Spring Summer Update

Spring/Summer Update!

Thanks to everyone that makes our efforts so fun and meaningful with a holistic teamwork approach that listens and learns with respect and patience. We are growing our community of youth and adults and elders and introducing ever more people to the wonders of Nature and the joys of health!


1 May Day event and pics http://www.friendsofbrookpark.org/impressions/mayday2006
2 Music and song
3 CSA sign up and farmers market activities http://friendsofbrookpark.org/sbcsa.html
4 CUNY Presentation
5 1st Annual Harlem River flotilla
http://www.friendsofbrookpark.org/impressions/harlemriverflotilla2006
6 Green Team Mentoring Program
http://www.friendsofbrookpark.org/impressions/greenteam2006spring
7 Capital Project Update http://www.friendsofbrookpark.org/Capital_Plan/
8 Parks Advocacy Day
9 Randall’s Island Preservation Efforts
10 Wireless Brook Park
11 People's Environmental Tour of the South Bronx
http://www.times-up.org/peoplestour.php
12 Summer Solstice Volunteer Day and Celebration
13 Invest in Friends of Brook Park


1 May Day event and pics

http://www.friendsofbrookpark.org/impressions/mayday2006

Thanks to the leadership of Principal Johnson and our Capital project Manager and Educational Partnerships Manager Ms. Puglia the entire school of PS 179 joined us for May Day festivities. With a park beautification, teamwork projects, performance by hoopergirl.com and the May Pole Dance!


2 Music and song

Our volunteers Kim, Amiti, Shanti Devi (www.shantidevi.net), Kenny Wolleson and Jennifer Harris and others conducted a series of play-shops on singing and instrument making that culminated in a grand performance in Brook park with four different schools participating. Thanks to all our volunteers. We will work to make this a regular offering as part of our education programming.

3 CSA sign up and farmers market activities

We have hosted many meetings and seed starting workshops and more. The plants are mostly in the ground and vegetables growing for our community. Sign up now for our third year of the South Bronx Community Supported Agriculture project and have fresh, organic affordable vegetables delivered right to our Brook Park from a local New York farmer!

See: http://friendsofbrookpark.org/sbcsa.html for more information

We will also be launching a juice bar and fair trade café and food coop from our Green Corner in partnership with Vamos La Pena, new volunteers sought!


4 CUNY Presentation

Friends of Brook Park was invited by Loren Talbot and Hilary Baum to present at the CUNY Grad Center as part of their series: Putting Food Systems on the Urban Map- www.baumforum.org



5 1st Annual Harlem River flotilla

http://www.friendsofbrookpark.org/impressions/harlemriverflotilla2006

What an amazing day we had 5-27 cleaning up the shores, paddling, sharing food and water and witnessing unfettered Nature with numerous stakeholders. The day began with a park and shore clean up on the Harlem River South Bronx access point with a group of teens, teachers and parents with Building with Books. With a special interview by News 12 that was following our bike tour with Time's Up. Paddlers braved the currents and joined us from the great beach adjacent to Socrates Sculpture Park from the Long Island City Community Boathouse (http://www.licboathouse.org) to the South, and from the Inwood Canoe Club (http://www.inwoodcanoeclub.org) to the North. We then paddled up the Harlem River, really a both way estuary, to check out the incredible eco center maintained by Urban Divers (www.urbandivers.org) . A special surprise allowed our crew of numerous boats to link up with the graduating Interns of Urban Divers to get in the same 30' canoe and head top the Hudson! Besides fish and numerous birds including a hawk, we saw at the very northern tip of the isle of Manahattoe a young... Deer!!!! We paddled back to our canoes and kayaks and went our north and south united ways. LIC Boathouse and Inwood Canoe Club host regular open house days and this is but a start to unite stakeholders along our common waterway. Get Involved!!!! All organizations and individuals are welcomed to open there gates and launch their vessels with us to expand the no wake zone, advocate for greater protections, further access and more resources for us all!

6 Green Team Mentoring Program

http://www.friendsofbrookpark.org/impressions/greenteam2006spring

We are continuing our successful Green Team Internship and Mentoring Program. The community action experience allows the students to explore the meaning of community by working outdoors in Nature. Community service is a mandatory graduation requirement for all Community School for Social Justice students in their second year. We embrace all the elements by planting vegeatble and flowers and trees, paddling on local waterways, making camp and cooking fires and walking our labyrinth and breathing deeply.

In addition we have expanded our educational programming from pre-k to high school thanks to the outreach efforts of Lori Puglia and the responsive and dedicated teachers from PS 30, PS 179, MS 220 MS 22 and more.

7 Capital Project Update

A recent meeting with Council Member Maria del Carmen Arroyo and Bronx Parks Commissioner Hector Aponte and his staff has brought us closer to breaking ground to remove the asphalt section of the park and increase the greenery. Although there are some minor design issues to be addressed, we are encouraged by the dialogue brokered by Ms. Arroyo and her commitment to ensure that our concerns are addressed and the necessary allocations will be made for the capital project and our programming. We are encouraged to know that the asphalt will be removed, a new fence installed, fruit trees planted by the community and the labyrinth to be created by Camino de Paz Labyrinths (www.caminodepaz.org). The existing brook has nnot been adequately investigated, so we will be pushing for a pond and wetland plantings in lieu of an artificial stream. We will need your input as we move into the design portion of phase two, for the 140th Street side where we will have the Eco Classroom, Greenhouse and garden beds!!!

See a slideshow with soundtrack at:
http://www.friendsofbrookpark.org/Capital_Plan/


8 Parks Advocacy Day

Many of us participated ion the 4th Annual Parks Advocacy Day with New Yorkers for Parks (www.ny4p.org). Our Green Team members, some from previous semesters, were able to speak in person with Council members Melissa Mark Viverito and Helen Foster about our need for more resources for our programming, capital projects and to preserve Randall’s Island. Some of the students play ball on the island and are stgrongly against any expansion of corporate theme facilities as is proposed.


9 Randalls Island e-action

The effort to preserve 22 acres of our public park land on Randall’s Island is gaining momentum!

Thanks to strong leadership from Council member Melissa Mark Viverito and others, we are gathering energy to initiate a lawsuit to stop the ludicrous corporate development of our precious green space. Join our June 17th Bike Tour, after we gather the mulberries we will distribute 5,000 fliers in English and Spanish to the park users. RSVP please. We are seeking $, lawyers and supporters of the lawsuit, let us know how you can participate!

10 Wireless Brook Park coming soon thanks to support from Council member Arroyo

11 Bike Tour June 17

People's Environmental Tour of the South Bronx
Sat, Jun 17th, 12:30 pm, Meet at Brook Park, 141st Street and Brook Avenue, the Bronx

Now in its tenth successful year, this innovative event is an example of a sustained partnership between Time's Up! and Friends of Brook Park of the South Bronx.
This is really a trip on the wild side for a unique view of what is world-renowned as the "South Bronx." A leisurely tour that includes beautiful natural wonders of the waterfront, community gardens and art, and historic places. This season the ride will feature fresh mulberry picking on Randall's Island, bring a recycled container and a thin sheet to catch the berries! On this trip participants of all ages are made aware through actual site visits of polluting fossil fuel power plants and gargantuan waste transfer facilities that litter our rivers' shores. Alternatives to the existing government policies are brought to everyone's attention, with post-ride action steps including promoting demonstrations, letter writing, and email campaigns.
TIME'S UP! provides critical outreach and promotion for this ride and early support has led to significant growth in attendance as well as continued support and involvement with the important efforts of Friends of Brook Park by ride participants.
http://www.times-up.org/peoplestour.php

12 Summer Solstice Volunteer Day and Celebration


Wednesday June 21st, Join us 3 pm till 10pm

Volunteer for a few hours, then drum and dance and celebrate the summer!



13 Invest in Friends of Brook Park


There are many ways in which you can be an integral part of what we do and touch the lives of many in our South Bronx community. Please make a monetary contribution on line!
$10, $100, $1,000, or more. We appreciate your support.
Now you can give on line at a regularly monthly rate, it’s simple and easy, just click on below!

http://friendsofbrookpark.org/donations.html