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WaterWire is your platform for getting the word out. All comments, points of view, event notices, and letters to the editor, Alison Simko, are welcome.
 
EventsEvents on the Waterfront
Click on the links for more
information about these events.
A detailed calendar of events
may be found at www.waterfrontalliance.org/calendar


July 7
 Meeting: Comprehensive Restoration Plan
6p, Alley Pond Environmental Center, 228-06 Northern Blvd., Douglaston, NY

July 8  

July 12
6:15p, Pier 16, South Street Seaport
July 13
Meeting: Sherman Creek Waterfront Esplanade Master Plan
6p, PS 5 Ellen Lurie, 3703 10th Avenue, Dyckman St.
 
July 14
Seining: Family Seining Adventure
6p, Horseshoe Cove, Sandy Hook
Tour: Tug and Barge Tours
Brooklyn Bridge Park

July 15
Fish: Lower East Side Ecology Center
5p, East River at East 10th Street

July 16
Celebration: City of Water Day
10a-4p, Governors Island and Liberty State Park
Swim: Manhattan Island Circumnavigation
8:30a, South Cove, Battery Park City
Festival: Wooden Boat Festival
9a, Toms River, NJ
Canoe: Bronx River
10a

July 17
Tour: Passaic River by Boat
2p and 4p, Newark
Swim Race: Grimaldo's Mile
8a, Coney Island

July 21
Presentation: Showboats in New York Harbor
7p, Lehigh Valley Barge, Pier 6, Brooklyn Bridge Park

July 22
Fish: Lower East Side Ecology Center
5p, East River at East 10th Street

July 23
Tour: Passaic River by Boat
9a and 11a, Newark
Paddle: Raritan River & Lawrence Brook
11a, NY/NJ Baykeeper
Clean: Clean and Green the Gowanus Canal


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CITY OF WATER DAY
FESTIVAL on July 16, 2011, please click here.

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TOCCONTENTS: July 7, 2011
On July 16, the 4th Annual City of Water Day: Bigger & Better Than Ever!
Free boat tours, kayaking, rowing, fishing, games, activities, merchandise, and more!

How to Incorporate Harbor Literacy into Government-Mandated Curricula
Educators welcome the public to a discussion and the launch of Harbor Literacy Points

Water-Rama: A City of Water Day Symposium About the NY/NJ Harbor
Fascinating presentations, important topics

Treats for Tweets: Enter this Twitter Contest!
Tweet, tweet -- then hoist the sails!

Many Thanks to the City of Water Day Sponsors

Programming Begins on the Lilac, Newly Arrived at Pier 25
See Shelley Seccombe's "Waterways" exhibit, and soon, a historic ship rendezvous
 
Check Out the River Project's New FAD
About as far from a pet rock as you can get
 
Meet Some MWA Partners!
CWDmainCELEBRATE THE WATERS OF THE METRO REGION!
July 16: City of Water Day Festival in NY & NJ
From the upper Hudson to Raritan Bay, we are a City of Water. Spread the word and come to the waterfront on July 16, City of Water Day! On this day, the Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance gathers many partners to showcase the potential of the New York/New Jersey Harbor. Come, enjoy, and help us revitalize the waterfront with this annual, one-of-a-kind festival for the entire family!

This year, festivities will take place at Governors Island and Liberty State Park. Free ferries will get you to Governors Island from Manhattan and Brooklyn (click here for the schedules) and to Liberty State Park. (Click here for the schedule of free transportation between Governors Island and Liberty State Park, and here for information about other ways to get to Liberty State Park.)
City of Water Day sign

FESTIVAL HIGHLIGHTS

  • FREE boat tours for thousands on historic and educational vessels. Click here for more information
  • FREE kayaking, rowing and fishing opportunities
  • Dozens of FREE arts, crafts, games and activities for kids
  • FREE ferries between Governors Island & Liberty State Park
  • An amazing range of demonstrations, hands-on projects, free merchandise and water-related literature at the Waterfront Activity Fair
  • Car-free waterfront bicycling
  • Delicious food from award-winning vendors
  • Live music, and much more!!!
If you can't make it to Liberty State Park or Governors Island on July 16, enjoy City of Water Day festivities at other waterfronts around the metropolitan region, including Harlem River Park, Brooklyn Bridge Park, Staten Island, Bronx River Park, Battery Park City and Hudson River Park. Click here for information about City of Water Day in Your Neighborhood. (back to top) 
literacyHARBOR LITERACY POINTS TO BE FINALIZED ON JULY 16
What Does it Take to Get More Kids on the Water?
A recent article in The New York Times revealed that many enterprising students are taking advantage of marine-related extracurricular activities such as sailing and boat-building to gain school credit and practical experience. The Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance hopes to take advantage of this trend and promote on-water education with the launch of Harbor Literacy Points on July 16, at City of Water Day on Governors Island. The Harbor Literacy Points will be finalized at a public meeting of the Harbor Education Task Force.

 

Harbor CampCreated by environmental educators from all over the metropolitan region who have discussed the matter over the past several years, Harbor Literacy Points are key concepts about the NY/NJ Harbor that all students should know. At the July 16 Task Force meeting, which is open to all, teachers and educators are expected to suggest changes or additions to the document. They will also discuss SPLASH! A Waterfront Education Resource Guide published by the MWA for camp leaders and schoolteachers, and the NY/NJ Harbor Estuary Program's Teacher's Guide to the Harbor. Created to help overcome the barriers to getting children on the water, these two publications suggest ways teachers can incorporate maritime lessons into their curriculum.

The meeting will take place from 2pm to 3:30pm on July 16th at Pershing Hall on Governors Island. Registration is open to the public; anyone wishing to attend should register here(back to top) 

Story by Brendan Hamill. Photo by Bernard Ente

waterramaWATER-RAMA: A SYMPOSIUM ON OUR HARBOR
Get the Latest on Important Local Waterfront Issues
The City of Water Day symposium on July 16, put together by the Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance, should satisfy academics and advocates alike, as well as students of the waterfront who wish to know more about some of the region's most pressing waterfront issues.

Given the boisterous title of Water-Rama, the symposium features serious (but entertaining!) presentations by prominent speakers on four topics.

Newtown Creek

(back to top)

 tweetSAILING TREATS FOR TWEETS!

Win the Chance for a Free Sailing Trip by Entering this Twitter Contest
The Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance has partnered with the Offshore Sailing School to give away FREE 45-minute sailing excursions at the 4th Annual City of Water Day Festival on July 16.

Tickets for these trips, which leave from either Governors Island or Liberty State Park, are only available through a Twitter contest sponsored by the MWA. Up to 20 people will win two tickets each.

Interested? Here's what to do:
  1. Follow Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance @MWAlliance
  2. Follow Offshore Sailing School @Sailing_School
  3. Tweet this to enter to win tickets on a boat departing from Governors Island: Win a FREE sail leaving from @Gov_Island with @Sailing_School & @MWAlliance as part of #cityofwaterday, July 16. Info at http://www.cityofwaterday.org/twitter-contest/ 
  4. Tweet this to enter to win tickets on a boat departing from Liberty State Park: Win a FREE sail from Liberty State Park with @Sailing_School & @MWAlliance as part of #cityofwaterday, July 16. Info at http://www.cityofwaterday.org/twitter-contest/
What's that? Not familiar with Twitter? How sadly 2010. Click here for information about obtaining a free Twitter account.

The contest ends Sunday, July 10th at 11:59pm. More details and rules about the contest can be found here. (back to top)
lilacPROGRAMMING BEGINS ON THE LILAC, NEWLY ARRIVED AT PIER 25
Historic Lighthouse Tender Reopens to the Public
Lilac, a rare, steam-powered lighthouse tender launched in 1933, has reopened to the public with an exhibition of waterfront photographs by Shelley Seccombe.

The first of three vessels to dock at Hudson River Park's newly completed Pier 25, the Lilac will be joined at the pier later this year by the 1907 tugboat Pegasus and the replica sailing ship Clipper City.

Ms. Seccombe's exhibition is called "Waterways." Open Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays from noon to 5pm, the show runs through July 29. Next on the programming agenda: the North River Historic Ship Festival, a rendezvous of historic vessels, sponsored by Friends of Hudson River Park and North River Historic Ship Society, July 29 through 31. The Waterfront Museum and Showboat Barge and the fireboat John J. Harvey  are expected to dock alongside Lilac that weekend. (back to top)  

Photo at left by Robert Simko. Photo above, showing the Lilac tying up at Pier 25 on May 24, by David Hodgson. 

fadA NEW FAD COURTESY OF THE RIVER PROJECT
Fish Aggregating Device (FAD!) to Illuminate Marine Life
Expanding its survey of the fishes and invertebrates of New York Harbor, the River Project is getting ready to deploy a Fish Aggregating Device near Pier 42 on the Hudson River. Basically an underwater lamp aimed upward toward the surface of the river, timed to go on a few hours after dusk, the FAD will draw plankton and fish close to the surface and into its light. Pedestrians walking by will see a pool of light illuminating marine life. 

People are invited to watch divers deploy the base of the FAD on July 16 (City of Water Day) between 8am and 10am, at low tide, near the bulkhead at Pier 42, at Morton Street, in Hudson River Park. The next day, the light assembly will be mounted between 1pm and 3pm. At right, divers test the integrity of the FAD piling.

"Staff, interns and volunteers will survey and film the animals and people attracted to the FAD over the summer," said Cathy Drew, founder and director of the River Project. "We hope to provide people walking by with a glimpse into the underwater world of our island city."

 

At left, the site of the FAD, amid pilings north of Pier 40 at Houston Street. (back to top) 

SPONSORSCITY OF WATER DAY FESTIVAL SPONSORS: WE COULDN'T HAVE DONE IT WITHOUT YOU!
partnersMWA PARTNER SPOTLIGHT
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 [email protected].

Meet some Partners of the Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance:
  • Kayak East    http://www.kayakeast.com

    Kayak east instructional classes offer a progression of skills, like building blocks, that help construct a framework for more fun and safer kayaking.

  • Marpillero Pollak Architects    http://www.mparchitectsnyc.com

    Our projects demonstrate MPA's multidisciplinary expertise in architecture, urban design, and landscape. Our attention to multiple scales ensures that a project resonates from its larger urban context to the smallest detail.

  • Raritan Riverkeeper  http://www.waterkeeper.org Raritan Riverkeeper's mission is to protect, preserve and restore the ecological integrity and productivity of the Raritan River, its tributaries and watershed. As the citizen conservation advocate for the River and its shores, Riverkeeper stops polluters, champions public access and influences land use decisions.  
  • Water For All Campaign     http://www.citizen.org
    Public Citizen's Water for All Campaign is dedicated to protecting water as a common resource, stopping water privatization and bulk water sales, and defending access to clean and affordable water around the world. Public Citizen's Water for All Campaign works with citizens' groups in the United States and internationally to build awareness about the risks of water privatization. We monitor U.S. state and federal legislation and support citizens' groups that are defending their municipal water utilities from being privatized. The Water for All Campaign also fights to stop bulk water exportation and sales of surface waters and groundwater. Furthermore, the campaign publishes reports about the often dismal track record of multinational water corporations as well as reports that offer economical and ethical alternatives to privatization.
    (back to top) 
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