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SOLUTIONS FOR A HEALTHY SHARED HARBOR
eNewsletter from the Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance  November 5, 2008
First, A Few Announcements

  • The entire waterfront community mourns the untimely passing of Mike Davis a founder, true anchor and the Executive Director of Floating the Apple.   He died Monday morning from complications of a stroke he suffered last week.  Mike, 68, was the father of wooden boat building in the Floating the Applemodern NY harbor and a seminal figure in the waterfront community.  He was committed to increasing community boating on the city's public waterways.  For over 16 years, Floating the Apple has built Whitehall gigs, wooden row/sail boats popular in New York Harbor in the early years of the city's history.   The boats are either retained by Floating the Apple and used in youth and adult rowing programs, or donated to other non-profit rowing organizations, often called "applets" by Mike.  From their website, "Restoring universal access onto the public waterways is our goal. Reintroducing the public, especially young people, to the joys of rowing and sailing on the urban waters, is our immediate objective."

    The son of a Coast Guardsman, Mike spent his youth in spots around the world that had one common denominator: water. A Christian Science Monitor article (by Siobhan Skye Rohde, March 5, 2002) said that Mike "was inspired by boating in Istanbul, near where he worked on an archeological dig for more than 20 years. He wanted to create a way for New Yorkers to go onto the water in their communities that was affordable for everyone.  He and his friend David Lutz founded Floating the Apple in 1992 after helping to start the East Coast Greenway, an off-road hiking/biking route that then stretched from Boston to Washington.  'There's something very special about this,' Davis says, smiling like a man in love. The wind blows his white hair in every direction. 'It's not something you usually do in New York City, just walk down to the water and go. And it doesn't have anything to do with clothes or style.' He settles back for just a moment, closes his eyes and is silent, then leans forward again. 'You can feel the lapping, feel the wake. Isn't this incredible?'"

    We will miss him, but what a legacy he has left for us and future generations to enjoy and sustain.

  • New York Water Taxi is naming their newest boat after one of our NY Water Taxifounding Board members. MWA members that know (and love) the indefatigable Eugenia M. ("Gene") Flatow are encouraged to join us to celebrate the christening of New York Water Taxi's 10th vessel named Gene Flatow.   The vessel is a state of the art 149-passenger catamaran with the first Tier II engine and Tier III generator in the harbor.

    Gene is an industrial engineer with over 50 years' experience as a management consultant, business proprietor and citizen advocate to gain public participation in setting public policy on the management of land and water for environmental protection and restoration. She is a member of the MWA Board Trustees and has made enormous contributions to our City's parks and waterways over the past four decades. She was the head of the Model Cities Program for Mayor John Lindsay and a former President of the Parks Council (now New Yorkers for Parks) where she was very involved in the creation of Gateway National Recreation Area.  Gene formed the Coalition for the Bight to get New York City that the waterways that needed to be cleaned up included the Bight as well as the Hudson and East Rivers and was successful in getting the New York and New Jersey focusing on the preservation of a water resource.  Gene was the Executive Secretary of State during the Cuomo Administration and lead the successful fight to have New York City's five boroughs included in the New York State's Soil and Water Conservation District and she now serves as its Chair. 

    Come help us cheer Gene as she christens the boat with the traditional champagne toast on Sunday, November 9th from Noon - 1:00.  New York Water Taxi invites all of us to take an hour cruise of the Harbor where we can tell Gene Flatow stories and celebrate her tremendous contribution to our city and region.  The boat leaves from South Street Seaport, Pier 17 @ the foot of Fulton Street.  Please RSVP to [email protected].

  • MWA is seeking to hire a Director of Programs to develop and administer initiatives to improve the waterfront of New York and New Jersey.  Read the full job description here.

  • The 2008 Waterfront Conference is set for Thursday, November 13th at the National Museum of the American Indian. The conference is an all day event which willConference Picture start with a narrated boat tour, a Plenary Session featuring reports from the MWA Policy Task Forces, workshops on a variety of waterfront issues, including bringing back shellfish for a greener harbor, getting kids and everyone else on the waterfront, making mass transit reach the waterways, and of course how to integrate all of this with our strong harbor industry.  We hope you will be able to join us for this important conference. This is a critical moment in time for our waterfront. Your participation will help make this year's event the best ever.  Click here for all the details on the conference.

  • Please support MWA.  You can make a donation here.  If you are able to give $250 or more, MWA recently established the "Founders Circle" made up individuals who make a significant contribution during our first full year (up to 12/31/08) as an Admiral's hatindependent organization - investing in the idea of a strong Waterfront Alliance and setting us up on an even keel to prepare for future growth and unlimited possibilities.  Founders Circle members will be recognized in perpetuity on our new website and other publications.  Donors of $250 plus are First-Mates; $1,000 plus are Captains; and $5,000 plus are Admirals.  Ahoy!! and thank you very, very much.
Upcoming Waterfront Events
 
Wednesday, October 29-November 23

Third Annual Remembering Fulton Fish Market
Location: 210 Front St at Beekman, South St Seaport NYC.
Art Exhibit by Namia Rauam
http://www.rememberingfultonfishmarket.com

Sunday, November 2 12pm-3pm
Jack Putnam's Fish Market Monologue
Location: 210 Front Street @ Beekman, South Street Seaport Fish Market Monologue and walking tour of the old market site.

Wednesday, November 5th, 2008  Reception 11:30am; Lunch 12:00
Audubon New York Conservation Award Luncheon
Location: The Rainbow Room 30 Rockefeller Plaza 65th Floor
Honoring: George E. Pataki and Peter A. Berle
 
Thursday November 6th 6pm-10pm
Sebago Canoe Club Anniversary Splash
Celebrate 75 years of Sebago Canoe Club!!!!!
Location: Prospect Park Picnic House
www.seabagocanoeclub.org
 
Saturday, November 9, 10:00am
Willets Point Walking Tour
Meet outside St. George's Church at N.W 39th ave and Main st.

Sunday, November 9th Noon - 1:00 PM
MWA members that know (and love) the indefatigable Gene Flatow are invited to celebrate the christening of New York Water Taxi's 10th vessel named Gene Flatow.  Location: South Street Seaport , Pier 17 @ the foot of Fulton Street.
Gene is a member of the MWA Advisory Board and who has made enormous contributions to our City's parks and waterways in the past four decades.   Come cheer Gene as she christens the boat with the traditional champagne toast and take an hour cruise of the Harbor where we can tell Gene Flatow stories and celebrate her tremendous contribution to our city and region.
RSVP @ [email protected]

Thursday, November 13, 2008 8:30 am to 7:00 pm
2008 Waterfront Conference: Launching the Waterfront Action Agenda
Practical Solutions for a 21st Century Waterfront at the National Museum of the American Indian One Bowling Green, New York, NY 10004
Please visit us at
www.WaterfrontAlliance.org for more information.

Thursday, November 13 6pm-8pm
Joseph Mitchell Centennial Commemoration
210 Front St, South Street Seaport NYC
Joe Mitchell's stories set in the Fulton Fish Market of the 1940's and 50's are beloved treasures of the NYC literature.  Featuring a converstation with Nora Mitchell Sanborn about her father.

Saturday, November 15 9:30am-5:00pm
Zeroing Out Waste Conference
Location: 262 State Street, Rear entrance & Parking at 85 Chestnut Albany, NY
For more information, contact CEC at 518-462-5527 X16 or [email protected]

Sunday, November 16, 2-6pm
Joseph Mitchell Centennial Commemoration
210 Front St, South Street Seaport NYC
2pm- Walking tour of Joe Mitchell's favorite Seaport haunts, led by Jack Putnam
4pm- Converstation with Nora Mitchell Sanborn about her Father

Monday, November 17th, 6:00pm to 8:00pm
Center For Urban Studies Green Tie Affair to Salute 30 Years of Environmental Education and CUE's New Home
Location: Center for the Urban Environment 168 7th Street Brooklyn, New York 11215
Since 1978, the Center has helped define urban environmental education in New York City. Thirty years later, we are the premier Educational Guide to a more sustainable future - reaching over 100,000 New Yorkers annually across the five boroughs with educational programming that brings together residents, schools, businesses and community leaders in efforts to shape the healthy and sustainable development of our City.
http://www.bcue.org/newsletter/oct08/e-vite.html

November, 21st 8:30am-4:00pm
Meeting the Climate Challenge: Taking Action in the Hudson Valley: A Conference for Municipal Officials, Business Professionals and Community Leaders
Location: Mohonk Mountian House
The Hudson River Watershed Alliance and Mohonk Consultations are convening a full day forum to explore current climate change policy and science and to demonstrate effective local responses to climate change. 
For more information: Contact Katy Dunlap, Coordinator of the Hudson River Watershed Alliance
[email protected] or 845-454-7673
http://www.hudsonwatershed.org/conference08/index.html

Saturday, November 21st, 11am-1pm
Indoor Worm Composting Workshops
Bloomingdale Branch Public Library, 150 West 100th Street
Participants will be able to purchase a "worm-condo" and starter worms for the subsidized price of $10.  Registration is required for these events.
For more information or to register, please call 212-477-3155 or e-mail [email protected]
 
Recent Waterfront News
SILive.com, October 23, 2008
 
Hints of Comeback for Nation's First Superhighway
New York Times, November 2, 2008
 
Preserving New York's Industrial Past
New York Times, October 29, 2008
 
Checking In - A Hotel Looks Back to its 1920's Glamour
New York Times, October 25, 2008
 
Municipal Art Society to Re-Imagine Coney Island
New York Times, October 28, 2008
 
City now owns over 40% of Willets Point after latest buy
Daily News, November 3, 2008

Toll's Gowanus Canal project moves forward
The Brooklyn Paper, October 27, 2008
 

New York Water Taxi buy Cirle Line Downtown
Daily News, November 3, 2008