| High Tide 2:30am | Low Tide 8:10am | High Tide 2:25pm | Low Tide 9:10pm* |
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For a live map of vessels navigating the New York/New Jersey waterways at this moment, click on marinetraffic.com.
The high and low tide times noted above are for the waters off Hunters Point/Newtown Creek on Nov. 18, 2011. For daily tidal information about your particular stretch of the waterfront go to saltwatertides.com.
For information about environmental conditions (currents, water temperature, salinity, wave height, etc.) of the New York Harbor area, check out the Urban Ocean Observatory at Stevens Institute's Center for Maritime Systems
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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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November 26
Parade: Lighted Boats
7p, Hudson River
November 27
Walk: Queens Waterfront
9a, southwest corner of Vernon Blvd. and 50th Ave., Long Island City (#7 train to Vernon Blvd/Jackson Ave. station)
November 30
Fundraiser: Celebrating a Greener Skyline Cocktail Party; the NYLCV honors the MWA
6p-8p, New York Yacht Club, 37 W. 44th Street
December 3
Festival: Winter Festival to Support the Gowanus Canal Conservancy
6:30p, 69 9th Street
December 5
Meeting: Newtown Creek Alliance
6p, Williamsburg Community Center, 195 Graham Ave, Brooklyn
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MWA Blue Bulletin Board | |
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| CONTENTS: November 18, 2011 | South Street Seaport Museum Lives!
New caretaker, Museum of the City of New York, asks Seaport fans to step up
MWA is Honored by the NY League of Conservation Voters
Celebrate at an upcoming cocktail party
MWA's Task Forces Reconvene to Guide the City in its Waterfront Plans
First meetings since the launch of Vision 2020
Unexpected Marine Species Discovered in Local Waters
River Project interns and NY Harbor School students jubilant at their finds
Elizabeth, New Jersey Students Find Out How their X Boxes Got Here
Army Corps of Engineers emphasizes balance of commercial port & environment
Meet Some MWA Partners!
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SOUTH STREET SEAPORT MUSEUM LIVES!
| | Attention Focuses on Historic Fleet
Having taken over management of the South Street Seaport Museum about two months ago, the Museum of the City of New York is wasting no time in reviving the cherished institution. While a two-million-dollar grant from the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation is a major boost in getting the South Street Seaport Museum back on track, MCNY director Susan Henshaw Jones -- now also director of the Seaport Museum -- is appealing to lovers of history, of the Seaport district, of ships and the maritime life, to become members of the Museum. "We need your help to create an income base to keep this good work going, and to secure the future for the South Street Seaport Museum," she said. "We have up to 18 months to devise a way forward, so that the Seaport Museum can continue to celebrate New York's rich maritime history." "And we are charging ahead. We have made tremendous progress in just the last six weeks," she added, providing a list of accomplishments: * An experienced Waterfront Director, Jonathan Boulware, has joined the staff to oversee the maintenance, repair, and restoration of the Museum's historic ships. * Bowne & Co., Stationers, the Museum's historic printing shop, is back in business, with Master Printer Robert Warner producing original cards and paper delights on 19th-century letterpresses. * Education programs are going on now. More than 50 school groups are already booked for hands-on social studies programs that use the Seaport itself as a primary source, and the first groups have been welcomed to MiniMates, the weekly morning program for children ages 18 months to 3 years.  * Two professional archivists, Carol Clarke and Anne DiFabio, have started work in the Seaport Museum's library of maritime documents and photographs, with assistance from former Museum librarian Norman Brouwer, with the goal to re-house and digitize this important material so interested people can have access to it. * Museum galleries in Schermerhorn Row will reopen in late January 2012, with an open house that combines exhibitions of Seaport Museum and City Museum collections with installations of objects that are designed and made in New York today.  Crew and riggers at work on the Pioneer in November. Photos: Danielle Vazquez "Right here, at the very birthplace of New York, the South Street Seaport Museum is an essential reminder of how and why this great city flourished," said MWA president and CEO Roland Lewis. "The museum should be the crown jewel of our revitalized waterfront. I encourage anyone who cares about our Harbor to visit and support the reimagined and revitalized museum." John Doswell of the Working Harbor Committee said, "The best news is that the South Street Seaport Museum is back with its original name and mission, which is to celebrate our historic maritime heritage and, in particular, the ships that put New York Harbor on the map. Now is the time for everyone to rally around the reborn museum -- as members, volunteers or supporters -- to ensure that it remains for future generations." Ms. Henshaw Jones invites WaterWire readers to join the Museum and to consider making a gift specifically to help repair and restore the fleet of historic ships. Specify the vessel you would like to support -- Lettie G. Howard, Pioneer, Wavertree, W.O.Decker, or any of the others -- and the Museum will use this extra gift only in support of the purpose you identify. Visit www.southstreetseaportmuseum.org or call (212) 748-8766 to become a member, make an unrestricted year-end gift, or make a contribution to the vessels. Contributions can also be mailed to Membership, South Street Seaport Museum, 12 Fulton Street, New York NY 10038. |
| NY LEAGUE OF CONSERVATION VOTERS HONORS MWA | | Key to MWA's Success? Its Coalition's Strength and Diversity
Proteus Gowanus, an interdisciplinary gallery and reading room in Brooklyn named after the Greek sea god of change and the adjacent Gowanus Canal, is the 563rd organization to join the MWA. Before Proteus Gowanus, in short order the Alliance welcomed Liberty Yacht Club, Northeast Sustainable Energy, DCG Corplan Consulting, Empire Dragon Boat Team, Poppenhusen Institute, K-Sea Transport, and Greenpoint Waterfront Association for Parks & Planning.
The very fact that these diverse voices -- sailors, landscape architects, community advocates, tugboat operators, park planners, shipping executives, scientists, teachers and many more -- have come together under the umbrella known as the Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance, retaining their separate missions as they discuss, disagree, agree and speak out, is why policy-makers listen. For this ability to corral important input from those who know the waterfront best and convey it to planners, developers and legislators, the MWA is being honored by the New York City Chapter of the New York League of Conservation Voters.
The NY League of Conservation Voters (NYLCV) is a non-partisan advocacy and political action organization that evaluates the performance of elected officials, campaigns for the passage of laws, particularly those pertaining to the environment, and seeks to educate the public about important issues.
"Since its founding in 2007, the Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance has been an outstanding partner for better waterfronts throughout the New York Harbor region," NYLCB director Marcia Bystryn said. "The key to its success is the strength of its coalition, encompassing more than 550 organizations working for clean and accessible places to learn, work and play. This year, the MWA played a pivotal role in the creation of New York City's Comprehensive Waterfront Plan, a new framework for the city's 520 miles of shoreline for the next decade and beyond."
"For these accomplishments and more," she said, "the New York League of Conservation Voters is delighted to honor MWA at its Celebrating a Greener Skyline reception on November 30 in New York City."
Join the MWA and the NYLCV at the New York Yacht Club on November 30 from 6pm to 8pm at this reception. Ken Adams, President & CEO of Empire State Development, will be the evening's keynote speaker and NYC Deputy Mayor for Economic Development Robert Steel is a special guest. Click here to register for the event.
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TASK OF MWA'S TENACIOUS FORCES: GUIDING THE CITY'S PROCESS
| | Alliance Task Forces Convening to Advise on Comprehensive Waterfront Plan Projects
MWA's Task Forces are convening for the first time since Vision 2020: the New York City Comprehensive Waterfront Plan (CWP) was released in March, to provide input on projects outlined in the CWP and the NYC Waterfront Action Agenda.
 The Harbor Recreation Task Force met on November 8 to discuss general public access improvements as well as the criteria for placement of Community Eco Docks around the City. The first Eco-Dock will open next year at the 69th Street Pier in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn.
After MWA's Roland Lewis explained to the 60+ Harbor Recreation Task Force attendees that the two primary criteria for all sites are the availability of funding and the location of a site on Parks Department land, suggestions were offered for other dock sites (Dyckman Street! Roosevelt Island! Soundview Park!). Participants then prioritized other dock site placement criteria:
- Most Important
Community support, community need, boat storage, proximity to mass transit, proximity to public restrooms, strength of current/wave and wake action, suitability for human powered boats and historic boats - Very Important
Proximity to bike network/greenway, parking facilities/on-street parking, proximity to parks, quality of land access, Vision 2020 (CWP) projects underway in area, affordability - Important
Street connections, presence of upland destination, proximity to parks, proximity to schools, density of local population, emergency evacuation, proximity to combined-sewer overflow outlets, local business support, existing use 
On November 15, the Working Waterfront Task Force met (right) to discuss maritime retention and dredged material management, implementation of the CWP, and the components needed for the creation of a One Stop Shop for waterfront permitting.
Upcoming Task Force meetings include
Water Mass Transit (on the agenda: local and regional strategies for maintaining and enhancing five-borough ferry service, specific focus on East River Ferry Service, negative effects from increased ferry traffic, Federal transportation funding,implementation of the CWP projects) and Aquatecture & Green Harbor (on the agenda: developing and funding waterfront design guidelines, role of the Waterfront Management Advisory Board, and implementation of the CWP). |
UNEXPECTED MARINE CREATURES ARE FOUND IN NEW YORK WATERS
| | River Project Staff Discover Skittlefish, Harbor School Divers Find Bay Scallops
 Throughout the summer and into the fall, as part of a research project conducted for the National Park Service, NY Harbor School students searched in Jamaica Bay for three of New York Harbor's naturally occurring keystone species -- oysters, eelgrass and bay scallops. They found hermit crabs, blue crabs, lady crabs, horseshoe crabs, flounder, pipefish, whelk, moon snails, striped bass, sea horses, butterflyfish and trunkfish -- but no oysters, eelgrass or bay scallops.
Until November 6, their last day of diving.
Joe Gessert, the school's diving safety officer, and Liv Dillon, lead dive instructor, pick up the story: "Eight hardy students joined two instructors for a survey of the southeastern shore of Floyd Bennett Field," the instructors wrote in a recent email. "On their second dive of the day, at a depth of 16 feet, junior Nathan Ferenczy and senior Ashley Rodriguez each found a live adult bay scallop!"
 The discovery of two bay scallops mirrors the unexpected finding of another marine species: two tiny skilletfish (left), never before recorded in these waters, found by River Project staff in the Hudson River.
"We think that it was never recorded before because of its small size, and perhaps because there aren't any oyster reefs around anymore," explains Nina Zain, head of interns for the River Project. "It uses oyster reefs exclusively as breeding grounds and is closely associated with them in the Chesapeake Bay." One of the skilletfish was found inside a shell taken from oyster cages near Pier 40. The River Project is one of many organizations, including the Harbor School, Rocking the Boat and NY/NJ Baykeeper -- tending experimental oyster reefs and oyster cages throughout the New York Harbor Estuary in an effort to restore the once abundant bivalve and improve water quality.
The search by Harbor School students for the keystone species was part of this restoration process. "NPS wants to find out what remnant populations exist in the bay," Mr. Gessert and Ms. Dillon explained. "They hope to use the survivors as the genetic basis for future restoration efforts, as well as establish a baseline of what is in the water."
Both discoveries this year are being taken as evidence of a rallying marine environment. "This gives us hope that we'll have better luck with finding oysters in the spring," Ms. Dillon and Mr. Gessert wrote, "and suggests that the ecosystem is healthier than we know."
Top photo courtesy of the Harbor School.
Bottom photo courtesy of the River Project.
Read a Downtown Express story on the skilletfish discovery here. |
ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS OBSERVES ESTUARY DAY WITH HUNDREDS OF NJ STUDENTS
| |  Xboxes and Starfish in the Same Conversation
Lisa Baron, Chief of the Army Corps of Engineers Harbor Programs, knew how to get the attention of the teenagers at the annual Estuary Day celebration in Elizabeth, New Jersey. "How do you think your Xboxes get here?" she asked them, and began a discussion about the dependence of the region's economy on the commercial shipping industry and the importance of balancing the Port and the environment.
"We want them to have a clear understanding of how terminals work and of ships coming in and out," she said later. "The balance of economic viability and the environment -- that was the big theme of the day."
Hundreds of middle- and high-school students attend the annual event, most with no experience or understanding of the great waterways and world-class harbor beyond the city lines. "What is most surprising to them is seeing all the different marine creatures that live in the estuary," said Ms. Baron, above with colleague Kyle Davis. Just as it does on City of Water Day, the Army Corps sets up large tanks filled with fish, crabs, snails and starfish for students and teachers to touch.
The event is orchestrated by Future City, Inc. and sponsored by the Elizabeth River/Arthur Kill Watershed Association. Partners include the City of Elizabeth, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Coast Guard, NY/NJ Baykeeper, Kean University, and the offices of U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez, Rep. Donald Payne and Rep. Albio Sires.
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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:
- Bargemusic www.bargemusic.org
Moored in Brooklyn just under the Brooklyn Bridge, Bargemusic presents great music up to five days a week, every week of the year. - Bay Ridge Parks & Waterfront Council
Preservation and advocacy for Bay Ridge parks. - Bayonne Drydock and Repair Corporation www.bayonnedrydock.com
New York Harbor's largest drydock facilities. - Bayside Anglers Group www.baysideanglers.com
In addition to organized fishing trips, competitions, and social events,the club is dedicated to the promotion of environmentally sound recreational fishing practices and stewardship of aquatic resources. (back to top)
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| WATERFRONT NEWSLINKS |
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Texaco, BP, Sewage Share Newtown Creek's Years of Deadly Abuse"..."It's still being polluted today," says [Katie] Schmid. "Close to 3 billion gallons of CSO -- combined sewer overflow -- goes into the creek every year. That includes raw sewage." It happens almost every time it rains, Schmid says."Bloomberg, November 17, 2011 Latest Dirty Water Bill"...Senators John Barrasso of Wyoming and Dean Heller of Nevada plan to offer a rider denying protections to one-fifth of the nation's wetlands and as many as two million miles of small streams. The House has approved a similarly destructive measure, so it is crucial that the Senate majority leader, Harry Reid, and his Democratic colleagues block this legislation."The New York Times, November 15, 2011 Newtown Creek Armada to Sail Miniature Fleet on Polluted Waterway"...The armada will consist of a group of artist-designed miniature radio-controlled boats with underwater cameras mounted to their hulls."The L Magazine, November 11, 2011 Jamaica Bay's Delights"...All of this will require resources in tough economic times, which means the administration and Mr. Bloomberg have to be prepared to fight for the project."The New York Times, November 6, 2011 Japan Revives a Sea Barrier That Failed to Hold"...The insistence on rebuilding breakwaters and sea walls reflects a recovery plan out of step with the times, critics say, a waste of money that aims to protect an area of rapidly declining population with technology that is a proven failure..."The New York Times, November 3, 2011 Spurring Growth on Boston's Waterfront"...Two years ago, to attract new businesses and younger residents, Mayor Thomas M. Menino branded the waterfront as the Innovation District."The New York Times, November 2, 2011 Catching a Wave, and Measuring It"James Gosling wants to network the world's oceans..."The New York Times, November 2, 2011 The New York Times, October 23, 2011
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