News and stories about the waterways of
New York and New Jersey, from the
Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance

JULY 11, 2014

CONTENTS
JOIN US AT THE WATER!CWD 
Celebrate your waterfront! Bring friends, bring the family and come out and join the Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance this Saturday, July 12, when the Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company presents MWA's seventh annual City of Water Day. Paddle a kayak, cast a fishing line, sail on a historic schooner, conduct a marine science experiment -- there will be plenty of fun, free things to do on this great day of learning and entertainment.
 
City of Water Day takes place July 12 from 10am to 4pm on Governors Island, at Maxwell Place Park in Hoboken, NJ, and at 35 shoreline sites around the region. Highlights are below.
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FREE BOAT TOURS!freetour 
 
More than 1,200 free boat tour seats will be given away by the end of City of Water Day (below, fireboat John J. Harvey). Tickets are available in advance at www.cityofwaterday.org. If you've found that the boat tour of your choice is sold out, we've got another option for you: Free ferries all day between Governors Island, Hoboken and Jersey City.

  

City of Water Day is the only day of the year that direct ferry service is available between Governors Island, Hoboken and Jersey City -- and it's free! For the schedule, please click here.

  

As for the advertised free boat tours on ferries, schooners, fireboats, tall ships and tugs, keep in mind that unclaimed tickets will be distributed to stand-by passengers starting 15 minutes before each tour is set to begin. MWA is deeply appreciative of the generosity of area boat owners and operators who are donating their services on City of Water Day. For a list of vessels offering free tours and where they'll be docked, click here.

Photo by Paul Margolis. 
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WATERFRONT ACTIVITY FAIRS OFFER LOTS OF FUNactivityfair
The Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance has lined up a great array of family-friendly activities at the City of Water Day Waterfront Activity Fairs at Governors Island and at Maxwell Place Park. Here's a small sampling to whet your appetite.

ON GOVERNORS ISLAND
For a full list of Alliance Partners participating in the Waterfront Activities Fairs on Governors Island and at Maxwell Place Park, please visit www.cityofwaterday.org.
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Seriously, a full-size, seaworthy boat made of cardboard?

Unbelievers, please gather at Kayak Hill on Governors Island on City of Water Day, Saturday, July 12, and behold 20 teams of intrepid boatbuilders who will be designing, constructing and racing vessels made from nothing more than corrugated cardboard and tape. Among the competitors: teams from Red Hook Boaters, Project Urbanista, Google, U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary and defending champions Stevens Institute of Technology (photo below).

This year, MWA's Cardboard Kayak Race is presented by Con Edison. Teams have two hours to design and build their craft starting at noon, and then the races begin at 2:30pm.

"The challenge is to build something that will actually float but without help from an app, software or even a hammer," said Con Edison's David Gmach. "It's a test of skill, creativity, teamwork and, not least of all, good humor."

"A cardboard kayak is certainly not the most dependable way to get around our harbor but it is without a doubt the most fun," said Roland Lewis, MWA President and CEO. "City of Water Day is all about fun and recognizing the potential of the untapped resource that is our harbor. Get yourself on a ferry, in a kayak, or even -- if you dare -- in a cardboard boat, but most of all just get yourself on the water. Let's make every day in our magnificent harbor a City of Water Day!"

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CITY OF WATER DAY IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD!Neighborhood
Wherever you live, you don't have to go far to find City of Water Day this year.

Every year, City of Water Day expands to more shoreline stretches around the region. These are known as City of Water Day "In Your Neighborhood" sites, and this year we've topped out at 35 separate locations, not including Governors Island and Maxwell Place Park -- 11 each in Manhattan and Brooklyn, six in the Bronx, three in New Jersey, two in Yonkers, and one each in Queens and Staten Island. Check out this interactive map for details.
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BAY RIDGE COMMUNITY ECObayridge
DOCK OPENS FOR THE SEASON

As an excited crowd cheered on June 28, NYC Council Member Vincent J. Gentile (right), Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance President/CEO Roland Lewis and Captain Aaron Singh from New York Harbor School opened the Bay Ridge Community Eco Dock for the 2014 season.

The Eco Dock floats at the end of Brooklyn's 69th Street Pier. On opening day, South Street Seaport Museum's schooner Lettie G. Howard was docked there, receiving visitors for student-led tours of the ship. Originally a fishing schooner built in 1893, Lettie is now used as a sailing school vessel operated in collaboration with the New York Harbor School and other schools around the port.

The Eco Dock is a project of the NYC Department of Parks & Recreation with support from Council Member Gentile and community programming coordinated by MWA. The flexible, floating dock provides access to large and mid-sized historical, cultural, commercial and educational vessels and smaller human-powered boats, and serves as a platform for environmental education programs.

The Eco Dock is already being used as a resource for educators in the community. Teachers Rob Randazzo and Lane Rosen from Fort Hamilton and John Dewey High Schools use it as a tool to engage their students in hands-on restoration, scientific research and environmental stewardship. They are monitoring oyster gardens as part of the Billion Oyster Project, and will be visiting the dock with students every few weeks to collect data on water quality, oyster growth (photo above left) and biodiversity.

The Eco Dock is part of a citywide effort to revitalize the New York metropolitan area waterfront, linking regional water trails and upland destinations throughout New York Harbor. This year, the Eco Dock is open through December 1, and MWA is working with maritime educational groups and community organizations to plan programs and events. July weekends will see visits by A.J. Meerwald, a restored oyster dredging schooner turned sailing classroom, and free tours aboard fireboat John J. Harvey and schooner Pioneer. For details on events, please click here.

Human-powered boaters who wish to dock here need to email the dockmaster at [email protected] and show proof of a current NYC Parks launch permit (details on obtaining one here). The dockmaster will send you the entry code.

To find out how you can get involved, contact Sara Levy at [email protected] or 212-935-9831 x 113.

By Sara Levy. Photos by Teri Brennan.
BY & LARGE
Short items on
waterfront events and issues



Presenting Harbor Literacy Points, Available July 12 Online and at
City of Water Dayliteracy
 
Together with a team of more than 50 educators working as the Harbor Education Task Force, the Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance is proud to present Harbor Literacy Points for Educators, Students, and the Public. Designed to integrate the study of harbors, rivers and estuaries into the everyday curriculum of elementary, middle and high school students, Harbor Literacy Points outlines key topics, learning opportunities and resources offered by our proximity to the waters of New York and New Jersey. Focusing on watersheds, estuaries, marine ecosystems, water quality and harbor history, Harbor Literacy Points aims to increase interactive learning with urban waterways.

Stop by the Harbor Literacy Points table at Governors Island on City of Water Day to learn more and to get your copy! The document also will be available online at www.waterfrontalliance.org
by July 12.

By Gina Kosty.
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July 16: New York Conference on Water
New York's network of reservoirs, aqueducts and tunnels provides eight million people with more than a billion gallons of water a day. Among the cleanest water systems on Earth, it is a seemingly inexhaustible resource. But it is finite. 

Conveying this message to New Yorkers is one of the goals of the New York Conference on Water, taking place on July 16, at the Fordham University Conference Center. The conference will explore what New Yorkers can do to preserve and protect their water supply. Panelists and audience members will also examine the opportunities of the water around us, such as recreation and transportation, as well as risks, such as rising sea levels.

Two members of the Board of Trustees of the Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance are participating in this conference as panelists: Helena Durst, President, New York Water Taxi, VP, The Durst Organization, and Kate Sinding, Senior Attorney and Deputy Director, Natural Resources Defense Council. For more information and to register, click here.

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gantry
New Boating & Educational Programs Launched at Gantry Plaza State Park
 
The Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance and the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation announce a partnership to open Gantry Plaza State Park in Long Island City, Queens, for the first time ever to free on-water programming. Throughout the summer and into the fall, two local paddling groups, Long Island City Community Boathouse (LICCB) and HarborLAB, will offer kayaking programs at the floating docks at Gantry Plaza State Park's South Pier, at 50th Ave and Center Boulevard.
 
The activities begin on Friday, July 11, with a free kayaking program provided by Harbor LAB from 5pm to 8pm, and continue on Saturday, July 12 from 9am to 5pm, with free tandem kayaking by LICCB as part of City of Water Day In Your Neighborhood. Participants do not need reservations for either event, and will be provided with personal flotation devices. Both groups will continue offering free programs throughout the summer.

Other programs scheduled at Gantry Plaza State Park on City of Water Day include a walking tour, a mobile library and arts and crafts, supported by Green Shores NYC and Friends of Gantry/Hunters Point Parks Conservancy.

The floating docks also provide access for environmental science programs. HarborLAB will conduct water sampling at Gantry Plaza State Park for weekly bacteria testing by The River Project, as part of a public education and safety program coordinated by the New York City Water Trail Association. HarborLAB will also be working with nearby Hunters Point Community Middle School, teaching its students about water quality and native estuary plant species.

By Jose Soegaard. Photos by Ilana Teitel. 
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EVENTS

July 12
A day of entertainment, education and adventure celebrating the New York and New Jersey waterfronts. Free boat tours, family activities, kayaking, fishing, and the Waterfront Activity Fairs at Governors Island, Maxwell Place Park in Hoboken, and 35 different In Your Neighborhood sites! 10am-4pm.
Theatrical performance at the Waterfront Museum, Lehigh Valley Barge #79, Red Hook, Brooklyn. 3pm. Also July 13, 19 and 20. 
At the Bay Ridge Community Eco Dock (69th Street Pier). Trips at 1pm and 2:15pm. Trips are free but reservations are required. Reserve here.

July 16
8am-12pm. Fordham University Conference Center, 113 W 60th Street, 12th floor. 

July 19
8am-3pm. Sponsored by Row New York on the Harlem River.
At the Bay Ridge Community Eco Dock (69th Street Pier). 1pm and 2:15pm. Trips are free; reservations are required. Reserve here.
Bronx River. Meet at Shoelace Park, 219th Street and Bronx Boulevard. 10am. $25. Registration required.
LIghthouse Museum tour. 11am-2pm. Leave from Pier 11, Lower Manhattan. Tickets here


Click here for more water-related events on the MWA web site! 
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CLASSIFIED ADS
Place your water-related classified ad free in WaterWire! Contact [email protected]
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WATERFRONT NEWSLINKS

Rowin', Rowin', Rowin' on the River
"If you want a workout that's strenuous, frightening, frustrating, thrilling, exhausting, challenging and serene all at the same time, try rowing in an eight-oared boat on the Harlem River..."
The New York Times, July 10, 2014

Hoboken hosts first City of Water Day
"The city of Hoboken is teaming up with the Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance for its first City of Water Day on Saturday..."
The Jersey Journal, July 7, 2014

Pier-less! G'point ferry dock still busted, but city says fix is coming
"The owners of the Greenpoint ferry dock that collapsed into the East River last winter still have not repaired it but are promising it will be fixed in time for the stoppage of G-train service to Queens late this month, the city said..."
The Brooklyn Paper, July 1, 2014

NYC Budget Fails to Help Commuters in East Bronx
"Lawmakers and advocates hopeful that someday more New Yorkers will get access to waterways..."
WFUV, June 26, 2014

City budget leaves out money to make the Rockaway Ferry permanent, upsetting residents and local politicians
"...Queens borough president Melinda Katz lobbied with the support of the other four borough presidents to put $8 million in the fiscal year 2015 budget to help fund permanent ferry service. Katz, district assemblymen and residents called the outcome a disappointment...."
Daily News, June 26, 2014

Four agencies, one harbor and 279K jobs
"A boat tour brings together the folks whose coordination is needed to keep economic activity in New York flowing..."
Crain's New York Business, June 13, 2014
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Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance | 212-935-9831 | [email protected] | http://www.waterfrontalliance.org
241 Water Street, 3rd Floor
New York, NY 10038

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