MIT did a great study on the Harlem River Waterfront:  Bronx:  Meet Your Waterfront Plan

http://bronx.mit.edu/meet-your-waterfront-plan

Green Infrastructure (GI) has to be incorporated into the Long Term Control Plans in a meaning and measurablemanner. While this plan goes a long way toward that goal, there is no need for additional planning for incorporation of GIwhile the Long Term Control Plans (LTCPs) are being developed. Just do it; it is already widely accepted all over thecountry and by EPA.

Read more here

BCEQ_letter_CSO2011 111811

Harlem River Working Group
Celebrate the Harlem River

HRWG is online

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Chauncy Young: 646-719-0034

Press Advisory

Community residents, environmental organizations and elected officials meet with United States Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar to discussion the Urban Waters Partnership and collaborative efforts to revitalize the Harlem River

(Bronx NY, October 27, 2011) Community residents and environmental organizations will gather at Roberto Clemente State Park — the only Bronx State park, located along the Harlem River to welcome Secretary Ken Salazar and celebrate the Harlem River.

“The Harlem River is a wonderful asset. We are excited to welcome the Secretary to witness our hard work in the rebirth of the Harlem River,” stated Anita Antonetty, long time community resident and Harlem River Working Group Member.

Community residents, environmental organizations and elected officials will hold a press conference at 2:00 pm in support of Secretary Salazar announcement of Urban Waters Partnership and America’s Great Outdoors – both national initiatives taking place across the nation and in the Bronx. Other federal, state and city agencies are expected to attend, as are local Bronx elected officials: Borough President Ruben Diaz, Congressman Jose Serrano, State Senator Marco Serrano, and State Assemblywoman Vanessa L. Gibson, among others. Together, this local perspective recognizes the community’s renaissance vision for a greenway and waterfront access for Bronx communities along Harlem River.

“I have been a part of planning meetings for the Harlem River and the surrounding area for the last 30 years” says Dart Westphal, community leader and Bronx Council for Environmental Quality (BCEQ) Board Member, “I am glad to be a member of the Harlem River Working Group and to see plans long discussed finally being implemented due to the collaboration between city, state and federal elected officials and departments, particularly, the NYC Parks Department, and community residents.”

Harlem River Working Group Coordinator, Chauncy Young, notes “Over the past four years since the formation of the Harlem River Working Group, we have been effective in making the Harlem River a focus for community residents and their representatives and government agencies, the Harlem River was designated as one of seven locations across the United States designated for the new Urban Waters Federal Partnership and both Massachusetts Institute for Technology and Columbia University have worked with community members to develop visions for the Harlem River Waterfront.”

Community members will be available for comments on local perspectives following the press event.

Date: Friday October 28, 2011

Time:   2:00 pm

Location: Roberto Clemente State Park, 301 West Tremont Avenue, Bronx NY 10453

SIGN UP TO VOLUNTEER

JOIN OUR PLANNING MEETINGS

The Bronx shore of the Harlem River is

experiencing lots of exciting changes! Come

learn all about them and how you can get involved.

WHERE:

Roberto Clemente State Park Recreation Center

301 West Tremont Avenue at Mattewson Road

By Train: Hudson Line MetroNorth stop at Morris Heights Station

By Bus: Bx18, Bx40, Bx42 (170th St) to River Park Towers and

Roberto Clemente State Park Bridge.

Walk down the ramp to the park.

WHEN:

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

5:00 pm – 7:00 pm

WHAT:

This event is the monthly BCEQ Board Meeting and an extension of the BCEQ Annual Water Conference — this past spring was held on the East Bronx Rivers. We are holding a mini conference on the Harlem River to get updates on all the projects and proposals along the Bronx side of the River.

Sponsored by the Bronx Council for Environmental Quality, the Harlem River Working Group, and Con Edison.  Special Thanks to Roberto Clemente State Park and the NYS Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation.

For more information and to RSVP contact harlemriver@bceq.org or

call (646) 462-4132

Harlem River Working Group applies for the River Network Urban Waters Capacity Building Grant.

The goal of the Urban Waters Capacity-Building Grants is to improve our nation’s impaired urban water resources – rivers, lakes, wetlands and more – and the socioeconomically challenged communities around them by providing local organizations, tribal and local governments with the skills and techniques to effectively restore these resources over time.

The Harlem River Working Group has applied, through the Highbridge Community Life Center (HCLC) and the Bronx Council for Environmental Quality (BCEQ).  Here is the application:

1. Executive Summary UrbanWatersExecutiveSummary 2.  Application HRWGUrban WatersFinal

Attachments
A. Budget   urbanwater_budget_template
B.  Maps River Location: open_water_section_3 p14, and Harlem River Target areas:  map above and
C.  List of Partner Organizations: Attachment C List of Partners
D.  Biographies: Biographies Harlem River Working Group
E.  Board of Directors – supplied for both HCLC and BCEQ

DEC Commissioner Denied Appeal – BCEQ_DECCom_reject_appeal (8-3-10)

Appeal to the DEC Commissioner  BCEQ_Appeal_Sensitive_Area_04192010

DEC response  - DEC_reply_to_BCEQ__Requesting_Sensitive_Area_(3-5-10)

BCEQ request to designated Bronx and Harlem Rivers as Sensitive Areas -  BCEQ__Requesting_Sensitive_Area_02172010

Check out what other EPA regions do:  MO_WQS_decision_letter102909

Help us by signing a petition and/or a letter and emailing it to us at water@bceq.org or fax to (888)763-8399

Harlem River Festival – September 25^th from 11 am to 5 pm

Celebrating the Harlem River

The Harlem River Working Group* is holding its first annual Harlem River Festival on Saturday, September 25, 2010 at Mill Pond Park, the new riverside park created under the 2006 Yankee Stadium Parks’ Redevelopment projects.  The day will be celebrating the Harlem River and edge through walking, biking or boating activities including:  Arts and Crafts; Hawk Talk; Live Music; Educational Workshops; Water Demonstrations; Boat Tours; Tennis Lessons and much more ….

Guided Walks

10am from High Bridge Park

(170th and University Avenue)

Day of Walk call: 646 719 0034

Guided Bike Ride

10am from Randall’s Island

(Meet on the Bronx Side of the RFK Bridge)

Day of Ride call: 718 796 1648

Refreshments at noon

Harlem River Ferry Tour

4pm from Mill Pond Park

Take a ferry boat ride up the Harlem River!

(Meet at Yankee Stadium Dock)

SPONSORED BY NY WATERWAY

Getting Here

• Subway #2, 4 or 5 to 149th/Grand Concourse
• Metro Hudson Line to Yankee Stadium Station

Mill Pond Park is on the waterfront at 153rd and Exterior Street

Across from the new Gateway Center Mall

The Harlem River Festival is sponsored by NY WATERWAY and represents the efforts of the following organizations and agencies: Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr., National Park Service, Partnerships for Parks, Bronx Council for Environmental Quality, Friends of Brook Park, Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance, Highbridge Community Life Center, Friends of the Woods, Harlem River UDEC, and more

*Harlem River Working Group is a coalition of community organizations and agencies working on, at or near the Harlem River. For more info:  HarlemRiver@bceq.org or call 646.719.0034

For more information about the events listed please contact the organization hosting the event.

Harlem River Festival
Sunday September 12th, 10-4 Swindler Cove Park (Dyckman street and 10th Ave.)
An all day event packed with fishing, seining for crustaceans, boating, music, barbeque picnic, and photo opportunities at the Peter J Sharp Boathouse, water slides, painting and decorating fish shaped cookies are just some of the fun and education activities designed to bring people to the water. Great for all ages! All activities are FREE! Brought to you by New York Restoration Project in partnership with NYC Department of Parks and Recreation, for more information contact Shannon Donohue at 212-333-2552 or at sdonohue@nyrp.org.

Harlem River Ecology Center Fall MigrationUrban Wildlife Appreciation- Birds of Prey Series (southern end of Roberto Clemente State Park, Beneath River Park Towers, Bld 10, in the Morris Hts section of the Bronx, 10453):

- Sat Sept 25th, 1pm-3pm- In Keeping Company with The Red Tailed Hawk.
- Sat October 9th, 1pm-3pm- The Owls, Who are They? What Do They Eat
- Sat November 6th- 1pm-3pm- In Keeping Company with the Crow and Raven Live Encounter and Education about the urban birds of prey of the Bronx urban wetlands and urban watershed
For more info call 347-224-5828, or email harlemriver.udec@gmail.com A project of The Urban Divers Estuary Conservancy- www.urbandivers.org

East River Crew-Free community rowing- 96th street and east river- Tuesdays at 5pm September 14th until October. For more information go to www.eastrivercrew.org or call (917) 622-7513.

Randall’s Island Wetlands Stewardship Program (Icahn Stadium, 20 Randall’s Island)
-Please join us on a tour of the Randall’s Island salt marsh and freshwater wetlands. This 8 acre complex, restored in 2008, offers visitors a chance to view the local flora and fauna found in these unique ecosystems.
-Opportunities for volunteer weeding, planting, clean-up are also available.
For more information or to register a group please contact Victoria Ruzicka. Natural Areas Manager at (212) 860-1899 ext. 309 or at Victoria.ruzicka@parks.nyc.gov.

Halloween at University Woods: Enter woods at Cedar or Sedgwick at 181st street.
Join the Friends of The Woods for haunted tours of University woods every Sunday in October or for It’s My Park! Day Halloween events on October 31st. For more information contact Friends of the Woods at thewoods@inbox.com, or at (718) 228-9309.

Sample letter for your organization to sign Senstive Areas Organization Letterhead

Petition for your and your friends to sign PETITION Sensitive Areas