Tag: Prospect Park Alliance

c. Virginia Freire

Audubon Takes Flight

April 14, 2015

From Nature Play to Bird Nerds Game Hour, this spring the Prospect Park Alliance is offering a slate of new and expanded free nature programs. Starting Saturday, April 18, the Alliance will open the Audubon Center at the historic Boathouse for weekend activities, add a second tent to its popular Pop-Up Audubon program, and launch Discovery Packs, ready-to-go kits filled with activities for families.

“The Alliance offers more than 800 programs serving 75,000 visitors each year throughout the Park, including the Audubon Center,” said Alliance President Sue Donoghue. “Providing families from neighborhoods across Brooklyn – and all over the city – with fun, creative ways to explore and learn about the Park’s natural areas and wildlife is an important part of our mission.”

The Prospect Park Audubon Center was established in 2002 through an innovative partnership between the Prospect Park Alliance and Audubon New York as the first Audubon Center in an urban park. Families are able to directly engage with nature through fun, play-based activities such as bird watching, catch-and-release fishing and citizen science projects. The expanded programming reflects both the popularity of Audubon activities with visitors, as well as the Alliance’s focus on increasing access to Park amenities for surrounding communities. 

Every Saturday and Sunday, the Alliance will offer family-friendly nature programming from 10 am until 1 pm at the Boathouse, such as Nature Play, an innovative game-centered approach to connecting kids with the great outdoors, and Blooming Naturalists, which introduces families to the Park’s vast variety of birds. The Alliance’s popular Pop-Up Audubon program, which launched in 2013 and occurs at locations around the Park, will double the fun with a second tent that explores the Park’s aquatic habitats.

In addition, Discovery Packs will be available at the Audubon Center and new Pop-Up Audubon tent that families can borrow to explore the Park. Similar to Pop-Up Audubon, the Discovery Packs will feature a new theme each month. In April, participants will play Habitat Bingo, searching for specific birds then designing nests. 

Check out the full schedule of programs.

PPA Profiles: Janis Napoli

Janis Napoli, Prospect Park Alliance’s Horticultural Supervisor, is the Park’s flower guru. She oversees a team of four gardeners that care for its flowering plants. At first glance, Prospect Park seems to be dominated by trees and shrubs, but there are dozens of flowering plants throughout the landscape, including Park entrances and arches, and a few formal gardens, including Carmen’s Garden at the Litchfield Villa and the berms at Grand Army Plaza.

Janis has had a green thumb her whole life. She propagated plants as a teenager before earning a degree in Horticulture and a prestigious internship with the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. Upon completion of her internship, Janis was offered the rare opportunity to become an Assistant Gardener, where she learned a great deal of the skills that Prospect Park benefits from today.

Janis joined the Alliance as Horticulture Supervisor last year, and handles her monumental task with aplomb. With a very small crew, she is responsible for the health and beauty of the all of the Park’s flowering plants, which are spread over 585 acres. As spring approaches, the horticulture crew tends to hundreds of acres of landscapes, with flowering trees to prune, paths to clear and bulbs to plant.

Even before this work begins, every plot must be carefully inspected and assessed. Janis and her team have a lot to consider when creating public floral spaces, such as access to sunlight, flowering behavior and the environment. She even examines aerial photos to learn how landscapes receive sunlight and shade throughout the year, and observes how visitors interact with the space. 

“Areas that are open to the public or are in highly trafficked throughways generally host hardier plants,” Janis explained, “while those that are protected by fencing or thick underbrush allow for more delicate blooms.” 

One of Janis’ favorite destinations in the Park is Carmen’s Garden, and one of her favorite flowering plants is Edgeworthia, or paper bush, which glistens in the sunlight all winter and blooms gorgeous creamy yellow buds in the spring. You can see these blossoms later this spring near the 9th Street entrance of the Park. Check out our spring bloom guide for other great spots to see the horticulture team’s work in action.

Park Path Improvements

Council Member Brad Lander’s Participatory Budgeting process gives you the power to decide how $1.5 million will be spent on projects in your community.

In the past, this process helped fund pathway drainage improvements at the Long Meadow and Park Circle, as well as a few currently in design and construction at Endale Arch, the Lake and Litchfied Villa. This year, you can improve the pathway along the East Drive at Battle Pass, which spans from the Prospect Park Zoo to Zucker Natural Exploration Area. All you have to do is vote.

Tonight from 6:30–8:30 pm, attend the Project Expo, where delegates will present their projects at Camp Friendship, located on 8th Street between 5th and 6th Avenue. Voting will go through Sunday, April 19. Check out the full list of voting locations.  

You may also cast your ballot at Council Member Lander’s Park Slope office today through Thursday. To broaden Brooklyn’s voice, this year the voting age will be lowered to 14. You can even pledge to vote online.

c. Paul Martinka

PPA Profiles: Paul Curtin

April 13, 2015

Paul Curtin is Head Pro and Junior Development Director at the Prospect Park Tennis Center. A Florida native, he started working at the Tennis Center in 2003. “We have a community here that is very tennis friendly,” says Paul, “I love the diversity we see on the courts and the shared enthusiasm for the game.”

As Junior Development Director, Paul leads the Summer Youth Program, which is designed for youth ages 6 to 16 to learn the game and improve their serve, stroke and confidence on the court. Paul was a relative latecomer to tennis. He didn’t pick up a racquet until age 12 but then went on to become a very accomplished player. He loves working with the youth at the Tennis Center. He finds it rewarding to introduce children to tennis and watch their games develop. He also enjoys the challenge of teaching and finding new ways to express tennis techniques. “It takes patience and persistence,” Paul says, “but it’s great to see players mature.”

Registration for the Summer Youth Program is now open. Youth engage in drills and match play for both individualized tips and experience working in groups. Beginners will gain a thorough understanding of the game, as well as basic skills and strategies. Experienced players can hone their game with individualized instruction geared toward match play. Learn more about the Summer Youth Program and sign up today.

Let it Rain

March 16, 2015

As regular cyclists, joggers and walkers in Prospect Park know, heavy storms can cause flooding along the Park Drive and pathways as runoff makes its way through the Park’s drainage system, which is nearly 150 years old. Stormwater management has become one of the biggest priorities for the Alliance’s Design and Construction team. Flooding not only hinders use of the Park, but also can have harmful consequences on the Park’s landscapes and ecosystems.

Nearly all new construction projects in Prospect Park, including the LeFrak Center at Lakeside  and the major renovation of the Long Meadow Ballfields, include sustainable stormwater systems. In addition, the Alliance’s Design and Construction team is exploring other ecologically minded improvements that can be implemented around the Park. New rain gardens that were recently installed along the Park Drive near Park Circle are examples of sustainable stormwater management. This project was made possible by residents of the 39th New York City Council District who voted in participatory budgeting in 2012, which was organized through the office of New York City Council Member Brad Lander.

Rain gardens are landscaped areas intended to collect stormwater runoff and allow it to slowly infiltrate the soil. A small trench is dug into the landscape and surrounded by native water-tolerant plants, such as New York Aster, Inkberry Holly, Bearberry and several native grasses. The gardens are not only beautiful additions to the Park, they also serve several important functions.

“In addition to absorbing stormwater so it doesn’t overwhelm the Park’s aging drainage system, rain gardens create an environmentally friendly method for filtering water and reducing erosion, which can have a devastating impact on the grass, shrubs and trees,” said Justine Heilner, the Alliance’s Senior Landscape Architect. “The rain gardens were planted this fall, and we already have seen a significant reduction in flooding. We are excited to see how they evolve this spring, and hope to install more throughout the Park.”

Winter Wonderland

February 12, 2015

While Winter Storm Juno was not the predicted storm of the century, it did transform Prospect Park into a scenic winter wonderland. Keeping the Park safe and ready for thousands of visitors is not a small feat, and crews worked tirelessly around the clock, contributing from start to end nearly 900 hours to shoveling, plowing, salting and other forms of snow removal.

The Alliance maintains a very small fleet of plows and salt spreaders, which requires an “all hands on deck” approach, as staff do everything possible to stay ahead of storms. Mowers were converted with special brooms into high-powered snow removal devices, but much of the work involved manual labor with staff on the ground operating blowers, shoveling and spreading salt.

The team’s first priority is clearing the Park Drive, entrances and perimeter sidewalks, an operation that took place throughout the night of the storm. The next day, crews focused on shoveling out fire hydrants, bus stops, staircases and crosswalks, with over 40 crosswalks at Grand Army Plaza alone. Even volunteers got into the effort, with a group from the Church of the Latter Day Saints who shoveled staircases in the Vale of Cashmere.

The result of these efforts could be seen in the sheer number of visitors who descended on the Park to enjoy the snow. Prospect Park became the symbol of a New York winter wonderland, thanks to a video posted by Mayor de Blasio, and photographs of the Park in publications around the world. 

Enjoy our photo gallery from Winter Storm Juno, and continue to share your photos with us by posting to our Facebook page or to Instagram with #prospectpark.

 

c. Martin Seck

PPA Profiles: Steven DiFalco

Many New Yorkers are surprised to learn that there is a thriving forest in the heart of Brooklyn. When the Alliance was first founded in the 1987, the woodlands were in a dire state, and in the mid-1990s the Alliance began an ambitious restoration of the heart of the Park’s woodlands, the Ravine. Monitoring the ecological health of the woodlands is an ongoing process, and is spearheaded by the Alliance’s Forest Ecologist Steven DiFalco. Steven joined the Alliance this past June, and continues the work of a long line of committed ecologists in this role.

Steven’s primary role is to monitor the health, height and growth of Prospect Park’s woodlands, which include trees, shrubs and herbaceous plants. It is a precarious balancing act of selecting the right native species to plant, and deciding exactly where to plant them to maintain a delicate ecosystem. This means choosing plants, shrubs and trees that will attract birds, repel invasive species and resist harmful insects. In the winter months, Steven analyzes data collected throughout the year, which helps the Landscape Management team decide what to plant and where, as well as spot early signs of disease.

“Some of the trees alone are more than a century old,” said Steven. “It’s extremely important that they receive proper care so they might be there for future generations.”

Steven recently settled into an apartment in Ditmas Park. He has always wanted to live and work in New York. His heart was set on working for an ecologically friendly non-profit organization, which to some sounded unlikely. Like many visitors who come to Prospect Park, Steven was astounded by what he found in Brooklyn’s 585-acre oasis.

“I was shocked by the number of ways that people used the Park,” he said, “I didn’t expect to see so many cyclists, joggers, hikers, soccer players and kids. Prospect Park is beautiful, but it’s the people that make it really special.”

c. Michael Moran/OTTO

High Honors

January 13, 2015

To add to its growing list of achievements, the Samuel J. and Ethel Lefrak Center at Lakeside has just won the highest honor in architecture by the American Institute of Architects (AIA), a 2015 National Honor Award. The LeFrak Center was selected out of a field of nearly 500 candidates.  

“It is a true testament to the strengths of the LeFrak Center’s design that it is enjoyed by both the local community and the international architectural community alike,” said Alliance President Sue Donoghue. “Lakeside has set the bar in terms of what can be achieved in Prospect Park, and we look forward to continuing to further this vision.” 

Designed by renowned architects Tod Williams and Billie Tsien, in collaboration with the Alliance’s acclaimed chief landscape architect Christian Zimmerman, the LeFrak Center at Lakeside was designed to be an environmentally sensitive structure that fit seamlessly into the Park’s natural splendor and provide a year-round amenity for the community.

In selecting the LeFrak Center, the AIA Honor Award Jury said: “The stonework grounds it as a landmark within the park, while the openness of the design itself allows for complete amalgamation with the view and the experience of nature… Every design decision was made so as to ease use on patrons and also to minimize the impact on the park. This is a beautiful, natural spot for visitors to a enjoy sensory experience.”

Said Billie Tsien: “We feel so lucky to have had this chance to do truly public work. It is the most democratic and thus most important work we can ever do.”

Winter Fun in Prospect Park

It might look like a quiet time of year, but it is actually the wonderful time to explore Prospect Park. Alliance naturalists share their tips on how to make the most of the Park this season.

Take a winter walk. The Park’s leafless canopy exposes portions of the landscape that are hidden under lush greenery in the warmer months, providing the perfect opportunity for visitors to see rare geological formations, such as the deep glacial kettle located just beyond the Zucker Natural Exploration Area, and the hills of New York’s terminal moraine that stretch across the Midwood.

Play in nature. There are boundless ways for families to enjoy nature this time of year, from sledding at the Long Meadow to ice skating at the LeFrak Center at Lakeside. Also enjoy fun activities developed by naturalists as part of Nature Playtime!, a new collaboration between the Alliance, Prospect Park Zoo and Tinkergarten. From making frozen bubbles to snow art, download our activity card.

Search for wildlife. While a number of animals hibernate in the winter, it is a prime season for aerial predators like hawks and owls. Visitors can spot larger birds of prey circling high over the Ravine. Keen eyes might find a tiny Northern Saw Whet owl tucked in the evergreens near the Audubon Center. The raptors are joined by cold weather waterfowl that fly down from Canada, whose downy feathers leave them undisturbed by the sheets of ice that form on the Lake. Join the Alliance for monthly bird watching walks, including an introduction to bird watching and family bird watching.

Find out more about Prospect Park Alliance’s winter activities on our Events Calendar, and share your favorite winter activities with us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Photo above by our featured artist for the season, Joseph O. Homes.

PPA Profiles: Shanny Tan

January 12, 2015

Since its founding in 1987, the Prospect Park Alliance has grown from a grassroots organization to an internationally recognized leader in urban parks management. Its acclaimed volunteer program, which engages more than 4,400 volunteers who provide nearly 22,500 hours of service each year, has recently attracted the attention of Singapore’s National Parks Board. Over the last year, the Alliance hosted two of its staff, including Park Maintainer Shanny Tan, who manages volunteers in Bishan Park, a 153-acre linear urban park in central Singapore that features a 3-kilometer meandering river enlivened by pond gardens and river plains. 

Shanny joined the Prospect Park Alliance to learn about creating a culture of volunteerism at Bishan Park, which hosts a number of school volunteer groups but would like to increase individual park stewardship. She spent her time on a variety of projects, working alongside volunteer program staff. She took a leadership role managing the weekly Thursday Volunteer Corps, and also the recently launched Junior Volunteer Corps and Volunteer Leader programs. Shanny also worked closely with the Alliance’s Director of Volunteer Programs, Jessica Jamhoury, to develop training materials and help streamline operations.   

Shanny explains, “One of the main reasons we approached the Prospect Park Alliance is to learn more about engaging communities. My colleague Nanthini Elamgovan, who joined me for this program, visited New York many years ago and learned about the success of its volunteer program. We would like to encourage active volunteerism in Bishan Park in order to forge a stronger connection between the park and its visitors.”

The National Parks Board is an organization set up by the Singapore government to improve the island’s park system, and is currently launching a diverse volunteer program that includes conservation, gardening, guided tours, and guest services. “I am always so touched by how much people care about Prospect Park,” Shanny said. “It is so beautiful, but it’s really about the people. The volunteers really form true friendships forged through their love for this wonderful place.”

Learn more about volunteering in Prospect Park, or if you are with a park group that is interested in being mentored by the Alliance contact us at info@prospectpark.org.