Newtown Creek Alliance

Join us THIS SATURDAY for the 8th Annual Kingsland Wildflowers Festival! It is a free, family friendly event with many exciting activities:

🪻Explore our rooftop wildflower meadows
🎶Experience art installations, performances and live music
🐟Learn about the native wildlife and ecology of NYC and Newtown Creek
💚Engage with participating community and environmental organizations
🌼Buy native plant species
🍕Enjoy food and drinks with friends and family

Kingsland Wildflowers is a 25,000 sqft native pollinator garden nestled in Greenpoint, Brooklyn’s industrial business zone. The project partners include: Alive Structures, Broadway Stages, Newtown Creek Alliance, and NOoSPHERE Arts.

Register for the festival at KWFestival2024.eventbrite.com or visit our link in bio ... See you there! 🌼🌻🪻

Welcome to the NCA Team Audrey and Aish! 🌻🪻🌷

Audrey Warner joins NCA as our Grants and Development Manager. Audrey is a nonprofit development and communications specialist passionate about science, conservation and climate justice and the power of storytelling.

Aishwarya Venkatesh is with NCA for the summer as a Design + Planning Researcher. Aish has a background in architecture and design, a strong interest in building resiliency within coastal communities and is currently enrolled in the Graduate Center for Planning and the Environment at Pratt institute

What would you want this 10 acre Creekside Exxon property to be?

ExxonMobil is pursuing a New York State permit that will allow them to relocate the Greenpoint Oil Spill remediation facilities at 400 Kingsland Ave in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, NY.

Owned by Exxon, this 10 acre site has 630 ft of Newtown Creek shoreline and 41,250 sqft of filled-in tidal wetland (legally filled in 1977).

The potential selling and redevelopment of this site creates an opportunity for ExxonMobil to address its toxic legacy in Greenpoint. ExxonMobil can use this 10-acre Creekside land for community and environmental benefits in a neighborhood that they have poisoned since 1867.

NCA has come up with some ideas of what this 10-acre property could be used for:
- Maritime Transport: e.g. Activation Site for Blue Highways Initiative
- Green Industry: e.g. Compost Facility
- Small-Scale Manufacturing: e.g. Modern Manufacturing Hub with Public Waterfront Access
- Habitat Restoration: e.g. Thriving Habitat with Native flora & Fauna

Exxon is hosting a virtual public meeting to present their permit application to the community in accordance with New York State guidelines on this Thursday, July 18th, 2024 at 6:30 pm.

We encourage everyone to attend the meeting to learn about the permit application and ensure that community health is not jeopardized as part of this proposal.

Learn more about ExxonMobil‘s proposed permit modification in our 🔗link in bio. You can also find the meeting link there.










                 

📣📣📣July Community Advisory Group meeting for Newtown Creek Cleanup is NEXT WEEK📣📣📣 Join us next Wednesday (7/17) at 6:30 PM to discuss the future of Newtown Creek   Cleanup. We would love to see you in person at the Queens Landing Boathouse in Long Island City, snacks and drinks will be provided. Zoom link is also available! 

Meeting agenda:

1.  will continue to present the possible cleanup scenarios for the East Branch tributary of Newtown Creek. They will also review existing data on toxic sediments on the bottom of the Creek including Non-aqueous phase liquids (NAPL), which are organic liquid contaminants characterized by their relative immiscibility with water. Common examples of NAPL are petroleum products, coal tars, chlorinated solvents, and pesticides.

Hope to see you there🐟🐟🐟

Learn more about the July Newtown Creek CAG meetings, visit: newtowncreekcag.org (also link in bio)

     

ExxonMobil is seeking to consolidate and relocate two existing groundwater treatment systems associated with the Greenpoint Oil Spill to a new groundwater treatment facility at 38 Varick Street, Brooklyn, NY (one of Exxon’s sites in Greenpoint).

On July 18th, 2024 at 6:30 pm, Exxon is hosting a virtual public meeting to present the project to the community in accordance with New York State guidelines.

NCA has several concerns regarding this modification:
- Concern 1: Going from two treatment systems to one
- Concern 2: Concentrating discharge activities at Penny Bridge (Meeker Ave street end)
- Concern 3: A 10 acre Creekside property can be sold to the highest bidder

ExxonMobil was built on the banks of Newtown Creek. They made trillions of $$$ in profit, and left a toxic legacy in Greenpoint that includes the country‘s largest terrestrial oil spill, and NYC’s largest federal superfund site.

We encourage members of the public to attend the meeting on July 18th, 2024 at 6:30 pm to learn about the project and ensure that community health is not jeopardized as part of this proposal.

Learn more about ExxonMobil‘s proposed permit modification in our 🔗link in bio. You can also find the meeting link there.










                 

NCA is very excited to welcome our 2024 UHI Summer Research Cohort! For 8 weeks the fellows will be studying the impacts of Urban Heat Island within the North Brooklyn IBZ. Their research will support NCA revitalization efforts, finding new ways to assist industry and worker health in the IBZ. To learn more about the program click the link in our bio!

🌼SAVE THE DATE🌼 Come join us for the 8th Annual Kingsland Wildflowers Festival! It is a free family-friendly event with many exciting activities:

🪻Explore our rooftop wildflower meadows
🎶Experience art installations, performances and live music
🐟Learn about native wildlife and ecology, including Newtown Creek
💚Engage with participating community and environmental organizations
🌼Buy native plant species
🍕Enjoy food and drinks with friends and family

Kingsland Wildflowers is a 25,000 sqft native pollinator garden nestled in Greenpoint Brooklyn’s industrial business zone. The project partners include: Alive Structures, Broadway Stages, Newtown Creek Alliance, and NOoSPHERE Arts.

Interested in Volunteering? We would love your help!
Register as a volunteer through Eventbrite and we will send an email with more information about the different volunteer shifts we’ll have available throughout the day.
Stay posted for the full schedule of events!

Register for the festival at KWFestival2024.eventbrite.com or visit our link in bio🌼

📢📢📢Residents of North Brooklyn and Western Queens! Join us next Tuesday (6/18) from 6:30-8:30 PM for the June Community Advisory Group (CAG) meeting to discuss the future of Newtown Creek   Cleanup. We would love to see you in person at the Queens Landing Boathouse in Long Island City, snacks and drinks will be provided. Zoom link is also available! 

Meeting agenda:

1.  will continue to present the possible cleanup scenarios for the East Branch tributary of Newtown Creek in detail.

Hope to see you there🐟🐟🐟

Learn more about the June Newtown Creek CAG meetings, visit: newtowncreekcag.org (also link in bio)

     

We had a blast at last weekend's Rail Series in Blissville and the train keeps rolling with the next stop this Sunday at the Bushwick Branch! We will meet at the rails on Morgan avenue (between Meserole and Johnson) and join our partners from NY&Atlantic Railway to pick up debris near the English Kills tributary of Newtown Creek.

The event is free and a great way to lend a hand in cleaning the Creek! Full details and registration: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/off-the-rails-bushwick-branch-tickets-908281112257?aff=oddtdtcreator

Check out these two performances this weekend on the Newtown Creek Nature Walk:

https://www.thesegalcenter.org/prelude-in-parks-2024/brooklyn-is-not-a-sacrifice-zone

https://www.thesegalcenter.org/prelude-in-parks-2024/water-rises

Brooklyn is Not a Sacrifice Zone - Prelude in the Parks 2024 | Martin E. Segal Theater Center CUNY Encounter Al Límite Collective's work Brooklyn is Not a Sacrifice Zone in Brooklyn, at this year's edition of the Prelude in the Parks festival by The Segal Centre, presented in collaboration with Newtown Creek Alliance.

NCA has been examining the history of the 400 Kingsland Avenue property, currently owned by ExxonMobil. The site is likely to go on the market for sale soon, as Exxon seeks to alter their Greenpoint Oil Spill pollution discharge system. Recently NCA obtained the Tidal Wetland Non-Jurisdictional Determination Request document from ExxonMobile to NYSDEC. This document shined light on outstanding questions regarding a former tidal wetland inlet on the 400 Kingsland Avenue site and how it was (legally) filled in, however, questions regarding ownership of the former wetland remain.

If the former tidal wetland inlet is not legally part of the 400 Kingsland property, then how can ExxonMobil use the land? How can ExxonMobil potentially sell a former tidal wetland inlet if they don’t own it?

Learn more about this matter and read the Tidal Wetland Non-Jurisdictional Determination Request document: https://www.newtowncreekalliance.org/400kingslandwetland/

‼️LOCATION CHANGE‼️

The meeting location has changed to McCarren Play Center at 776 Lorimer St. Brooklyn, NY 11222. Please share the updated location!

📢𝐈𝐌𝐏𝐎𝐑𝐓𝐀𝐍𝐓 𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐌𝐔𝐍𝐈𝐓𝐘 𝐁𝐎𝐀𝐑𝐃 𝐌𝐄𝐄𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐍𝐎𝐑𝐓𝐇 𝐁𝐑𝐎𝐎𝐊𝐋𝐘𝐍📢

On June 6th, 2024 at 6 PM, National Grid and ExxonMobil will present at the Brooklyn Community Board 1 Environmental Committee Meeting.

- National Grid will present on their Newtown Creek Resources Recovery Facility Renewable Natural Gas System (𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘴 𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘭 𝘨𝘢𝘴 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘣𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘵𝘴 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘣𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘴 𝘪𝘵 𝘰𝘧𝘧 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘪𝘳 𝘯𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘧 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦).

- ExxonMobil will present their proposed plan on consolidating two existing groundwater treatment facilities (𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘴 𝘶𝘱 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘢 10 𝘢𝘤𝘳𝘦 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘬𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘣𝘪𝘥𝘥𝘦𝘳).

- EPA is seeking public comment on a proposed cleanup plan for the Meeker Ave Plume Superfund Site.

𝐖𝐞 𝐡𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐥𝐲 𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐘𝐎𝐍𝐄 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐦𝐞𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐣𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐢𝐳𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐍𝐞𝐰𝐭𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐂𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐤.

This is an in-person meeting at McCarren Play Center 776 Lorimer Street.

More details of the meeting in the 🔗link in bio. Hope to see you there!

Make Your Water Connections 🌊💧🐟🌱

Join NCA, NY-NJ Harbor Estuary Program, Riverkeeper, and FloodNet for an evening of participatory activities and presentations on our local waterways!

Riverkeeper will present on Water Quality standards and how to ensure NY State doesn’t roll back protections for fishable and swimmable waters.

FloodNet NYC will discuss local flooding issues, and engage participants in a hands-on mapping exercise to help inform where flooding sensors should be placed and resources are needed.

The NY-NJ Harbor Estuary Program will give an update on their most recent State of the Estuary report and engage participants in a breakout session to gather feedback on how communities engage with Newtown Creek and the East River.

---------

The event is free and open to all. Snacks and drinks will be provided. Please RSVP: https://waterconnections.eventbrite.com/

🚂Join NCA, NY & Atlantic Railway, and Sims Metal for a volunteer cleanup along the rail lines near Newtown Creek. This series seeks to engage community members with environmental stewardship in often neglected industrial spaces, while offering a glimpse into local train history and infrastructure through these unique sites.

Saturday, June 1st: Lower Montauk Branch rail line in Blissville, Long Island City. This is an active freight line adjacent to the main channel of Newtown Creek in Queens. This line was served by the LIRR until the late 1990’s, when most stations around the Lower Montauk were closed due to low ridership. By the early 2010’s, the line had converted to exclusive freight operations by New York and Atlantic Railway.

Sunday, June 9th: Bushwick Branch rail line by Morgan Avenue in East Williamsburg, Brooklyn. This is an active rail line used primarily for garbage collection and transfer from nearby facilities. Historically, this line carried commuters between 1868 and 1924, after which all passenger service was discontinued. Nearby stations included Bushwick Avenue Station by Montrose Avenue and Bushwick Place, and South Side Railroad Crossing near Varick Avenue.

The events will include:
* An expansive trash pickup along the tracks of this active rail line (with no train activity during the cleanup). NY & Atlantic Railway will be providing support with their railroad crane car!

We will provide gloves, tools, safety vests, water, and guidance on how to safely complete our tasks for the day.

Visit tinyurl.com/NCA-EVENTS for full details and event registration (also link in bio)

🌊Join NCA next Thursday (5/23) from 6:30-7:30 PM at the May Queens Community Board 2 Environmental Committee meeting to share your experiences with flooding in NYC.

Representatives from and will join us to lead the discussion of flooding in NYC. Floodnet is a cooperative of communities, researchers, and NYC government agencies working to better understand the frequency, severity, and impacts of flooding in New York City, they work to gain local input on flooding issues you and your neighbors experience. 

The meeting is virtual, check our bio for the zoom link!

📢📢📢Residents of North Brooklyn and Western Queens! Join us next Wednesday (5/22) from 6:30-8:30 for the May Community Advisory Group (CAG) meeting to discuss the future of Newtown Creek   Cleanup. We would love to see you in person at the Queens Landing Boathouse in Long Island City, snacks and drinks will be provided. Zoom link is also available! 

Meeting agenda:

1. will present the possible cleanup scenarios for the East Branch tributary of Newtown Creek in detail.

Hope to see you there🐟🐟🐟

Learn more information about the Newtown Creek CAG meetings, visit: newtowncreekcag.org

     

2024 Urban Heat Island Fellowship application is NOW OPEN☀️🏢🌡️🌳

NCA is hosting an 8-week, full-time, paid research fellowship for New Yorkers aged 18-25. Fellows will learn about the role of scientific inquiry and longitudinal studies in community-based revitalization efforts, practice fieldwork and data collection, and contribute to improved knowledge of local environmental justice issues all within the context of Newtown Creek and the North Brooklyn Industrial Business Zone located in East Williamsburg and Greenpoint Brooklyn. The fellowship will conclude with presentations of the research projects in front of community and environmental leaders. 

This research and educational program is intended for young adults with an interest in improving the health and well-being of their communities and curiosity about green infrastructure (rain gardens, tree canopy, green roofs, etc.) and its role in mitigating the effects of the Urban Heat Island effect.

𝐎𝐮𝐫 𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐚𝐧 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐨𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐭𝐨 𝐍𝐞𝐰𝐭𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐂𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐤 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐧𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐝𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐚 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐫’𝐬 𝐝𝐞𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐞. 𝐒𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐢𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐚 𝐌𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐲-𝐓𝐡𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐝𝐚𝐲, 𝟏𝟎𝐚𝐦-𝟓𝐩𝐦, 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐉𝐮𝐧𝐞 𝟐𝟒𝐭𝐡-𝐀𝐮𝐠𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝟏𝟓𝐭𝐡 𝐬𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐝𝐮𝐥𝐞. 𝐅𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐝 $𝟏𝟔/𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐫. 𝐀𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐝𝐮𝐞 𝐛𝐲 𝐉𝐮𝐧𝐞 𝟓𝐭𝐡 𝟏𝟏:𝟓𝟗𝐩𝐦 𝐄𝐒𝐓.

For more information on the Fellowship, including details on previous research projects, please visit tinyurl.com/uhi2024 or visit our link in bio.

We’re hiring! NCA has an exciting opportunity for a development professional to join our team as a Grants & Development Manager.

More details about the position and how to apply here: https://www.newtowncreekalliance.org/hiring-grants-development-manager/

NCA’s Executive Director Willis Elkins along with and Cooper Park Resident Council spoke to about the danger of the liquefied natural gas facility in Greenpoint. The 117 acre site is also highly contaminated with chemicals such as PAHs, PCBs and Coal Tar in the soil, groundwater, and potentially seeping into Newtown Creek as well. And while New York State has yet to propose a full remediation plan for the site, the Department of Public Service eagerly supports National Grid's current rate case which includes a $350+ million dollar investment at LNG plant (a potential $65+ monthly increase to heating bills in Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island by 2026 if the project is approved) to prolong fossil fuel infrastructure that harms our community and climate alike.

Thank you Hilary Howard and for your reporting!

Read the article linked below to learn more about the inspiring climate and environmental justice work by in the 5 boroughs of New York City.

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/12/nyregion/nyc-neighborhoods-climate-change.html

2024 Riverkeeper Sweep 🌊 🧹

Thanks to everyone who came out yesterday to help remove trash, pull knotweed, and do some hardscaping at Plank Road. All the hard work will help protect our local wildlife, allow native plants to thrive, and better filter stormwater before it flows into

Stay posted for more upcoming hands-on volunteer events, and go check out the Plank Road Public Shoreline in Maspeth if you have never been!

Tree Bed Maintenance with Lincoln Restler and Big Reuse

Sunday, May 5 | 10AM-12PM | Greenpoint - Meet at Corner of Dupont + Commercial Streets

For cleaning any refuse out of tree beds, weeding, cultivating soil w/ compost + sweeping. Please wear comfortable clothes appropriate for the weather and close toed shoes. This is a great event for children too!

Register here:

District 33 Street Tree Stewardship Volunteer Form

ExxonMobil is seeking to consolidate and relocate two existing groundwater treatment systems associated with the Greenpoint Oil Spill to a new groundwater treatment facility at 38 Varick Street, Brooklyn, NY (one of Exxon’s sites in Greenpoint).

On 𝐌𝐚𝐲 𝟗𝐭𝐡, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒 𝐚𝐭 𝟔:𝟑𝟎 𝐩𝐦, Exxon is hosting a 𝐯𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐩𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐜 𝐦𝐞𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 to present the project to the community in accordance with NYS guidelines.

NCA has several concerns regarding this modification:

- Concern 1: Going from two treatment systems to one
- Concern 2: Concentrating discharge activities at Penny Bridge (Meeker Ave street end)
- Concern 3: A 10 acre Creekside property can be sold to the highest bidder

ExxonMobil was built on the banks of Newtown Creek. They made trillions of $$$ in profit, and left a toxic legacy in Greenpoint that includes the country’s largest terrestrial oil spill, and NYC's largest federal superfund site.

𝐖𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐜 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐞𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐧 𝐌𝐚𝐲 𝟗𝐭𝐡, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒 𝐚𝐭 𝟔:𝟑𝟎 𝐩𝐦 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐣𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐢𝐳𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐬 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐚𝐥.

Learn more about ExxonMobil’s proposed permit modification in here: https://www.newtowncreekalliance.org/exxonmobil-permits/ You can also find the meeting link there.

🌀 🌍 A whirlwind of an Earth Week for NCA! A few photos of what we were up to:

🚲 Creek Curiosities Bike Tour
🧤 Corporate Volunteer Events with Triple Lift and
🌳 Arbor Day dedication with Commissioner Donoghue
🪚 Construction new Living Docks with
🦀 learning about Marine Ecology at Queens Landing
🚣‍♂️ Boat Tour of Dutch Kills with President Adams
⚖️ Environmental law class from discussing legacy pollution and enforcement
🌱 Tree planting on Review Ave with NYC Parks and Blissville Civic

More public events coming up this week, check the 🔗 in our profile!

📹EarthCam x 🌎 Earth Day Announcement!

NCA has partnered with EarthCam to bring you live streaming views of Newtown Creek! We’re thrilled to join this network of webcams, showcasing different landmarks/areas of interest around the world. NCA’s EarthCam, stationed at the Kingsland Wildflowers shoreline, will highlight marine traffic, industrial activity, waterfowl, and recreational boaters along Newtown Creek.

We hope this offers a new way for the community to access and learn about what’s happening on the Creek and to form closer relationships with the local ecosystem. Check it out at https://www.earthcam.com/usa/newyork/longislandcity/?cam=newtowncreek and let us know what you see!

Special thanks to EarthCam for this exciting partnership which will help us reveal Newtown Creek to locals and web visitors across the globe.

🌏 Earth Week Recap 🗓️

Some NCA highlights from the past 7 days around the Creek:

Creek Crossings Bike Tour;
Seven school visits and field trips (PS153Q and PS62 pictured here);
Volunteer events with and ;
Tabling at and ;
our first Open Hours of the season;
and our new brochures!

Our bike tour is made possible through generous support from the NYC Green Fund administered by City Parks Foundation.

This Friday, Open Hours at Kingsland Wildflowers returns! Come join us to learn more about the green roofs, the native plants present, and Newtown Creek while enjoying the golden hour from our scenic wildflower meadows. Open Hours are FREE and open to the public and will take place every Friday from April 19th to June 30th, 2024, weather-permitting. We hope to see you on the roofs!

Learn more and register here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/kingsland-wildflowers-open-hours-tickets-873423903407?aff=oddtdtcreator

👀Are you a resident of Western Queens or North Brooklyn? Join us this Wednesday from 6:30-8:30 for the April Community Advisory Group (CAG) meeting to discuss the future of Newtown Creek   Cleanup. We would love to see you in person at the Queens Landing Boathouse in Long Island City (Zoom link is also available)! 

What the meeting will talk about:

1. The possible cleanup scenarios for the East Branch tributary of Newtown Creek, presented by ;
2. Update on Combined Sewer Overflows (CSOs) monitoring (sanctioned by ) to help determine the amount of chemicals entering Newtown Creek via our sewer system, presented by NYC Department of Environmental Protection.

Hope to see you there🐟🐟🐟

Learn more information about the CAG meetings: newtowncreekcag.org

     

Thanks to all of the wonderful volunteers who came out for yesterday's first Greenhouse Gang. They helped up pot over 400 of our native nursery seedlings! We hope you'll join us at next month's Greenhouse Gang on Tuesday, May 21. Or check out our nursery at the first Open Hours, starting Friday April 19! Links to sign up below.

Greenhouse Gang: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/867656643377?aff=oddtdtcreator

Open Hours: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/873423903407?aff=oddtdtcreator

🚲🥾We are very excited to announce a series of spring biking and walking tours around Newtown Creek: Seeing the Creek - Sunday rides and Friday evening strides.

Bike Tour 1: Creek Crossings
Sunday 4/21 11 - 2pm

Bike Tour 2: Creek Curiosities
Sunday 4/28 11 - 2pm

Walking Tour 1: Public Access in Greenpoint (Jane’s Walk NYC)
Friday 5/3 6 - 7:30pm

Walking Tour 2: Fenced off in Queens
Friday 5/17 6pm - 8pm

Check out full details and register on our eventbrite links (with exception of Jane's Walk link; incoming shortly). Can't wait to see you🚲🥾🌱



This program is made possible through generous support from the NYC Green Fund administered by City Parks Foundation.

To our pleasant surprise an anonymous person took it upon themselves to reinstall and rebrand our signage at the Penny Bridge Street End site in. Since 2017, NCA has overseen a massive cleanup effort at this public overlook, removing tons of debris, creating paths, and bringing in native plants and furniture for wildlife and community members alike. In 2020, NCA installed an outdoor sign with historic photos and text explaining the significance of this location which within a few years was, like many of the hard surfaces in the area, adorned with spray paint and stickers, making it more difficult for visitors to examine the text/photos. Photos 3-5 show the original sign from July 2020; August 2022; February 2024.

We were literally planning to reinstall a new sign later this week, when low and behold someone beat us to it and installed a new one (a digital version has been available on our website) with a slightly revised heading to read “Tom Penny Bridge.”

Tom Penny is a legendary figure in the skateboarding world whose effortless style, raw talent, and enigmatic persona has influenced skaters since the 1990s. Given the rise of formal and DIY skateparks around Newtown Creek in recent years (Sgt. Dougherty; Under the K Bridge; Mosquito Beach; and Maspeth Park), it seems appropriate to have a skateboard themed rebranding for the sign; and even the NCA logo :)

Thanks to the anonymous designer; we love your initiative and subtle addition 🍄 🇬🇧

Check out Tom Penny Bridge for yourself: 1000 Meeker Avenue in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. Open 24/7/365.