This Weekend In Parks

Volunteers Last Weekend at Crotona Park;
Photo by Malcolm Pinckney

The impact of Hurricane Sandy has left an indelible mark on our parks, playgrounds, beaches, and neighborhoods citywide. Thousands of trees fell across the City. In the Rockaways, entire sections of our beloved boardwalk are no more. In parts of Brooklyn, Staten Island, and Queens, entire coastal communities were damaged by massive tidal forces.

In response to the impact of the storm, the Parks Department engaged our volunteer network like never before. You not only answered the call, you have made a difference. Over 5,000 people have participated in park Hurricane Sandy clean-up activities to date. Whether you raked leaves in Riverside Park, shoveled sand from the Coney Island Boardwalk, removed debris from playgrounds in Queens, or helped with community clean-up and recovery efforts in Staten Island, the willingness and desire of New Yorkers to step up and volunteer has been overwhelming.

This weekend, the volunteer effort will continue at several sites across the city. Those opportunities are listed below. Please register online at www.nyc.gov/service.

Thank you!


Manhattan
• Imagination Playground (Friday and Saturday)
• East River Park (Saturday)

Queens
• Mary Whalen Playground (Friday)
• Rockaway - Beach 30th (Friday)
• Forest Park (Saturday)
• Astoria Field House (Saturday)
• Alley Pond Park/Springfield Playground (Saturday)
• Joe Michael's Mile (Saturday)

Staten Island
• Blue Heron Park (Saturday)
• Graniteville Quarry (Saturday)
• Midland Beach Fishing Pier (Saturday and Sunday)
• Midland Beach (Sunday)


An American holiday celebrated its 15th anniversary on November 15. This is not your typical festivity, however. Children still went to school, banks remained open and adults woke up at dawn to head to work, but odds are many people celebrated – whether they knew it or not. November 15 was America Recycles Day! Recycling is one of the most basic, simple acts people can do to protect the environment and conserve resources. In a proclamation, President Barack Obama encouraged Americans to “continue their reducing, reusing, and recycling efforts” while also cutting back on food waste.

Here at Parks, the agency continues to do its part in by maintaining roughly 400 recycling receptacles in nearly 100 parks, educating New Yorkers about recycling at large citywide events, and working towards expanding recycling to areas where its operationally feasible to meet the Mayor’s sustainability goals. A full list of public space recycling locations can be found here: http://www.nyc.gov/html/nycwasteless/html/recycling/publicspace.shtml#locations

Celebrate everyday by recycling and spreading the knowledge!

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