Tag: Community Engagement

PPA Profiles: W.I.L.D. for Prospect Park

July 11, 2016

Mary Beth Artz, one of the founding members of W.I.L.D. for Prospect Park and a lifelong Brooklynite, has always felt a strong connection to the Prospect Park Lake. As a child growing up in Windsor Terrace, her father would take her to the Lullwater to look for tadpoles. This area is still one of Artz’s favorite places in the Park, and she has dedicated herself to improving the health of the animals that call the Lake home.

W.I.L.D., in their own words, is “a group of community members committed to ensuring that Prospect Park is safe and healthy for all animals and plants that call the park’s incredible ecosystem home,” and seeks to accomplish this goal through a combination of volunteerism and outreach around the Lake. Since forming in 2011, W.I.L.D meets regularly to remove trash from the water and to educate park visitors about how improperly discarded trash, such as plastic bags and soda cans, pose a danger to wildlife. Recently, members removed floating debris from the lake, using boats provided by Village Community Boathouse. Artz also conducts solo clean-ups multiple times a week, and represents W.I.L.D. when working with the Prospect Park Alliance on environmental projects.

Most recently, W.I.L.D. joined forces with the Alliance and FIDO in Prospect Park to create and install recycling containers where anglers can responsibly dispose of fishing line, which can seriously entangle fish and birds. Artz advised the Alliance on where these containers should be placed, in order to have the largest positive impact. W.I.L.D. members visit the containers regularly to remove the fishing line, and speak with anglers to encourage them to “clear your gear.”

W.I.L.D.’s dedication has led to partnerships with Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, when he was state senator, and the Humane Society, bringing city-wide attention to the Park’s biodiversity. Artz’s care for animals also extends beyond her work with W.I.L.D. She has worked as an educator at the Prospect Park Zoo, and is a devoted owner of several rescue cats.

W.I.L.D. is open to wildlife lovers of all ages—their youngest member is only ten years old. W.I.L.D. also encourages everyone to be an everyday steward of the Park by bringing your own trash bags, and properly disposing of garbage. Every little bit helps to beautify the Lake, and protect the wide variety of animals that call it home.

Join one of their monthly clean ups!

Prospect Park Awarded Parks Without Borders Funding

May 25, 2016

The Prospect Park Alliance proposal to improve Flatbush Avenue is one of eight projects citywide to receive funding through the NYC Parks’ Parks Without Borders Initiative. The Alliance will use this funding to create two new park entrances along Flatbush Avenue, to restore a third entrance near Empire Boulevard and Ocean Avenue at the Park’s Children’s Corner, and to fund additional park improvements.

“The Prospect Park Alliance is committed to making the Park open and accessible to all communities bordering the Park,” said Prospect Park Alliance President Sue Donoghue. “We are thrilled that so many community members came out in support of our proposal, and I want to thank Commissioner Silver and NYC Parks for their support and vision through Parks Without Borders.”

Parks Without Borders seeks to make parks more open by improving entrances, transforming underutilized areas, and creating vibrant public spaces. The City dedicated $50 million to the program, $10 million of which had already been allocated to parks throughout the city, while the remaining $40 million was voted on through a public input process that took place earlier this year. NYC Parks collected community input from thousands of New Yorkers both online and through in-person events. The Flatbush Avenue perimeter project in Prospect Park was the most highly requested project proposal.

“Parks Without Borders has engaged thousands of New Yorkers, who shared ideas for park improvements online and in person.  That’s proof positive of how excited New Yorkers are to increase accessibility and openness in their favorite parks,” said Parks Commissioner Mitchell J. Silver, FAICP. “Thanks to Mayor de Blasio’s OneNYC funding for this major placemaking initiative, we will positively transform New Yorkers’ experience of public space.”

In addition to Parks Without Borders funding, the Alliance has previously received $2.4 million from Borough President Eric L Adams and Councilmember Laurie Cumbo to renovate the Flatbush Avenue perimeter. Through this funding, the Alliance will restore and widen the pedestrian walkway, install new decorative fencing and add an allée of street trees along the park perimeter from Grand Army Plaza to the Children’s Corner, restoring the Flatbush Avenue perimeter to its original grandeur.

2016: The Goats have Arrived!

May 18, 2016

On Monday, the Prospect Park Alliance welcomed a herd of goats to restore woodlands damaged by Hurricane Sandy and other severe storms (including a 2010 tornado!) in the northeast corner of Prospect Park—one of the hardest hit areas, which lost more than 50 trees.

In the absence of trees, invasive plants proliferated, damaging habitat and causing erosion. Removing these weeds is a more complex task than you’d expect. “The area’s steep hillsides present unique challenges for staff and machinery, but are easily accessible to goats,” said Christian Zimmerman, Prospect Park Alliance Vice President of Capital and Landscape Management. 

Meet the goats on Sunday, May 22, at Fun on the Farm, an afternoon of goat-related fun!

The herd of eight goats—a mix of Nubian, Angora and Pygmy breeds—are prodigious climbers and aren’t picky eaters; they have four stomachs and can consume 25 percent of their bodyweight in vegetation each day. They’ll devour the weeds down to their roots, forcing the plants to use all their energy to grow new shoots, only to be eaten by the goats once again. The goats keep eating until eventually the plants do not have enough energy to grow back at all. The goats, contained behind eight-foot-high construction fencing, are provided by Green Goats, a goat farm in Rhinebeck, NY, that specializes in landscape restoration.

“Once their work is complete, we will then plant new native trees and shrubs, including red and white oaks, spicebush and service berry, which will help bring back important habitat for birds and other wildlife,” adds Zimmerman. Prospect Park is home to Brooklyn’s last remaining forest. The goats’ work is important not just to beautifying the Park, but also to fortify habitat and food sources for local fauna, including countless native and migratory bird species.

“Woodland restoration has always been an important focus for the Alliance,” said Sue Donoghue, Prospect Park Alliance President. “These goats will provide an environmentally friendly approach to our larger efforts, and help us make the Park more resilient to future storms.”

The Prospect Park Alliance received $727,970 in funding from the National Parks Service through the Hurricane Sandy Disaster Relief Assistance Grant Program for Historic Properties, administered by New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. The grant not only funds woodland restoration, but historic preservation work in this landscape, known as the Vale of Cashmere. The Alliance also received an additional grant for future work on Lookout Hill, for a total of $1.2 million in funding.

c. Virginia Freire

Experience Brooklyn’s Wild Side

May 13, 2016

On May 22, join the Prospect Park Alliance and Audubon New York for the last program in the series Living Water Explorations at Prospect Park. Open to adults 18 and over, this is a hands-on workshop by the Lullwater, dipping for snails, leeches and dragon fly nymphs! Water testing kits and pond dip nets will be provided. Space is limited and pre-registration is required. Register today!

This special series of environmental education programs for Brooklyn residents, which took place this spring, builds off the Alliance’s long relationship with Audubon New York—in 2000 the Alliance and Audubon partnered to establish the first urban-area Audubon Center in the nation. Funded through the Office of the New York State Attorney General and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation through the Greenpoint Community Environmental Fund, the program series explores the community of Greenpoint and Prospect Park (all of Brooklyn’s backyard!) to discover the variety of wildlife that flourishes in the borough.

Register Today!

Sanden Wolff

Prospect Park Benefits from Participatory Budgeting

April 18, 2016

This year saw the best voter turnout in Participatory Budgeting NYC (PBNYC) history. Between Council Member Brad Lander’s 39th District and Council Member Mathieu Eugene’s 40th District alone, over 4,000 voters made their voices heard, and advocated for community projects to be completed using city funding. Voters resoundingly came out in support for Prospect Park and the Prospect Park Alliance by supporting three winning projects.

Voters in both the 39th and 40th district helped the Prospect Park Alliance keep the Lake clean for years to come. Valued at $140,000, a new aquatic weed harvester was a top vote-getter, and will prove crucial in the Alliance’s work to remove unwanted vegetation from the Park’s Lake. To see the old “Lake Mess Monster” in action, check out this video about the Prospect Park Alliance, narrated by John Turturro.

Council Member Mathieu’s constituents voted to dedicate $80,000 to the installation of new community barbecue grills in the Park.

Additionally, the Park will soon be receiving new year-round, freeze-resistant drinking fountains for the Park Drive, valued at $175,000, thanks to voters in the 39th. Intrepid and thirsty winter cyclists and runners rejoice!

Thank you to all who participated in PBNYC this year. You truly made a difference, and have helped ensure that Prospect Park will conintue to bloom for years to come.

Community Parks Initiative: Epiphany Playground

South Williamsburg’s Epiphany Playground will be getting a much-needed makeover in the coming years, thanks in part to pro-bono design services courtesy of the Prospect Park Alliance. As part of Mayor de Blasio’s Community Parks Initiative, the City will provide funding and the Alliance in-kind support for the renovation of this beloved neighborhood amenity, located between S. 9th and S. 10th Streets along Berry Street.

“This is an exciting opportunity to share the Alliance’s expertise beyond the borders of Prospect Park,” said Sue Donoghue, President of the Prospect Park Alliance, which has committed to provide pro-bono design for three CPI projects including Epiphany Playground. The Alliance’s first CPI project, Stroud Playground in Crown Heights, is soon to begin construction. “We look forward to working with the South Williamsburg community to develop a design for a new playground that fully meets their needs.”

The redesign of Epiphany will be based on community input, and on March 14, nearly 100 members of the South Williamsburg community, including many children, joined in on a scoping session to share their vision for the improved playground.

Improved lighting, abundant greenery and more open space for children to run and play were just a few of the desires expressed by South Williamsburg residents. The design process has already begun, and construction is slated to kick off in 2018.

Learn more about the Alliance’s work beyond Park borders.

Martin Seck

Brooklyn Flea Comes to Grand Army Plaza

The team behind Brooklyn Flea and Smorgasburg will launch a new weekly market at Grand Army Plaza starting Sunday, May 8. Grand Army Market will run every Sunday, 10 am to 5 pm, though October, in partnership with the Prospect Park Alliance.

“We are thrilled to have the team behind Brooklyn Flea and Smorgasburg continue their great partnership in Prospect Park,” said Prospect Park Alliance President Sue Donoghue. “Grand Army Plaza is already a major destination for Park visitors, and the ideal location for offering exciting new programming featuring local Brooklyn artists and designers. Together with Smorgasburg on Breeze Hill, the Park is the place to be on Sundays this spring, summer and fall.”

Grand Army Market will feature 30 carefully selected vendors with an emphasis on crafts, makers and handmade sellers. The market will include some of the most popular maker vendors from Brooklyn Flea, plus many new additions to the market, selling toys, kids clothing, textiles, flowers and plants, jewelry, candles, apparel, totes, art and more. 

Expect to find many vendors selling greenery including Tula, Plants & Design selling from a mobile greenhouse filled with with plants, planters, and other accessories. B sixonetwo will sell plants bound into mossy orbs, inspired by techniques from the Edo era in Japan. Doe + Jay focuses on ephemeral flower crowns and fresh cut flowers. 

A high-quality selection of children’s vendors also will be a focus of the market, including Wovenplay, selling limited edition and one of a kind children’s accessories and gifts. Face painting from the Painting Bees will also be on hand.

c. Paul Martinka

Restored Ball Field Opens for Play

The annual Prospect Park Baseball Association’s Opening Day Parade on Saturday, April 2, marked the rainy but celebratory return of baseball to Prospect Park, with hundreds of youth league players turning out for the ceremonial first pitch with Mayor Bill de Blasio, Council Member Brad Lander and other officials. It also signified the highly anticipated reopening of Long Meadow Ball Field 1, and the start of work on Fields 6 and 7, which the Prospect Park Alliance is restoring as part of a phased restoration of the ball fields and surrounding landscapes. The first and second phases of this project are funded through the Brooklyn Borough President’s office, Council Members Brad Lander and Stephen Levin, and the New York City Council Brooklyn Delegation. 

“Baseball is the quintessential Brooklyn pastime,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “I’m incredibly proud that we can celebrate the long-awaited reopening of Field 1 at Prospect Park’s Long Meadow Ball Fields as we kickoff little league season, and I commend the Prospect Park Alliance for their vision in rejuvenating this important community space.”

Field 1 restoration was centered on improving play through re-grading the field, installing a new sub-surface drainage system and laying down new turf and a new clay infield capable of supporting both baseball and softball play. In addition, the Alliance installed a new backstop and storage bin, new dugouts, and accessible paths.

The surrounding areas saw improvements as well. Pathways were re-paved, new lighting, benches and an additional drinking fountain were installed as well as new bike racks.  Plus, the nearby Bridle Path was reconstructed, and the topography was subtly changed to provide a viewing and picnicking area near the outfield.  And of course, the Alliance planted many new trees!

The renovation of Fields 6 and 7 will begin this month, with much of the same work as Field 1. The project will conclude in Fall 2017, and the fields will reopen for ball play in Spring 2018, in order to give the turf a chance to grow.

Prospect Park also benefited from City Council funding through the Participatory Budgeting NYC process, with the public voting to provide the Alliance with a new aquatic weed harvester, freeze-resistant water fountains and new barbecue grills.

Smorgasburg Vendors Announced

March 31, 2016

After last year’s successful pilot program, the Prospect Park Alliance and Brooklyn Flea are thrilled for Smorgasburg returns to Prospect Park on Sunday, April 3. And with the new Smorgasburg season, comes new vendors. With offerings like döner kebabs, Chinese street food and “raindrop cake” (a solidified water dessert), there’s something for every palate.

In addition to returning favorites like Dan & John’s Wings, Butter & Scotch and Carnal, Ramen Burger, the following exciting new vendors will join the culinary lineup on Breeze Hill come Sunday:

#Baonanas
The name is play on the Chinese word “bao,” which means“baby” or “precious treasure” but also can mean “to be full with love or food.” #Baonanas specializes in banana pudding served by the scoop. Flavors include traditional banana, strawberry, s’mores, and matcha.

Big Mozz Pizza
The team behind Big Mozz is firing up Neapolitan pizza this summer. They worked with a family owned shop in Maine to create custom copperclad
ovens that reach 1000 degrees. They’ll also be handstretching their mozzarella for these extra fresh pies.

Blank Slate Kitchen
Blank Slate Kitchen aims to create a line of professional quality cooking ingredients for home cooks. Their first products are a line of rich syrups, made from palm sugar, including a Black Pepper Simple Syrup and a Bird’s Eye Chili Simple Syrup.

BrunchStreet
BrunchStreet specializes in a common Chinese breakfast–quail eggs on a skewer. The variations at BrunchStreet, run by Kevin McGhee, a former sous chef at Eleven Madison Park, include the traditional sesame and cumin with chili sauce and more western flavors like truffle, Parmesan, and brioche.

Diego’s Artisan Chocolate
Diego uses a recipe learned from his grandmother to produce chocolate in Guatemala, a tradition that spans thousands of years for producers in the chocolate belt. They purchase beans directly from smallscale, local farmers, and do all of the roasting themselves. They even color the labels by hand!

Fedoroff’s South Philly Cheesesteaks
Keeping things simple with cheesesteaks done South Philly style. If the name sounds familiar, it might be because Dave Fedoroff also runs the very popular Fedoroff’s Roast Pork stand that launched last year at Smorgasburg.

Foraged and Found Edibles
Foraged and Found was started in Seattle by Chef Jeremy Faber and has since expanded to Boston and NYC. They provide over 100 restaurants in New York with mushrooms, ramps, fiddleheads and other seasonal finds. Their booth will be a destination for many home chefs.

Four Sigmatic
Based in Finland, Four Sigmatic makes mushroom coffee, hot cocoa, and tea. They want to make some of the most popular medicinal mushroom varieties, such as the chaga, reishi, and lion’s mane, more palatable and delicious.

Jianbing Co.
Jianbing is the quintessential Chinese street breakfast: a centuriesold wrap that’s both savory and sweet, with a distinctive crunch. 

Kimchi Kooks
Using recipes dating back to Kate Kooks grandfather’s rice wine brewery in Korea, the mother and son team behind Kimchi Kooks make small batch kimchi. In addition to the kimchi sold in jars, they developed a menu to showcase their fermented products, including kimchi mung bean pancakes and kimchi dumplings.

Kotti
Hailing from West Berlin, Kotti makes döner kebab, a German street food staple. The sandwich is made with marinated meat roasted on a spit, topped with vegetables and served on a focaccialike bread. They’ll also serve an assortment of sodas made in Berlin.

Oni Sauce
Oni Sauce make homestyle Japanese food, such as karaage, Japanese fried chicken; gobo chips, shoestring thin chips made from burdock root; and gyu tataki, a seared beef salad. You can also take home a jar of their onion sauce or their hot chili oil, which they use in all of their recipes.

Pioneer Cannery
Pioneer Cannery makes pickles, jams, mustards, hot sauces and garnishes. Some of their specialties include Bloody Mary Tomatoes, Nopales (picked cactus), and Caramelized Onion & Tomato Jam. 

Raindrop Cake
Inspired by Japanese mizu shingen mochi, the Raindrop Cake is a delicate, light cake made from barely solidified water and served with brown sugar syrup and roasted soy flour.

Red Table Catering
Red Table wants to improve the reputation of the humble English muffin by making breakfast sandwiches completely from scratch–from the English muffins to the housemade cheddarancho beer cheese to the inhouse ground & seasoned maple sausage patty. All of these ingredients are combined to make a melty, messy, delicious sandwich.

Rubyzaar Baked
Rubyzaar Baked bakes cookies inspired by some of their favorite tunes. The cookie menu includes the Midnight Train to Georgia, with peaches, pecans, maple and dark chocolate; the Ginger Baker with crystallized ginger, cranberries, and cinnamon; and the Keith Moonpie with burnt marshmallows, crushed graham crackers and dark chocolate. You’ll also find Rubyzaar at the Stand Coffee//Smorgasburg popup at the new Samsung 837 store in Chelsea.

Tramezzini NYC
The brothers behind Tramezzini NYC, raised in Venice, Italy, make the Venetian specialty using bread and other high quality ingredients imported from Italy. 

Wowfulls
Known in Hong Kong as gai dan jai, Wowfulls debuted at the winter Smorgasburg, where they’ve been wildly popular. A Wowfulls pairs egg based waffles, made on a special machines imported from Hong Kong, with ice cream and toppings for a perfectly delicious (and very “Instagramable”) creation.

Be sure to check out Smorgasburg at Breeze Hill every Sunday through October 23!

Martin Seck

Participatory Budgeting NYC 2016

March 15, 2016

Join Council Members Brad Lander (39th District) and Mathieu Eugene (40th District) to cast your vote for this year’s Participatory Budgeting NYC, a process that allows residents of these districts to vote on projects that make a difference in their communities. 

The projects up for a vote in Prospect Park include:

  • New “Lake Mess Monster” (aquatic weed harvester): Prospect Park Alliance needs a new aquatic weed harvester (aka “Lake Mess Monster”) to remove invasive plants such as duckweed from the Lake. Without it, these weeds harm the Lake’s fragile ecosystem and lessen the beauty of this water body. (Council Members Lander and Eugene)
  • Year-round, freeze-resistant drinking fountains along Park Drive: The water fountains in Prospect Park are not available to use during the winter months. This upgrade would upgrade five drinking fountains along the Park Drive to be freeze resistant and operational year round. (Council Member Lander)
  • New Dog Run at Parade Ground: To provide a space for dog owners to have access to a fenced-in space where their pups can exercise and socialize, a dog run is proposed for an unused space at the southwest corner of the Parade Ground. (Council Members Lander and Eugene)
  • Community Barbecue Sites: Prospect Park Alliance is looking to install new barbecue grills, which are similar in style to those at the Brooklyn Bridge Park Picnic Peninsula. (Council Member Eugene)

Voting opens Saturday, March 26, and concludes on Sunday, April 3, and takes place at various voting locations or you can request a write-in ballot. Don’t miss out on this unique opportunity to participate in this unique community-focused democratic process.

For more information on Participatory Budgeting NYC, including voting locations and times, visit the Participatory Budgeting NYC website.

So make your voice heard, and have a say in improving your neighborhood!