Picture of the Week: Dark Clouds Over the Marsh
Filed in Marine Park, Nature, Parks Department, Picture of the Week | No responses yet
Take Advantage of Salt Marsh Nature Center Programs!
The Salt Marsh Nature Center (3302 Avenue U) is hosting a series of FREE ongoing programs for the month of February:
- Early Morning Birding, Saturdays at 8 AM
- Pilates, Tuesday February 16th at 3 PM-4 PM
- Yogalates, Tuesdays February 9th & 23rd at 3 PM-4 PM
- Yoga, Thursdays at 9 AM
- Photography, Thursdays at 11 AM
- Zen & the Art of Drawing, Friday February 19th at 1 PM
- History Club, Sunday February 14th at 1 PM
- Relax with Marilyn, Saturday February 13th at 1 PM
In addition, there are some SPECIAL programs this month as well:
- History Club: The History of Valentine’s Day, Sunday February 14th 1 PM
- Photography Club: Guest Lecture by Photographer and Author Dick Hunt, Sunday February 21st 1 PM
- Discussion: Flower of the Month: Iris, Saturday, February 6th 1 PM
- Discussion on Owls: “Who, Who, Who Did I Eat?” Saturday, February 21st 1 PM
- Evolution of the Field Guide, Sunday, February 28th
KID’S WEEK AT THE MARSH: Take advantage of these programs during Midwinter Recess!
- Monday February 15th – Build a Bug @ 10 AM and Animal Tracks @ 1 PM
- Tuesday February 16th – Portable Adventures @ 10 AM and Create a Nature Collage @ 1 PM
- Wednesday February 17th – Owl Pellet Dissection @ 10 AM and Children’s Winter Nature Hike @ 1 PM
- Thursday February 18th – Portable Adventure @ 10 AM and Backyard Bass Ice Fishing Derby @ 1 PM
- Friday February 19th – Build a Bird Feeder @ 10 AM and Fun with Map and Compass @ 1 PM
Filed in Events, Marine Park, Nature, Parks Department | No responses yet
New York Times: City Reneges on Deal for Wyckoff-Bennett Homestead
Courtesy of Wikipedia
This past weekend’s New York Times Metropolitan section reported that Parks Department negotiations to purchase the Wyckoff-Bennett Homestead and turn it into a house museum have stalled. In 1999, the city offered $2 million for the house and its historic contents, among them a sword etched with the royal crown and initials for George Rex III and windowpanes with the initials of two Hessian soldiers who stayed there during the Revolution.¹ In addition, the current owners, the Monts, would have been able to live there rent-free provided this deal went through.
However, the Department of Citywide Administrative Services has now offered the Monts considerably less than originally promised and a deal is no longer close to being done. I sincerely hope this deal gets done because this treasure of a house deserves to be a public space for all history buffs to marvel at.
Click here to read the entire article and as well as see fantastic pictures of the house.
¹Blumenthal, Ralph. “A Prewar Home, to Say the Least.” The New York Times. 29 January 2010.
Filed in Culture, Government, Historic Marine Park, Homeowners, Local Landmark, Media, Parks Department, Politics | No responses yet
Marine Park: Mulch Madness!
Congratulations MarineParkers. We are responsible for chipping down nearly one-third of the Christmas trees (2,164 trees to be exact) sent to Brooklyn shredders during MulchFest 2010 – way to be GREEN!
From New York Post/Courier Life:
Marine Park was responsible for 29 percent of the 7,477 trees mulched in Brooklyn, which had the second highest number in the five boroughs. King of the mulch heap was Manhattan, which cut down 10,533 trees.
All told, 23,615 trees were mulched throughout the five boroughs — the highest in the city’s history.
“New Yorkers helped the city stay green by bringing their Christmas trees for chipping at Parks’ annual MulchFest,” explained Commissioner Adrian Benepe. “By recycling their Christmas trees, New Yorkers support the environment and the MillionTreesNYC initiative by providing wood chips that help trees, flowers and shrubs grow.”
Residents were asked to take as much mulch as they could for their own tree-pits, gardens and planting beds.
Mulch was still available for the taking at the park, members of Community Board 18’s Parks Committee was told Wednesday.
The remainder would be used by the city Parks Department for their trees and gardens.
Area residents were all smiles over the achievement, especially if one considers that 80 locations throughout the city were deemed mulch centers.
Yet some wondered if Marine Park was cooking the books, or should we say bark.
“Two-thousand of those trees probably belonged to the guy who was selling them there this Christmas,” Community Board District Manager Dottie Turano joked when told of the news.
Filed in Christmas, Marine Park, Nature, Parks Department | One response so far
Army Corps of Engineers to Begin Work on Gerritsen and Mill Creeks
Thank you to bagels, JD and blueMagoo for the following information concerning the Ecosystem Restoration Project ensuing at Gerritsen Creek:
From the US Army Corps of Engineers:
This ecosystem restoration project seeks to improve the aquatic and coastal grassland habitats located in the northeastern section of Marine Park, Brooklyn, NY near the junction of Gerritsen Creek and Mill Creek, immediately west of Floyd Bennett Field. The project purpose is to ameliorate the adverse impacts of past filling activities related to the construction, maintenance, and improvement of the large network of navigation channels within Jamaica Bay. The recommended plan is designed to increase the twice-daily tidal inundation across of the project site, and to convert the Phragmites dominated areas that lie adjacent to the existing salt marsh fringes to more healthy tidal ecosystems. The project will restore 31 acres of salt marsh and 23 acres of rare coastal grassland. Located adjacent the Marine Park Nature Center, this project will provide a highly visible and accessible contribution to the overall restoration of greater Jamaica Bay.
While the Army Corps of Engineers estimates the total construction cost of this project to be $6,650,000, the New York Post reports that this project will total $8 million. The nature trail will be closed throughout the duration of this restoration project.
The New York Post spoke to Dan Falt, project manager ACE’s New York District, who stated:
“We are working to restore the habitat,” stressed Falt, who said the project would encompass 67 acres adjacent to the nature center on the north side of Gerritsen Creek. In total, he went on, “We will be creating approximately 32 acres of marsh and 25 acres of coastal grassland.”
The entire project, Falt went on, will take approximately one year, with construction beginning early this month. The first step is grading, which, said Falt, will take place over the winter, with planting occurring in the spring, “So people will be able to see big changes rather quickly.”
As a result of the project, he added, “The nature trail will be closed to the public for the construction duration.”
However, once the project is complete, “There will be additional trail area,” and visitors will “be able to see a lot more, because the really tall phragmites will be gone,” Falt said.
Besides revamping the vegetation growing in the area, ACE will also be putting in what Falt called “features,” such as poles for osprey, in hope of attracting the birds to the area.
Filed in Government, Marine Park, Nature, Parks Department, Projects/Initiatives | 9 responses so far