, 2010

Parks Commissioner Announces Final Community Garden Rules Strengthening Protections For Gardens

Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe today announced the Parks Department has finalized its Community Garden Rules, which incorporate significant changes based on public comments made on the draft rules. The Notice of Adoption, including the full rules, will be published in the City Record on Monday, September 13, 2010 and take effect 30 days later.

Key changes to the proposed rules, led by Commissioner Benepe in concert with elected officials, community boards, and community garden organizations, were made in response to testimony from the community at a public hearing on August 10th, 2010 which was hosted by the Parks Department. They include:

Active gardens under the Parks Department’s jurisdiction are preserved as gardens as long as they are registered and licensed by the Department.
Licenses will be renewed as long as the garden satisfies the registration criteria.
Parks must attempt to identify successor gardening groups for failing gardens and has nine months from time of default to return the garden to active status.
New gardens may be created and will have the same protections as existing gardens.
A party licensed by the City to perform work that results in damage to a garden will be required to return the garden to its preexisting condition.
The Department will attempt to provide notices required under the Current Rules to gardeners in other languages.
The Statement of Basis and Purpose states that gardens will be preserved and explains that the transfer and development provisions apply to abandoned and persistently non-compliant gardens under the Department’s jurisdiction.

…

Links

Parks Press Release, 2010-09-13

Time’s Up! Statement on New Garden Rules, Time’s Up, 2010-09-14

Community Gardens Get More Protection, Brooklyn Eagle, 2010-09-13
Community-Garden Rules Receive a Mixed Reaction, Javier C. Hernandez, NY Times, 2010-09-13
City Adopts New Rules For Community Gardens, Erica Ferrari, NY1 News (Video)
NYC Adopts New Rules For Community Gardens, Monica Morales, WPIX (Video)

Support NYC’s Community Gardens

Posted on 2010-08-09 by admin

Garden supporters gathered on the steps of City Hall for last Wednesday’s press conference.

Today is the last day to register to speak at tomorrow’s hearings on proposed rules that will govern more than half of NYC’s community gardens. The New York City Community Gardeners Coalition (NYCCGC) has all the details on their Web site. The deadline for submitting written comments is tomorrow, coinciding with the public hearing.

Many other groups are also joining together for rallies and other events to show support for NYC’s community gardens. Even if you’re not inspired to speak or write, please come out to show your support.

Monday, August 9

Register to speak by calling (212) 360-1335 or email laura.lavelle@parks.nyc.gov. Spoken testimony will be limited to 3 minutes.

Tuesday, August 10

What: PEP RALLY
Time: 9am
Where: Elliot Chelsea Green Grounds
425 West 25th St (9th-10th Aves.), Manhattan

What: Public Hearing (you must register today to speak)
Time: 11am
Where: Chelsea Recreation Center
430 West 25^th Street, Manhattan

Links

Take Action: Parks’ Policy Change Threatens Community Gardens, NYC Community Garden Coalition (NYCCGC)

Coalition Seeks More Protection For Community Gardens, Raanan Geberer, Brooklyn Daily Eagle, 2010-08-06
Gardens of Fear: Community planters fret over new rules, Erin Durking, NY Daily News, 2010-08-11
NYRP Testifies on Behalf of NYC Community Gardens, New York Restoration Project, 2010-08-16

Community Gardeners at City Hall

Posted on 2010-08-05 by admin

Updated 2010-08-05: Added links to more reports on the press conference, variously reported also as a demonstration, protest, or rally.

Yesterday morning, I joined about 70 of my fellow community gardeners and community garden advocates and supporters on the steps of City Hall. The agreement that has largely protected community gardens in NYC since 2002 expires next month. The press conference was organized by the New York City Community Gardens Coalition (NYCCGC) to draw attention to issues with proposed new rules for NYC’s community gardens.

NYCCGC has all the details on their Web site. I urge everyone to weigh in with written comments, whether submitted through the NYC.gov Web site, or by email. You can also (gasp!) mail a letter. You can even call 311. The hearing is Tuesday, 8/10. If you want to speak, you must register by Monday, August 9. All comments are due on or by August 10, the date of the hearing.

Slideshow

Despite the heat, even at 9:30 in the morning, it was a lovely, energizing, and community-building event. The gardens were well-represented.

Links

Take Action: Parks’ Policy Change Threatens Community Gardens, NYC Community Garden Coalition (NYCCGC)

Community Garden Advocates Demand Parks Protections, Maria Eugenia Miranda, NBC New York, 2010-08-04Green groups fear new community garden rules, am New York (Newsday), 2010-08-04
Coming to the Defense of Community Gardens, City Room, NY Times, 2010-08-04
Demonstrators Disapprove Of Proposed NYC Park Rules, CBS New York/1010 WINS, 2010-08-04 (Text and Podcast)
Community Gardeners Rally in Front of City Hall to Push for Green Space Protections, DNAInfo, 2010-08-04
Defend Community Gardens, That Greenpoint Blog, 2010-08-05
Gardeners Root For City Patches, Melanie Grace West, Wall Street Journal, 2010-08-05
Community Garden Advocates Demand Permanent Protection for Their Gardens, Epoch Times, 2010-08-05
Benepe: There He Goes Again, Soiled Hands, 2010-08-05
New Yorkers Rally for Community Garden Protection, Ecocentric, 2010-08-19

Gardens Supporters Press Conference, 8/4, at City Hall

Posted on 2010-08-03 by admin

The East 4th Street/Windsor Terrace-Kensington Veterans Memorial Community Garden, one of over 100 NYC community gardens under Parks jurisdiction. The agreement that has largely protected community gardens in NYC since 2002 expires next month. Brooklyn has 42% (204/483) of NYC’s Community Gardens.

Several community gardening advocacy groups are holding a press conference on the steps of City Hall tomorrow, Wednesday, August 4, at 10:00am. They are inviting all supporters to join them.

The press conference is in response to the new community gardens rules proposed by the NYC Department of Parks and Recreation (Parks) and Housing Preservation and Development (HPD).

New York City Community Garden Coalition
RALLY & PRESS CONFERENCE WEDNESDAY AUGUST 4TH, 10:00AM
@ NEW YORK CITY HALL STEPS – BE THERE!
We are calling upon all community gardeners, of our members, supporters, and allies to join us this Wednesday, August 4, 2010 on the steps of City Hall
as we voice our concerns regarding the proposed new rules that govern many of our city’s community gardens.

Location: City Hall Steps, New York NY 10007
Date: Wednesday, August 4th, 2010
Time: 9:30am – 10:30am (Starting at 10:00am Sharp)
The Spencer Street Block Association Garden in Bed-Stuy is under the jurisdiction of HPD. In the eight years of the settlement agreement, HPD has destroyed nearly all of its gardens. Only about 20 remain across the city.

Enter the City Hall steps area by passing through metal detectors on the East or West entrance of City Hall inside City Hall Park.

We will meet at 9:30am
@ the East side of the steps
(closest to Brooklyn Bridge)
Bring your fellow gardeners, neighbors, kids, pictures, banners, flowers, vegetables….
Please confirm you are coming by calling us at (888) 311-3993 or emailing us at info@NYCCGC.org

Getting to City Hall by Subway:
4, 5, 6 to Brooklyn Bridge/City Hall
R, W to City Hall
2, 3 to Park Place
J, M, Z to Chambers Street
E to World Trade Center
A, C to Chambers Street

This press conference is in response to the Proposed Parks Rules and upcoming Public Hearing on Tuesday August 10th for more info go to http://www.nyccgc.org

Hellebores and Narcissus in March of 2007 in the Summit Street Community Garden in Red Hook/Columbia Waterfront neighborhood, another Parks garden that would be eligible to be sold to developers under Parks’ proposed new rules.

[goo.gl]

Links

Notice of Opportunity to Comment on Proposed Rule (PDFs) from Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) and Housing Preservation and Development

Take Action: Parks’ Policy Change Threatens Community Gardens, NYC Community Garden Coalition (NYCCGC)

Coming to the Defense of Community Gardens, City Room, NY Times, 2010-08-04

Community Gardens Need Your Help, Backyard and Beyond, 2010-08-03
Keeping New York City’s Community Gardens Green, NY Times Editorial opposing the proposed rules, 2010-08-02
New York’s Community Gardens Lose Protect Status, Threatened With Development Under New Rules, TreeHugger, 2010-07-27
Letter to Gardeners (PDF), NYCCGC, 2010-07-22
Protect our community gardens, EV Grieve, 2010-07-19

The 2002 Settlement

2002 Memorandum of Agreement (PDF), NYCCGC

Community Gardens Lawsuit Settles, The Municipal Arts Society of New York (MASNYC), 2004-02-09
Ending a Long Battle, New York Lets Housing and Gardens Grow, NY Times, 2002-09-19
Community Gardens in New York City: the Lower East Side of Manhattan offers a summarized timeline of community gardens in NYC from 1965-2002

Proposed NYC Rules Threaten Community Gardens

Posted on 2010-07-28 by admin

Update 2010-07-28:

Welcome, NY Times CityRoom readers.
Added links to information on the 2002 settlement agreement.

The Baltic Street Community Garden in Park Slope, as it appeared in July 2008. It was destroyed in 2009 by the NYC Department of Education.

The agreement that has largely protected New York City community gardens for nearly a decade expires this September. Community gardens fall under different jurisdictions, depending on whether they are in private hands, such as a land trust organization, or on land controlled by an Agency of the City. In advance of the expiration of the agreement, the NYC Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR, or simply “Parks”) and Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) have drafted revised rules for governing the gardens under their care. In short: gardens will have no protection.

Public comments are due in writing by August 10. To view the proposed rules, or to submit comments:

Visit Proposed Rules on the NYC.gov Web site.
For “Agency”, Select “DPR” or “HPD”.
Click [GO].
Click “Community Gardens” to view the Proposed Rule (PDF). Click “Comment” to submit your written comments online.

There is a community meeting tomorrow evening for gardeners and advocates of NYC’s community gardens to learn about the issues and what we can do in response.

Gardener’s Information Session
Wednesday July 28 6-8pm
Brooklyn Botanic Garden Auditorium
1000 Washington Ave.
Subway: 2,3 to Eastern Pkwy, or B, Q to Prospect Park

Public Hearing
August 10 11am
Chelsea Recreation Center
430 W. 25th St (btwn 9 & 10)
Subway: C, E to 23rd Street, or A to 34th Street

The Campus Road Garden in South Midwood, as it appeared in August 2008. It was destroyed earlier this year by Brooklyn College.

[goo.gl]

Links

Notice of Opportunity to Comment on Proposed Rule (PDFs) from Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) and Housing Preservation and Development

Take Action: Parks’ Policy Change Threatens Community Gardens, NYC Community Garden Coalition (NYCCGC)

New York’s Community Gardens Lose Protect Status, Threatened With Development Under New Rules, TreeHugger, 2010-07-27
Letter to Gardeners (PDF), NYCCGC, 2010-07-22
Protect our community gardens, EV Grieve, 2010-07-19

The 2002 Settlement

2002 Memorandum of Agreement (PDF), NYCCGC

Shufflin’ Off …

Posted on 2010-07-07 by admin

Today I’m driving from Syracuse to Buffalo, New York, to attend Garden Bloggers Buffa10, the third annual meetup of North American (U.S and Canada) garden bloggers. The first was two years ago in Austin, Texas. I attended last year’s Chicago Spring Fling and had a blast.

Buffa10 runs from tomorrow, Thursday, July 8 through Sunday, July 11, in the middle of Buffalo’s all-garden blowout, Garden Walk Buffalo, the largest garden tour in the U.S. With more than 350 gardens on display, we’ll only get to visit a handful in our four days.
I have my new business cards, made from my Flickr photos, in hand to give out to my gardening tweeps and bluggies. All but four of the images come from Brooklyn. I collected the set of 20 photos, so those of you getting one of my cards can identify the image.

[goo.gl]

Links

Garden Bloggers Buffa10
The Garden Writers and Bloggers Are Coming!, Garden Walk Buffalo

Related Content

Links

Brooklyn Locations

Map

Related Content

Links

Related Content

Links

Distribution Dates and Sites

Related Content

Links

Related Content

Links

Monday, August 9

Tuesday, August 10

Related Content

Links

Slideshow

Related Content

Links

Related Content

Links

The 2002 Settlement

Related Content

Links

The 2002 Settlement

Related Content

Links