Help create a more sustainable City and celebrate the Harlem River with us!
On Saturday, July 15, for the first time, Bronx stewards, advocates, and experts will host free events in their parks along the Harlem River for City of Water Day (COWD cityofwater.org), and team up later for a break. The COWD is in its 16th year and builds awareness of our coastline and climate change impacts. It is sponsored by the Waterfront Alliance and New York-New Jersey Harbor & Estuary Program (HEP).
At 1:30 pm, the Bronx Council for Environmental Quality (BCEQ) will bring those river groups together for a conversation & cooling refreshment at a Harlem River Celebration/Meeting at Roberto Clemente State Park. The meeting will feature a Lunch & Learn about the Park’s native plants and nature-based shoreline. Dr. Paul Mankiewicz of the Gaia Institute and Leaf Island will share how water plays a role in mitigating the Urban Heat Island effect. The Bronx is Blooming Staff will highlight the beauty and benefits of native plants. We will be joined by those who participated in individual parks earlier. The public is invited and must RSVP to rsvp@bceq.org.
The day kicks off with a 9:30 am meet-up on the Highbridge with members of the Harlem River Working Group. At 10 am, they will walk approximately 2 miles to Mill Pond Park while discussing greenway options, river access, and waterfront history. RSVP to harlemriver@bceq.org.
Further up the river, from 10–11:30 am, the Friends of Spuyten Duyvil will engage volunteers in hands-on habitat and trail rehabilitation along the pond edge in Spuyten Duyvil Shorefront Park. Tools, gloves, and training provided. At noon, NYC Parks Natural Area Volunteer Jodie Colón will lead a Walk & Talk along the trail to discuss the restoration work’s progress & plans. RSVP to bit.ly/FoSDevents or spuytenduyvilny@gmail.com.
Refreshments are courtesy of BCEQ, and COWD HEP grant provides with round-trip Metro-North tickets to Roberto Clemente State Park from Mill Pond Park or Spuyten Duyvil Shorefront Park.
“We are excited about collaborating to engage the community in multiple locations along the water. These events highlight the important role of water and plants in creating sustainable and resistant Bronx waterfronts for our city’s future.” Karen Argenti, BCEQ Board Member
Bronx Council for Environmental Quality is a 53-year-old 501c3 organization consisting of volunteers from every corner of the Bronx.
Friends of Spuyten Duyvil is a grassroots network that for 30 years has organized collaborative activities that create, educate, and advocate for cleaner, greener, and safer communities.
Harlem River Working Group is a 15-year-old group of community organizations, governmental agencies and other private stakeholders, focused on improving water quality, greenways and river access.
Gaia Institute is a Bronx-based nonprofit organization that uses ecological engineering to enhance communities with nature-based ecosystem services.
Leaf Island has decades of experience designing & deploying green infrastructure projects, urban infrastructure projects & ecological studies in NYC and around the world.
The Bronx is Blooming is a Bronx-based nonprofit dedicated to environmental stewardship, youth leadership development, and community building.
Waterfront Alliance is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to protect accessible waterfronts for all communities.
New York-New Jersey Harbor & Estuary Program was created by the EPA and brings the benefits of the Clean Water Act to protect, conserve and restore the estuary.
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