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 2010 WATERFRONT CONFERENCE
| | The Future Waterfront & A Fair Share for the NY-NJ Harbor
Register today to participate in the 2010 Waterfront Conference. Hundreds of people have registered for the 2010 Waterfront Conference--with only a few days left, don't miss the boat! Explore the critical issues facing our harbor with dozens of distinguished speakers and expert panelists. We'll talk about opportunities for collaboration and funding, green infrastructure in underserved neighborhoods, state-of-the-art dredging, a citywide plan for water mass transit and much, much more. The 2010 Waterfront Conference promises to build energy and excitement, give insights and offer best practices from around the country, and galvanize support for progressive waterfront development.  We've plucked a few panelists and moderators from the exciting line-up to spotlight. Read on, and see you at the Conference! For more information about the 2010 Waterfront Conference or to download a program, please click here. To register, click here.
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PRESERVING AND GAINING MARITIME INFRASTRUCTURE
| | How to Get More Boats to the Harbor? Simple: Build Docks
Michael Fortenbaugh arrived in New York City in 1985, fresh out of college and ready to have some fun. Having grown up on the Jersey Shore, Mr. Fortenbaugh knew that "fun" meant sailing.
But the waters of NYC were empty of sailboats. Recreational boating hadn't been enjoyed in New York Harbor for more than 50 years. Mr. Fortenbaugh looked around and saw few docks. Undaunted, in 1987 he founded the Manhattan Sailing Club at the South Street Seaport waterfront. Today, the club is thriving at North Cove Marina in Battery Park City, having introduced thousands of adults -- and in the past few years, hundreds of children -- to the pleasures of sailing.
"We're trying to make it possible for more people to sail," Commodore Fortenbaugh said, describing a record number of sailing school graduates in 2010. Even the MSC's sailing school for kids ages 8 to 18 was sold out this past summer, filling 22 boats week after week. Next year, the club will expand to 30 dinghies to accommodate the young sailors, and purchase more J-24 sailboats for adults.
The problem is where to dock those boats. "I could fill up four North Coves," he said, saying that marinas and docks should be a logical part of waterfront development. "But it's just empty waterfront."
On November 30, Mr. Fortenbaugh will moderate a panel called "Why is the NY/NJ Harbor Missing the Boat? Strategies to capture the societal, economic, historic and educational value of a NY/NJ Harbor alive with ships and boats." Panelists will include John Doswell of the Working Harbor Committee and the North River Historic Ship Society, Mason Sears from San Francisco Marina, Nate Grove from the NYC Dept. of Parks and Recreation, Bert Rogers from the American Sail Training Association and Jamy Madeja from the MA Marine Trade Association. (back to top)
In the winter months, the North Cove sailboats go to New Jersey to roost,
and the public is invited to sail radio-controlled lasers. Photos by Robert Simko.
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HOW TO BALANCE ENVIRONMENTAL & ECONOMIC NEEDS
| | Step One: Talk to Each Other
Doug Sarno is hoping for a big crowd at the "world-cafe style workshop" that he'll be presiding over at the Waterfront Conference on November 30. As if at a friendly cafe, workshop participants will form small groups. Conversation will ensue. After a short time, the groups will reform and new conversations and connections will happen; and so on, until the each participant has been able to have a series of intense, one-on-one conversations. Like speed dating? "More like speed problem-solving," said Mr. Sarno with a laugh.  And what exactly will people be talking about? "The challenge we're going to put in front of people is this," Mr. Sarno said. "We're going to start with the premise that the future of New York Harbor and the New York-New Jersey waterfront requires a careful balance of two seemingly opposing forces -- economic development and enviromental sustainability. And then we'll ask how do we get these two in some sort of balance." Photo by Robert Simko
The whole idea of this workshop is to create a relaxed ambiance and to stimulate discussion, particularly between people who might not ordinarily speak to each other. Facilitators listening in at each of the many small groups will work to capture the essence of discussions, and then ideas will be posted on the wall. Participants will prioritize the ideas, and the results will be provided to the Bloomberg Administration for use with the Comprehensive Waterfront Plan, to the Army Corps of Engineers for use with the Comprehensive Restoration Plan, and to other waterfront plans and projects in New York and New Jersey. Mr. Sarno, a civil engineer by profession, is an expert at guiding public participation in decision-making and engaging diverse groups of stakeholders. Currently, he is a consultant with the Maritime Infrastructure and Planning Committee, which is an offshoot of the City's recently assembled Waterfront Advisory Board.
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TEACH YOUR CHILDREN WELL
| | Getting 2 Million Kids to the Waterfront
Betsy Ukeritis grew up in the foothills of the Adirondacks, spending many days hiking, fishing and camping. That early appreciation for the environment stayed with her as she attended college in Maine, joined the Peace Corps after graduation and was sent to Romania to teach environmental education.
Today, Ms. Ukeritis is NYC Regional Environmental Educator for the NY State Department of Environmental Conservation. She coordinates numerous environmental programs throughout New York City, including afterschool conservation clubs, a camp program, professional development programs for educators, and public outreach programs.
On November 30, Ms. Ukeritis will provide input on a panel called "Getting 2 Million Kids On and In the Water: Models of success for scalable on-the-water education that meets curriculum standards." Moderated by Murray Fisher, founder and program director for the Urban Assembly New York Harbor School that just opened two months ago on Governors Island, the panel will also inclu de Nina Sander from the Hudson River Sloop Clearwater, Meghan Wren from the Bayshore Discovery Project, Alisha Mullett from Soundwaters Coastal Education Center, Lisa Jones from the Living Classrooms Foundation and Adam Green from Rocking the Boat. The panel will discuss opportunities for funding, curriculum requirements and new ideas for teachers.
Ms. Ukeritis plans to update her colleagues and the audience about the federal Environmental Education Act and the national effort to pass the No Child Left Inside Act. She'll also offer suggestions from the Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance's Harbor Education Task Force for teaching children to be more "harbor literate."
"Much of the effort in getting kids out on the water," she said, "is making the administrators, principals and teachers aware that it's safe." (back to top)
Photo courtesy of the River Project
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A GREEN WORKING WATERFRONT WORKS
| | Want Proof? Check Out This Waterfront Conference Panel
Once a bustling waterfront community, Red Hook spiraled downward through much of the 20th century. As a child livng in Red Hook in the 1970s, Eddie Bautista watched the neighborhood crumble away -- and resolved to make a difference when he grew up.
Today, the voluble Mr. Bautista, armed with a graduate degree in city planning and decades of experience in community organizing and city affairs, is the executive director of the New York City Environmental Justice Alliance. On November 30, he will be part of a panel called "A Green Working Waterfront Works: Jobs, jobs, jobs -- how to green them, protect them and grow them."
Upgrading the environment of the working waterfront is a subject dear to Mr. Bautista's Red Hook heart. The process must begin, he believes, with the City revising the designation known as Significant Maritime Industrial Area. His old South Brooklyn neighborhood is a Significant Maritime Industrial Area (SMIA); the City's other SMIAs are found in the South Bronx, Kill van Kull, Brooklyn Navy Yard and Newtown Creek -- all of which he describes as communities of color, immigrant communities or low-income communities. Below is a map of the City's SMIAs created by the Municipal Art Society for the Environmental Justice Alliance.
The problem, says Mr. Bautista, is that SMIAs are held to a lower environmental standard than working waterfront sites not designated an SMIA. What's more, SMIAs feature clusters of polluting infrastructure, usually with significant toxic material storage. On top of that, each one is in storm surge zone. It's an ugly picture.
Mr. Bautista has high expectations, however, that the discussion generated by his panel colleagues will be fruitful. Moderated by Ed Kelly of the Maritime Association of the Port of NY/NJ, the panel includes Rick Larabee from the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, Maria Boile from the Freight and Maritime Program at Rutgers University, Joe Curto from the New York Shipping Association), Frederick Potter of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters and Andrew Genn from the NYC Economic Development Corporation.
"The good news," Mr. Bautista says, "is that there's a receptivity to grappling with this." (back to top)
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THE ECONOMICS AND RATIONALE FOR WATER MASS TRANSIT
| | Making Better Use of the Blue Highway
The waterfront "used to be cheek to jowl with boats," says Tom Fox, president and CEO of the Harbor Experience Companies, in a short documentary shot earlier this month for Channel 13. "Now you can fire a shot down the East River and not hit anything, even in the middle of the afternoon."
 Before the advent of New York City's bridges and tunnels, ferries served millions of people each day. On November 30, a panel moderated by Kent Barwick, President Emeritus of the Municipal Art Society will examine what it takes to bring back healthy ferry activity. Are there ferry routes that are economically stable without government subsidies? What is the underlying rationale for water transit -- commuting? emergency egress? tourism and recreation? In Mr. Fox's opinion, the ferry system won't be successful until it is made part of the region's mass transit system; until a passenger can transfer from mode to mode; eg, ferry to bus, or subway to ferry.
"This is our natural legacy," he says of the metropolitan region's waterways. "It's owned by all of us. There's never a pothole. There are no traffic jams. There are no delays to construction. I would like to see people use [the marine highway] again."
Mr. Fox will be joined on the panel by Rex Asiedo from the NYC Office of Emergency Management, Paula Berry from NYC & Co., Carter Craft from Outside New York, David Hopkins from the NYC Economic Development Corporation and Pierre Vilain from the architecture/engineering firm HDR. (back to top)
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RECREATIONAL BOATING: ROLLING LIKE A WAVE ACROSS NEW YORK CITY
| |  What Stands in the Way of Even More Growth?
Have you been to the Harlem River lately? There are days when the waterway is filled with racing shells and the riverbanks are crowded with cheering onlookers. College and high school crews flash by; oars dipping into the water as one; bodies leaning, pulling, sending the slender boats skimming across the water.
The recreational boating revolution has rolled like a wave across the waters of New York City -- and it's beginning to strain the City's waterfront resources. Rowers, kayakers and sailors are all looking for more waterfront space for boathouses and marinas. Sometimes even a simple dock would do. Photo courtesy of East River Crew
For rowers in particular, it's a struggle. "There aren't many places we can launch," said Vincenzo Paparo, chairman of the New York Rowing Association, an organization that is outgrowing its home base at the Peter Jay Sharp Boathouse on the Harlem River. "Rowers have to have specialized docks where we can launch specialized boats."
Mr. Paparo is part of a Waterfront Conference panel looking at how best to accommodate the recreational boating boom. Moderated by Ray Fusco, founder of the Mayor's Cup NYC Kayak Championships, the panel will also include Capt. Bill Sheehan of Hackensack Riverkeeper, Azure Dee Sleicher of Ocean and Coastal Consultants, Jeff Anzevino of Scenic Hudson and Jessica Anderson form Pennsylvania Environmental Council.
What stand s in the way of the growth of recreational boating in New York City? In Mr. Paparo's opinion, "people don't consider it when they're doing urban planning. Also, there's a sense of fear of the liability that comes from putting people out on the water."
"What we'd like to see," he said, "is in all this development going on along the waterfront there should be set-asides for boathouses. Land should be allocated for the installation of a boathouse. Our view is that the more people that get out on the water, the more water conditions will improve because people will care more." (back to top)
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A PLAN TO BRING OUR HARBOR TO LIFE!
| |  Implementing the
Comprehensive Restoration Plan
The draft Hudson-Raritan Estuary Comprehensive Restoration Plan (CRP) is a collaborative effort of more than 60 organizations in partnership with the NY/NJ Harbor Estuary Program.
One of the Waterfront Conference panels on November 30 will present perspectives from the regulatory, scientific and private sectors on the opportunities of the CRP and the impediments to achieving restoration goals. Moderated by Colonel John Boule of the Army Corps of Engineers, New York District, the panel includes Lisa Baron from the Army Corps of Engineers, Steve Zahn from the NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation, Dennis Suszkowski from the Hudson River Foundation, John Sacco from the NJ Dept. of Environmental Protection, Angela Licata from the NYC Dept. of Environmental Protection and Mark Gallagher from Princeton Hydro.
 Mr. Gallagher, for one, sees the panel discussion as an opportunity to infuse the regulatory framework with scientific creativity. "Everyone agrees that the CRP is a great watershed-based document," he said. "The problem lies with having the science of that program mesh with the regulatory framework we have to work within."
"There has to be a refocusing," he said, "on how we view restoration in the Hudson-Raritan Estuary."
These photos are from Princeton Hydro's work at the Bayonne Golf Club, one of the consulting firm's many clients. A former brownfield site, the club's waterfront area is a prime example of how coastal wetland mitigation areas can be transformed and restored. (back to top)
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| MWA PARTNER SPOTLIGHT |
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Expanding every week, the Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance is more than a coalition; it's a force. We are ferry captains, shipping executives, park directors, scientists, sailors, paddlers, swimmers, teachers, urban planners, architects and more. Together, we advocate for the best possible waterfront in the best possible city, a waterfront that is clean and accessible to all, with a robust maritime workforce and efficient, affordable waterborne transportation. Join us! Contact Louis Kleinman at lkleinman@waterfrontalliance.org. Meet some Partners of the Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance:
- Bayshore Regional Watershed Council
http://www.bayshorewatershed.org/bw/
The Bayshore Regional Watershed Council is dedicated to the restoration, protection, sustainable use, and enjoyment of Raritan Bay - Sandy Hook Bay and the watershed region. - Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor
http://www.eriecanalway.org
The Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor Commission and staff, in partnership with the National Park Service, collaborate with communities and organizations to preserve and interpret our heritage, invite visitors to explore what makes us unique, and ensure a vibrant future for the 2.7 million New Yorkers who call the Erie Canalway home. - One Brick - New York
http://www.onebrick.org
One Brick provides support to local non-profit and community organizations by creating a unique, social and flexible volunteer environment for those interested in making a concrete difference in the community. We enable people to get involved, have an impact and have fun, without the requirements of individual long-term commitments.
- Wild Metro
http://www.wildmetro.org
WildMetro, a non-profit organization founded in 2002, aims to protect wildlife in natural areas within and around New York City. It helps to define appropriate goals for metropolitan nature protection and to use a variety of straightforward methods, such as cleaning local parks, to achieve those goals. WildMetro advocates a sensible balance of development and nature protection in urban regions and promotes intelligent management of resources. It also works to involve communities in the protection of nature by offering various programs such as an after-school nature program and an ecological field techniques course. (back to top)
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| WATERFRONT NEWSLINKS |
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Dredging to resume in Kill van KullSILive.com, November 23, 2010 Would You Drink Water From The Hudson River?WCBS 880, November 23, 2010
Loud harbor dredging off Bayonne set to end Dec. 20The Jersey Journal, November 22, 2010 New Yorkers Learn the Troubles Posed by Sea Level Rise Flow Far Beyond ManhattanThe New York Times, November 19, 2010
Exxon Mobil Settles State Suit on Newtown Creek CleanupThe New York Times, November 17, 2010
City tightens ban on Newtown Creek kayakingThe Brooklyn Paper, November 15, 2010 NY report predicts rising sea level The Wall Street Journal, November 12, 2010
Everything Old Is New Again At Brooklyn Bridge ParkNY1, November 11, 2010
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