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Letters to the Editor |
Rocky Point Marsh Transformation Story Elicits Questions and Kudos
To the editor,
[Re: "A Transformation," WaterWire, Sept. 9, 2011] What waterfront plans are coming to Rockaway? When is Rockaway's transformation?
John McCann
Editor's note: The article in the last WaterWire about the transformation of Rocky Point Marsh was really the story of one guy, Shervin Hess of the Lower East Side, taking on five waterfront acres clogged by years of detritus. Mr. Hess chronicles his efforts in his blog Rocky Point Marsh Makers. Most weekends he has a couple of helpers; every now and then a crowd shows up to help clear away the garbage. The metamorphosis over the past year of the marsh from dump to biologically diverse wetland is completely inspiring.
Getting to your question: first, please note that Rocky Point Marsh is located in the Rockaways. Second, a transformation like this happens by dint of grit, creativity and commitment. Rocky Point Marsh is not coming to life because a government agency made a plan, assigned staff and spent untold dollars. This transformation is happening because people are pulling on their boots and getting dirty. Consider joining in. Third, there is a comprehensive waterfront vision plan brewing for the Rockaways. Known as "A Greater Rockaway," it's being shepherded by the Rockaway Waterfront Alliance, Trust for Public Land and Jonathan Rose & Co. and, according to the web site, "will incorporate all public space along the Rockaway Peninsula, improvements to transportation links, way finding signage, as well as a blue and greenway trail for improved waterfront access." Community meetings to gather input on the vision plan were held earlier this year and last year. According to Andy Stone of the Trust for Public Land, the final vision plan, incorporating public comments, will be presented this fall.
To the editor,
Great story about Shervin Hess's project! I'm so glad to see him get some recognition for what he's doing. This is an amazing story of nature rebounding when you stop insulting it and also one of how one dedicated volunteer can make a huge difference.
Dr. Judith S. Weis Dept. of Biological Sciences Rutgers University
To the editor,
Thank you for the very flattering write-up in WaterWire. My mom's so proud! But even better than that, the article drove a flurry of traffic to the Rocky Point Marsh Makers blog and resulted in some prospective volunteers. That will translate to a cleaner marsh.
Shervin Hess
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 Events 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
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September 24
Swim: Little Red Lighthouse competition
6:45a, 79th Street Boat Basin, Hudson River
Celebration: National Estuary Day
11a, Pier 1, Brooklyn Bridge Park
Reading: Book Launch on the Lilac
4p, Pier 25, Hudson River Park
September 25
Visit: Last Day of the Season
10a, Governors Island
Tour: Lighthouses
10a, Slip 6, the Battery
Cruise: Jamaica Bay at Sunset
4p-7p
September 27
Tour: Hidden Harbor Tour of Brooklyn
5:30p, Pier 16, South Street Seaport
Fundraiser: Upstream Soiree for the Bronx River Alliance
6:30p, New York Botanical Garden
September 28
Swim: Manhattan Match Race and Record Attempt
2p, Harlem River start and finish
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| CONTENTS: September 22, 2011 | MWA Throws One Heckuva Party
You'll find out when you help us honor this year's Heroes of the Harbor on Oct. 11
Meet One of the MWA Gala Honorees
Hudson River Park is a model for waterfront development across the city
NJ DEP Allows NY/NJ Baykeeper to Resume Oyster Restoration
Meanwhile, New York oyster restoration is thriving
Statue Cruises Launches New Hybrid Hydrogen Fuel Vessel
Soon, zero emissions
MWA Isn't the Only Fundraising Game in Town
After you've purchased your ticket to the Gala, consider these worthy benefits
Meet Some MWA Partners!
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HELP US HONOR THE 2011 HEROES OF THE HARBOR
| | Join MWA on October 11 at our Annual Gala
What characterizes a hero? Abundant courage, stamina and vision -- courage to forge ahead, even in challenging circumstances; stamina to persevere; and vision to lead the way. Luckily for us, a profusion of heroes can be found at the New York and New Jersey waterfronts.
On October 11, join the Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance as we single out two organizations -- and the inspired executives at their prows -- as the 2011 Heroes of the Harbor.
- Madelyn Wils, CEO/President of the Hudson River Park Trust, for the creation of a world-class model for waterfront open space, access and activity
- James J. Devine, CEO/President of the New York Container Terminal, for his visionary leadership as a port-executive and steadfast environmentalist
Click here to purchase a ticket to this annual gala, and you'll be all set on October 11 to meet your waterfront friends at the Heroes of the Harbor Awards Dinner at the Lighthouse (Pier 61, Chelsea Piers), where you'll start the evening with drinks and hors d'oeuvres overlooking the Hudson River. As the sun goes down, watch for the Alliance's famous Parade of Boats.
This year, for the first time, the waterborne procession will be extended north so that members of the public gathered in Hudson River Park can also experience the popular, narrated event.
 After the Parade of Boats, guests will move to a sumptuous, candle-lit dinner. It's the perfect opportunity to relax, celebrate the Alliance's hard work over the past year, and honor some of the region's most distinguished waterfront leaders -- all while supporting MWA.
Above, last year's Parade of Boats at sunset; at right, Col. John R. Boule, Commander of the New York District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, congratulates Gajus Scheltema, Consulate-General of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and 2010 Hero of the Harbor.
Photos by Bernard Ente. |
MWA HONORS HUDSON RIVER PARK AND MADELYN WILS
| |  Hudson River Park Trust: Pioneering Organization
In 1973, a section of elevated highway collapsed into the Hudson River, focusing the City's attention on the dilapidated West Side waterfront and setting into motion a series of events that led to the magnificent Hudson River Park of today. Overseen by the Hudson River Park Trust, a City/State entity, 550 acres of riverside lawns, public piers, recreational amenities, a beautiful, wide esplanade and an estuarine sanctuary stretch from the Battery to 59th Street. Madelyn Wils, president and chief executive officer of the HRPT since June, estimates the park is 50% to 60% complete.
Ms. Wils, who took over from outgoing HRPT leader Connie Fishman, used to visit the crumbling West Side waterfront in the bad old days. "I always had a view of the Hudson," she said. "I used to go over to the river a lot. I was appalled and a bit ashamed that a city as great as New York had a waterfront that looked like this: the piers falling in the water, the bulkheads collapsing, the sinkholes. I hoped for the day that the City would consider its waterfront valuable. I never imagined I would ever do anything about it."
On October 11, Ms. Wils will accept a Hero of the Harbor award from the Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance for Hudson River Park.
It has not been a smooth, four-decade transformation from collapsing infrastructure to beautiful public open space, but the evolution of the park has been instructive to the entire City. The fights were loud and long, and as a member of Community Board 1 in the 80s and 90s, Ms. Wils worked hard with other waterfront leaders -- Tom Fox, John Doswell, Al Butzel, to name a few -- to build consensus about the waterfront's future. In 1998, she was a founding member of the Hudson River Park Trust. Prior to rejoining the Trust as president and CEO earlier this summer, she served as the executive vice president of the Planning, Development and Maritime Division of the NYC Economic Development Corporation, where, over four years, her portfolio grew to include more than 100 projects throughout the City. Ms. Wils gained citywide attention beginning in the fall of 2001, when, as chairperson of Community Board 1, she proved to be a spirited, tireless, articulate leader in the rebuilding of the Lower Manhattan community after 9/11.
Hudson River Park has influenced waterfront planning, design and development around the City. "It's hard to overstate the impact of Hudson River Park on the city's waterfront and on the quality of life of the park's neighbors," writes Diana L. Taylor, chair of the HRPT board of directors, on the organization's web site. "Once a dilapidated remnant of New York's industrial past, the Hudson River waterfront is now a blue and green playground for the whole city to enjoy."
Does Ms. Wils see echoes of the park in other stretches of New York waterfront? "Absolutely. The inspiration of Hudson River Park and the start of its development made everyone look at their own waterfronts and start to dream," she replied. "The park was an inspiration for Hunters Point South, for the East River Esplanade, the Homeport in Staten Island, Brooklyn Bridge Park, Yankee Stadium Park -- all the wonderful projects I got to work on at EDC. The transformation of the waterfront and the opportunity for people to lead outdoor lives brought an energy to the West Side that I think was unlike anything else."
"One of the great things about waterfront parks is not only do they affect people's lives intimately, they have an enormous economic effect on the city," she added.
HRPT's current activities along the lower Hudson River include the development of Pier 57 into an innovative hub of cultural, recreational and public market activities housed in part in recycled shipping containers, and reconstruction of Pier 26, which will reopen in about a year with a boathouse, estuarium and cafe.
 The end goal -- a tall order -- is to create a waterfront park that is financially self-sustainable. "Hudson River Park has always been seen as private/public partnership," Ms. Wils said. "Now we have to work on making the public realize it's their park. I think people will step up to that. Because these things are gifts that need to be taken care of and loved."
Photo of Madelyn Wils on Pier 25 by Carl Glassman/The Tribeca Trib |
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NJDEP AGREES FOR BAYKEEPER TO RESUME OYSTER REEF MONITORING IN NEW JERSEY
| |  Oyster Restoration Research in New York is Thriving
After more than a year of discussion about how to safeguard experimental oyster reefs, NY/NJ Baykeeper and the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection came to an agreement earlier this month. The result: the environmental organization is allowed to resume its scientific research on oyster restoration in New Jersey waters. Next week, Baykeeper will place juvenile oysters at Naval Weapons Station Earle in the Raritan Bay. Baykeeper arranged to place the cages at the Navy base after its two longstanding New Jersey oyster reefs were shut down in July 2010 by the NJDEP. One reef had been established in 2001 in the Keyport Harbor section of Raritan Bay and one had been established in 2003 off Red Bank, NJ. Fearing that poachers could harvest contaminated oysters, the DEP ordered the experimental reefs removed. The loss of years of research, funding dollars and new oyster habitat was a blow to environmental advocates. The New Jersey oyster debacle was tempered somewhat by Baykeeper's leading role last year in the launch of an oyster restoration program in New York. The environmental organization partnered with the Hudson River Foundation, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the NY/NJ Harbor Estuary Program and the New York Harbor School to form the Oyster Restoration Research Project (ORRP). Baby oysters were placed off Hastings On Hudson, Soundview Park (Bronx River), Governors Island, Bay Ridge Flats and Staten Island. Today, the New York oyster program is thriving, as the September 14 newsletter from Baykeeper attests: The ORRP partnership now includes upwards of 30 organizations, and each makes major contributions to the extensive work involved with organizing, permitting, building, maintaining, monitoring, and funding a project of this scale. Dozens of hearty volunteers, private homeowners, and the Richmond County Yacht Club, have contributed to the work as well. The research underway includes teams from University of New Hampshire, Stony Brook University, Baruch College, Rutgers, and others, and is expertly managed by the Hudson River Foundation.  Baykeeper reports not only a great collaboration but success in the waters: Biodiversity at the reefs is an unfolding story. Staten Island reef divers from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency were joined recently by about a dozen graceful Little skates (Leucoraja erinacea), while New York Harbor School divers report that at the Governors Island reef, patches of oysters installed just six weeks ago are 'bridging the gap' and beginning to grow together in early reef formation, flanked by extensive mussel beds towards the shore.
Meanwhile, NY/NJ Baykeeper executive director Debbie Mans and her staff are preparing to reenter the waters of New Jersey. Naval Weapons Station Earle is patrolled 24/7, eliminating poaching concerns. "It is great to have oysters back in the water in the Raritan Bay where they once flourished but are now functionally extinct," said Ms. Mans. "Baykeeper's long-term priority has always been the restoration of the Hudson-Raritan Estuary and we will continue to pursue this goal for the benefit of the millions of people that call this waterbody their backyard."
If you have time over the next week to help count and measure the seed oysters that will go into the research cages destined for the Navy base in early October, please email Amy Testa of NY/NJ Baykeeper. Photos of the Staten Island oysters courtesy of NY/NJ Baykeeper |
NEW HYBRID HYDROGEN FUEL VESSEL ARRIVES IN NEW YORK HARBOR
| |  Soon, Zero Emissions
The vessel of the future will dock in New York Harbor next week. Known as the Hornblower Hybrid, the 170-foot, three-deck, 600-passenger boat is powered by a combination of solar panels, wind turbines, batteries, low-sulfur diesel generators and hydrogen fuel cells. "This will be a zero-emission vehicle," said Mike Burke, chief operating officer for Statue Cruises, a subsidiary of Hornblower Cruises and Events that provides transportation to Liberty and Ellis Islands for the National Park Service. Statue Cruises also offers dinner cruises and tours of New York Harbor. "This is a great message for the National Park Service," Mr. Burke said. "And it's a great educational tool. We're hoping to work with folks around the Harbor to get the message out." A bicoastal company, Hornblower has already introduced the Hybrid to San Francisco. Under the leadership of CEO Terry MacRae, the company emphasizes environmentally friendly energy, creating the Respect Our Planet environmental management and education program to promote best practices in the industry. "The maritime industry has not made any significant leaps in propulsion technology since the introduction of the diesel engine on commercial vessels in the early 1900's and we intend to lead and inspire a wave of advancement to continue until this industry can function in harmony with our environment," Mr. MacRae says on the Hornblower web site. Click here to see a video about how the different systems -- solar, wind, electrical, fossil fuel and hydrogen -- simultaneously work together to power Hornblower's new boat. Nations around the world -- Iceland, the Netherlands, Japan, Canada and Norway -- are beginning to utilize hydrogen fuel for clean energy. In the U.S., use of hydrogen fuel is concentrated in California, the state, not surprisingly, that provides the most hydrogen refueling sites.
As it brings its hydrogen-powered vessel to the East Coast, however, Hornblower faces a major drawback: lack of fueling stations in the NY/NJ metropolitan area. "You can't deliver hydrogen fuel into Manhattan," Mr. Burke said. "We're hoping for a facilty to open in New Jersey eventually." He points out that the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey uses hydrogen fuel cells in some vehicles at Port Elizabeth. "Our hope is that the Port Authority will see a need to open a hydrogen fuel station," he said.
So, to start, the Hornblower Hybrid will be powered partially by diesel generators, partially by hydrogen fuel cells. The fuel cells will be trucked to Liberty Landing Marina, where the hybrid vessel will be docked by mid October. As hydrogen fuel becomes more available in the region, the Hybrid's need for diesel will be eliminated. "And then the only emission to come out of the tailpipe will be deionized water," said Mr. Burke.
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FALL IS THE TIME FOR FUNDRAISERS
| | Gala, Clambake, Soiree and Regatta -- How About Attending All Four!
Of course we'd be mighty pleased if you supported the Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance and came to the Heroes of the Harbor Gala on October 11. But we're not the only fundraising game in town. Here are three other worthy events raising money for groups doing important work at and on the water.
- NY/NJ Baykeeper Clambake
Honoring NJ State Senator Joseph Kyrillos; former NY State Department of Environmental Conservation Region 2 Director Susan Mattei; the Monmouth Conservation Foundation; Natural Resources Defense Council Ocean Initiative Director Sarah Chasis; and Bay Ridge Flats Project Director Bart Chezar
Sunday, Sept. 25, 12pm to 4pm at the Fort Hancock Chapel on Sandy Hook
Click here for tickets - Bronx River Alliance Upstream Soiree
Honoring four key founders: Majora Carter, Jenny Hoffner, Alexie Torres-Fleming, Dart Westphal
Tuesday, Sept. 27, 6:30pm to 9pm at the New York Botanical Garden
Click here for tickets - Harbor School Regatta at Governors Island
Thursday, Oct. 6, New York Harbor and Water Taxi Beach
Click here for tickets
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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:
- Nation'sPort www.nationsport.org
Nation'sPort is an advocacy group representing a wide array of commercial interests serving the Port of New York and New Jersey. - National Audubon Society www.audubon.org
Audubon's mission is to conserve and restore natural ecosystems, focusing on birds, other wildlife, and their habitats for the benefit of humanity and the earth's biological diversity. - National Marine Manufacturers Association - New York www.nmma.org
The National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA) is the nation's leading trade association representing boat, marine engine and accessory manufacturers. - National Maritime Historical Society www.seahistory.org
The mission of the Society is to raise awareness of our nation's maritime heritage and the role seafaring has played in shaping civilization, through publications, educational programs, sail training and the preservation of historic ships. (back to top)
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| WATERFRONT NEWSLINKS |
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Wind farm possible off Rockaways if Gov. Cuomo acts quickly, say politiciansNY Daily News, September 22, 2011 NYU 2031 Update: NYU's Governors Island Fantasy Is FalteringNYU Local, September 21, 2011 Poll shows support for East River GreenwayCrain's New York Business, September 20, 2011 Gowanus Lowline Exhibition (Critics Pick)Time Out New York, September 2011 Staten Island boating: Navigation aids can come in handySILive.com, September 16, 2011
The Fish Market Cleans Up GoodThe New York Times, September 16, 2011 GE and EPA pleased with Hudson dredging this yearThe Wall Street Journal, September 13, 2011
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