Author: Cornershop

c. Elizabeth Keegin Colley

The Results Are In! Prospect Park Tree Survey

September 14, 2018

Prospect Park is an arboreal wonderland! Through a $75,000 Urban Forestry Grant from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, Prospect Park Alliance recently surveyed roughly 12,000 of the park’s 30,000 trees as part of its work in caring for the Park’s natural areas.

The survey not only provides a more nuanced picture of the park’s evolving ecosystem, but important insights into the economic, environmental and health benefits of Brooklyn’s Backyard. Conducted by Davey Resource Group (DRG), a well-respected urban forestry consultancy that has worked extensively in New York City, you can examine the results on the Prospect Park TreeKeeper Interactive Map.

“The survey has provided exciting insight into what we already knew were some of the park’s most important treasures, its trees,” said Prospect Park Alliance President Sue Donoghue. “We are all aware of how special this urban green space is, but now with this data we can quantify the economic benefit our community receives from these trees. It clearly reinforces just how precious this resource is, and how we must all do our part to care for it.”

During the survey, arborists inventoried trees primarily in the landscaped areas of the park, a total of 12,414 trees. Among the findings:

  • The surveyed trees provide more than $1.5 million in annual environmental benefits. This includes:

    • Air quality: 24,000 pounds of pollutants removed from the air each year, valued at $125,000;

    • Greenhouse gas benefits: 3,000 tons removed from the air, valued at $17,000;

    • Energy benefits: equivalent to 1,000 megawatt hours saved, valued at close to $700,000;

    • Storm water runoff benefits: 21 million gallons saved from the city sewer system, valued at $172,000.

  • There is a plethora of trees to be found in the park, including the 84 genera and 193 species represented in this survey. This includes numerous varieties of native cherries, maples and oaks, representing 41% of the trees surveyed, as well as less common species included the Southern magnolia, a fragrant, flowering tree whose northern range is growing due to climate change, and the bald cypress, which typically grows in swampy conditions and sends up knobby root growths called “knees.”

  • The largest tree surveyed has a diameter of 77 inches, or 6 feet, 5 inches across! This specimen tree, an American elm located near the Bandshell, is estimated to be over 100 years old.

  • The inventory also identified challenges faced by the park’s trees. The overall condition of the inventoried tree population is rated fair, however, 8% of the inventoried trees had stress caused by humans.

  • Emerald ash borer, an invasive beetle, was detected in the park’s ash tree population. And, though they have not been detected in Prospect Park, Gypsy moths and Asian Longhorn beetles pose the biggest threats to the health of the inventoried tree population.

  • A tree survey metric, “replacement value,” describes the historical investment in trees over time. The surveyed park trees have an estimated replacement value of more than $59 million!

In completing this report, DRG put together a Prospect Park Tree Management Plan, charting out the tree maintenance and planting needs in the park for the next five years. “By tracking the park’s trees, the Alliance can better care for these important natural resources, which play a big role in Brooklyn’s quality of life,” said John Jordan, Director of Landscape Management at Prospect Park Alliance.

There is a long way to go for Prospect Park Alliance to keep this vital community resource healthy and safe. Contributions from community members help sustain the park’s trees and fund the Alliance’s team of arborists and natural resources crew.

One way to support this important work is through the Alliance’s Commemorative Giving Tree Program. During planting seasons that take place each fall and spring, members of the community have the opportunity to plant a new tree in Prospect Park. Through this program, roughly 1,100 trees have been planted over the past 30 years. Each year, the Alliance plants a community tree on Arbor Day: learn more about how to get involved in this community celebration.

Want to learn more about Prospect Park’s trees? Check out the Prospect Park TreeKeeper Interactive Map to get info on each of the surveyed trees and their benefit to the community.

Take a Run in Prospect Park

September 12, 2018

Prospect Park is an amazing destination for runners and walkers, right in Brooklyn’s Backyard. 

Prospect Park features a 3.36-mile running lane along the Park Drive, which went car-free in 2018. The park’s 585 acres feature miles of trails and pathways that transverse hills, meadows and even picturesque waterways, maintained by Prospect Park Alliance, the non-profit organization that provides critical staff and resources that keep the park green and vibrant. This varied landscape is the perfect place to test your mettle and push yourself in your next run.

“Prospect Park is a great change from the crowded Central Park,” says Steve Mura, manager of runner training & education at New York Road Runners and also an NYRR Group Training coach in Prospect Park. “The 3.36-mile Park Drive loop offers a change of terrain as well as scenery,” says Mura, “and you can further change it up by cutting through Center Drive or Wells House Drive.”

Want to train on a trail less traveled? “There are some great trails in the park that will loop you around the inner area,” says Mura. “Get lost trying to find some historical area of the park, like Lookout Hill, the highest point in the park, with great views of Brooklyn—you might even be able to see Coney Island; Harry’s Wall, which honors Prospect Park Track Club co-founder Harry Murphy; and Cleft Ridge Span, a decorative concrete arch that dates back to 1872.”

Ready to push yourself? “That Battle Pass hill is a challenge! Run by effort,” advises Mura. “Your pace will slow down, but that effort level should stay the same. On the downhill, watch your effort. You want to stay controlled down the hill and stay in your rhythm.” 

Ready to get out in the park? Take a look at Prospect Park Alliance’s downloadable running map with mileage and distances in Prospect Park, then check out NYRR’s 3-mile Prospect Park running route, which passes 10 different points of interest in the park. For everything else, head to prospectpark.org/running.

Alliance Receives $8.9M for Restoration of Grand Army Plaza

August 24, 2018

Prospect Park Alliance is delighted to announce that our organization has received funding from the City to undertake a range of important capital projects in the park. This work, which will be undertaken by the Alliance’s award-winning design team, adds to a full slate of projects currently underway in the park. Review these on our Capital Projects Tracker.

Most significantly, today Mayor Bill de Blasio announced he is providing $8.9 million to restore Grand Army Plaza, more specifically the historic Soldier and Sailors Memorial Arch and the landscaped berms that frame the Plaza.

Grand Army Plaza is the formal entrance of Prospect Park. In 1889, the Plaza became the site of the Soldiers and Sailors Arch, which was dedicated in 1892 to commemorate those who fought with the Union troops during the Civil War. The Arch was landmarked in 1975, when the structure was in severe disrepair, and in 1976 the figure of Columbia literally fell from her chariot. The City undertook a restoration of the Arch in 1980.

Nearly 40 years later, the Arch is once again in need of restoration. This $8.9 million capital project will enable the Alliance to replace the Arch’s roof, clean and repoint the brick and stone structure, repair the interior iron staircases that lead to the roof, and replace the interior and exterior lighting. The project will also include replanting the landscaped berms that frame the Plaza on its east and west sides, which are sustained by Alliance horticultural crews and volunteers. This includes adding new trees and replacing the existing chain link fence with a low steel panel fence. Additionally, the Alliance will remove the broken bluestone pavement that surrounds the plaza’s John F. Kennedy Memorial and the Bailey Fountain with granite pavement.

In addition to the restoration of Grand Army Plaza, Prospect Park Alliance also received $1 million in funding from the Brooklyn delegation of the New York City Council for infrastructure improvements to the park’s former Rose Garden in the northeast corner of the Park. Together these projects advance the Alliance’s current focus on the northeast corner of the park, which also includes the restoration of the Flatbush Avenue perimeter of the park, through funding from Borough President Eric Adams and New York City Council Majority Leader Laurie Cumbo; the construction of two new entrances to the park on Flatbush Avenue—the first new entrances to the park since the 1940s—through funding from NYC Parks through its Parks without Borders program; and restoring pathways, benches and lighting in the northeast corner of the park through funding from the mayor.

This year the Alliance also received funding from City Council Members Brad Lander and Mathieu Eugene through the Participatory Budgeting process, where community members vote on funding projects at the heart of the community. Prospect Park Alliance has always done well in this process, which is a testament to how much the park means to each of you. This year, we received funding from Council Member Lander to create a senior fitness playground at Harmony Playground, as well as make general improvements to this cherished playspace, and Council Member Eugene provided funding for a second adult fitness area in the Parade Ground. These are a testament to the park’s importance in Brooklynites’ quality of life.

Please visit our Capital Projects Tracker to learn more about the full range of projects currently in the works in Prospect Park.

c. Ciro Photography

4 Seasons of Picnic House Weddings

August 15, 2018

The Picnic House is a charming and historic event venue in Prospect Park, adaptable for occasions in all four seasons. With scenic views of the 90-acre Long Meadow, outdoor access and a working wood fireplace, it provides a bucolic setting in the heart of Brooklyn. See a slideshow of Picnic House weddings in each season, and get  ready to plan your own!

Spring
There is no more romantic time or place to get married than Prospect Park as it bursts into bloom in the springtime. The Picnic House is surrounded by daffodils, forsythia and other early-blooming spring flowers. Decorate with budding branches and enjoy the outdoor access afforded by the venue.

Summer
In summer, take advantage of one of the Picnic House’s most popular features–the space to have an outdoor wedding ceremony overlooking the rolling lawn of the Park’s 90-acre Long Meadow. With this bucolic setting, your wedding will look like it is taking place in the countryside. Plus, during the warmer months, Prospect Park Picnic House caterers can grill outdoors. If you’re looking to have a barbecue or grill out wedding, take advantage of this option!

Autumn
In fall, the park bursts into a riot of colors–a gorgeous backdrop for your special day. The crisp weather means you can still take advantage of the outdoor space and head back indoors to party the night away.

Winter
In winter, enjoy panoramic views of the Long Meadow blanketed in snow from inside the cozy Picnic House. In these darker months, decorate with candles and don’t forget about the venue’s wood-burning fireplace!

See a slideshow of Picnic House weddings in all four seasons. 

Interested in having your wedding at the Picnic House? Fill out our contact form today.

Kate Abrams

The Weed Harvester’s New Name

August 14, 2018

When Prospect Park Alliance President Sue Donoghue and City Council Members Brad Lander and Mathieu Eugene celebrated the launch of a brand-new aquatic weed harvester, it kicked off a contest to name the new machine. Over the course of six weeks, over 300 entries were submitted, narrowed down, and voted on by the park community. With nine final options and over 700 votes tallied, the winner by a margin of 30 votes is, “The Floating Goat.”

The weed harvester offers an environmentally sound method for Prospect Park Alliance’s Natural Resources Crew–a dedicated crew that cares for the park’s natural areas–to control excessive aquatic weed growth, such as floating water primrose and duckweed. Keeping these weeds at bay helps address the water quality of the 55-acre Prospect Park Lake. City Council Members Brad Lander and Mathieu Eugene funded this $140,000 machine through the Participatory Budgeting Process; and were on hand to launch the vehicle in June 2018 and join Prospect Park Alliance President Sue Donoghue and members of the Alliance’s Natural Resources Crew on the inaugural trip around the Lake. This project is part of a broader focus by Prospect Park Alliance, the non-profit organization that sustains the park, to care for the Park’s natural areas.

An earlier aquatic weed harvester had been dubbed, “The Lake Mess Monster,” often shortened to “Messy.” The Alliance decided to open the naming of the new harvester to the public, and in the first stage of the public naming contest over 300 potential names were submitted, largely by local residents. Those entries were narrowed down by Alliance staff, and nine were chosen as the finalists to by voted on by the community. The options were as follows: Chompy, Da Pride O Lakeside, The Floating Goat, Harvey the Harvester, Lake Mess Monster II, The Little Orange Peel, Orange Crush, The Sea Slurpent, and Weedzilla. Voters were allowed one pick per email address and three weeks to vote.

When the voting ended, and more than 700 votes were tallied, the winner by a margin of 30 votes was, “The Floating Goat.” The winning entry was submitted by Jack Costas (8), a “lifelong Prospect Park adventurer and proud Alliance member.” The name was inspired by the Alliance’s resident goat herd, which was brought in by the Alliance in 2016 and 2017 as part of a Superstorm Sandy grant from New York State Parks to help clear invasive weeds in the park’s hard-hit woodlands. The aquatic weed harvester will accomplish a similar task in Brooklyn’s only lake, and the Alliance is thrilled to welcome yet another “Goat” to the herd. Costas will receive a Prospect Park Alliance “swag” bag and will participate in a photo-op when the vessel has been lettered.

Learn more about the “Floating Goat,” the new aquatic weed harvester.

The Alliance’s Growing Greenhouse

This year, the Prospect Park Alliance horticultural crew dug in and got their hands dirty in order to make an exciting new addition to their team: a greenhouse. The existing structure, located in the park’s Garage Compound space for maintenance and operations, had last been used for this purpose roughly 20 years ago, and had served as storage in recent years.

The resurrection of the greenhouse was primarily undertaken by LJ Philp (Lead Gardener at the Lefrak Center at Lakeside), Uriel Walker (Assistant Gardener, Lakeside) and Allie Loux (Assistant Gardener, Lakeside), with the intention of creating a facility for Alliance gardeners to learn, experiment and move Prospect Park towards greater self-sufficiency and resiliency. 

With 19 variations of native species of plants, including grasses (Virginia wild rye, Little bluestem and Purple love grass) and broadleaf flowering plants (Black-eyed susan and Beardtongue foxglove), the three gardeners, along with the support of other Alliance staff, have nurtured the greenhouse back to life.

The undertaking required carpentry work (including the creation of roll-up sides for ventilation, meshing for shade, and a sliding door to combat heavy winter snow), as well as the installation of a misting irrigation system. The seven-month-old greenhouse is bursting with life and ecological lessons. 

The trial of learning how to grow these specific native plants from seed has proved to be a hands-on process of “positive trial and error,” says Philp. By supplementing the plants purchased at a nursery with home-grown additions, Prospect Park Alliance gardeners can better understand the full lifespan of Prospect Park’s plants and move towards self-sufficiency.

These native plants will not only live longer and thrive with less care, but they will also serve as a greater addition to the park’s ecosystem: providing food and habitat for native wildlife and pollinators and enhancing the park’s resiliency to help it thrive for years to come. 

The project is still young, and the team has bright eyes for the possibilities it can bring to Brooklyn’s Backyard.

Learn more about the Alliance’s work to sustain the Park’s environment.

c. Domenick D'Andrea

The Battle of Brooklyn in Prospect Park

August 13, 2018

Long before designers Olmsted and Vaux reshaped the topography to create Prospect Park, the hills of Brooklyn served as the stage of the largest battle of the Revolutionary War in terms of total combatants: the August 27, 1776, Battle of Brooklyn. The chain of lowland hills that run through Brooklyn overlook long, open flatlands. In the 1770s, the area was covered with thick forest and brush. There were only four passes that cut through the rocky ridge, including Flatbush Pass in what is now Prospect Park.

Six weeks prior to this historic engagement, the Continental Army had captured Boston at the Battle of Bunker Hill. The Colonists knew that the British would respond by securing the most strategic military outpost, the port city of New York. General George Washington had already started moving troops to Brooklyn in early May, and General John Sullivan was charged to hold the ridgeline that extends from today’s Green-Wood Cemetery, through Prospect Park to Mount Prospect Park. Flatbush Pass, which runs between a cluster of rugged hills where today joggers strain up the park’s East Drive, was marked with a large white tree called the Dongan Oak, which was chopped down to impede the British advance.

On August 27, the Hessians (German mercenaries hired by the British) pushed up Flatbush Pass to meet the American blockade. The invading forces were instructed to wait to attack the Colonists until the British gave the signal. General Sullivan expected the British to travel from the Gowanus Pass, and was unaware that the British troops had found their way to Jamaica Pass, thanks to local Loyalists. At approximately 9 am, the British General James Grant fired a cannon to signal the Hessians to commence their attack. With the Hessians at the front and the British forces coming from the rear–over grounds now known as the Vale of Cashmere and Nellie’s Lawn–the American soldiers were completely caught by surprise, and fled in panic across today’s Long Meadow.

General Sullivan was unable to organize a retreat before the Hessians overtook the forward guard, and the fighting devolved into hand-to-hand combat. Some Americans escaped through the swampy landscape, some were captured and sent to British prison ships in Wallabout Bay, and others were battlefield casualties. Ninety years later, when the park was being built, remains of those soldiers were uncovered, as were American fortifications and gun pits.

The Battle of Brooklyn was the first conflict in the American Revolution after the July 4 signing of the Declaration of Independence, and these hills remained hallowed ground for the people of Brooklyn for many generations. The memory of Battle Pass was part of the reason the site was chosen for Prospect Park in the 1850s, and markers were added in the park to commemorate that fateful day in American history. Visitors can find three bronze plaques along the East Drive which describe the events and mark the line of defense as well as the location of the Dongan Oak. At the base of Lookout Hill, the Maryland Monument commemorates the heroic stand of Major Mordecai Gist’s Maryland Regiment, which numbered just four hundred men but managed to hold off two thousand Hessian and Scottish invaders around a Dutch farmhouse, now known to Brooklynites as the Old Stone House. Only ten men survived, and the monument is inscribed with General Washington’s exclamation, “Good God! What brave fellows I must this day lose.”

Celebrate Brooklyn’s Diverse Cultures at the Brooklyn Roots Festival

July 13, 2018

Pictured above, Afro-Puerto Rican drum and dance ensemble Bomba Yo. C. Brooklyn Arts Council.

On July 29, the Brooklyn Arts Council (BAC) and Prospect Park Alliance present the Brooklyn Roots Festival. This folk arts festival celebrates Brooklyn’s traditional artists and immigrant communities through performances, workshops, family activities and more.

This event is free, RSVP today to let us know you are coming!

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The festival is part of BAC’s summer-long Tradition as Resistance Festival. “Folk and traditional expressions are not relics,” said BAC Folk Arts Director Christopher Mulé. “These communities have much to teach us about moving forward in our current climate of social justice and protest. The Brooklyn Roots Festival provides a platform for multiple generations to celebrate traditions of resistance with pride.”

“Prospect Park is Brooklyn’s Backyard, and a haven for the diverse communities of this borough,” said Prospect Park Alliance Vice President of Programs Maria Carrasco. “The Alliance is dedicated to providing free public programs that celebrate the history and traditions of Brooklyn, and we are thrilled to partner on this first Brooklyn Roots Festival.”

The festival’s Main Stage will feature Palestinian dance ensemble Freedom Dabkah, Haitian drumming group Fanmi Asòtò, Afro-Puerto Rican drum and dance ensemble Bomba Yo, and other groups representing Yiddish, Serbian and African Diaspora cultures.

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Pictured, Haitian drumming group Fanmi Asòtò. C. Brooklyn Arts Council.

In addition to the performance Main Stage, a workshop station will engage audiences with activities led by groups including the Queer Kitchen Brigade, the food-agro project working in solidarity with Puerto Rico’s sustainable agroecology movement; Gran Bwa and the Congo Square Drummers, sharing their longtime tradition of sharing tradition and ritual in the Prospect Park Drummer’s Grove; and dance and music workshops.

A children’s section at the Lefferts Historic House presents acclaimed “King of the Dance Party” Father Goose Music with a journey through Caribbean and multicultural music, East Asian folk children’s group Rabbit Days and Dumplings featuring Elena Moon Park, and puppetry presentations by the Czechoslovak-American Marionette Theatre. City Lore is also partnering with BAC to present the multimedia theater piece What We Bring: Stories of Migration.

This event is free, RSVP to let us know you are coming!

Pictured at top, Afro-Puerto Rican drum and dance ensemble Bomba Yo. In story, Haitian drumming group Fanmi Asòtò. C. Brooklyn Arts Council. 

Sanden Wolff

The New York Times Publishes Guide to Prospect Park

The New York Times recently published a guide, “How to Enjoy Brooklyn’s Prospect Park,” and we couldn’t agree more with the selection! The guide covers the 55-acre Lake, the rolling hills of the Long Meadow, and many other landmarks in between. The guide notes, “Prospect Park, which opened in 1867, is remarkable in its own right. The park is accessible year-round, but truly shines in the summer.”

Check out the The New York Times guide, and for more ways to enjoy the park, take a look at our Summer Fun Checklist: Kids Edition.

c. Martin Seck

City Funds Park Improvements

July 2, 2018

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