Make it Better July 26 was our first general meeting of East River Park Action in almost two years. The last time was in October 2021 at the still-existing amphitheater. The unrevised East Side Coastal Resiliency project is now under construction. Do not despair! There is much we can do to improve our health and…
Category: East River Park
Make Parkland and Public Transit
Not More Emissions from the FDR In 2019, when the City Council approved the East Side Coastal Resiliency project that would create a levee alongside the East River, the city promised to study the viability of covering the six-lane FDR Drive. It would add parkland and additional flood control and also stem emissions and noise…
Artificial turf, real damage
Pier 42 provides much needed recreational space during ESCR construction. But its artificial turf is shedding into the East River. by Marcella Durand For a too-brief moment, New York City discouraged the use of artificial turf near waterways. Its “Guidelines for NYC Parks” once included the following advice: “New synthetic turf or track surfacing is generally not recommended…
What to Count and When to Breathe
In the absence of birds, I counted vehicles. There were plenty. by Marcella Durand There is a new hawk in town: a juvenile red-tailed hawk that sits on trees and fences between Corlears Hook Park and the tiny oblong of passive lawn in what used to be East River Park. I like to keep an…
The Case for Quercus
The cost of cutting down 29 oak trees in East River Park—just a few of the approximately 600 trees destroyed one year ago by New York City Marcella Durand In Nature’s Best Hope, Douglas Tallamy writes, “Ecologically, oaks are superior plants, and it would be easy to make a convincing case that they deliver more…
Hot and Hotter
Sparse shade in the remains of East River Park means that temperatures in the former oasis are dangerously high. We need remedies. Some intrepid Actioneers braved the outdoors despite heat advisories August 9. We measured temperatures around the area of East River Park. (We started measurements at Corlears Hook Park as shown above because that’s where…
Read the Toxicity Report Here
East River Park Soil Sampling Toxicity Report Executive Summary Full Report
Demand Clean Air
With half of East River Park’s once verdant space now a barren construction zone, the vegetation— that formerly filtered emissions from the FDR Drive, the Williamsburg Bridge and Con Edison — is gone. How will the quality of the air be affected as a result? And what can we do about it? We’re wondering as well,…
FRONTLINE COMMUNITIES AND CLIMATE
Deconstruct the video of the “Frontline Communities Coalition” rally on December 18th https://thevillagesun.com/you-dont-speak-for-us-pro-resiliency-plan-rally-slams-park-defenders and what you see is an image makeover for supporters of the De Blasio plan that is now obliterating East River Park despite wide community opposition. It is certainly interesting how speakers at the rally evade the history of this controversy with…
Cover the FDR
Decking over the highway will give us more park, flood protection and cleaner air At every community meeting in the post Hurricane Sandy planning, decking over the FDR was a top choice. Since then, Rockefeller U decked over the FDR, adding 2 acres and lab buildings for $500M. Now, as the city discusses covering sections of the…