Environmental News and Events for Brooklyn, Bronx, Manhattan, Queens and Staten Island (Region 2)

In This Issue:

• Come Celebrate Outdoors Day
• Love Our NY Lands
• New York State Celebrates Arbor Day and Awards Additional $1.18 Million Urban and Community Forestry Grants 
• DEC Announces $500,000 Environmental Benefit Project to Support Trees New York's 'Greening the South Bronx'
• DEC Announces 2021 'I BIRD NY' Challenges
• Brownfield Cleanup Program

Come Celebrate Outdoors Day 

Outdoors Day is a free, open-house style event held in conjunction with National Get Outdoors Day. Try a new outdoor activity or introduce your family to old favorites like hiking, archery, paddling, and fishing. Bring the whole family and spend the day having an outdoor adventure! Below are activities in Region 2:

Free Fishing Clinic at Gantry State Park
Date: June 12
Time: 1 p.m. - 3 p.m.
Description: Join DEC’s I Fish NY team and NYS Parks at Gantry State Park for the season’s first free fishing clinic. The I Fish NY program will be offering free catch-and-release fishing clinics for all ages. Fishing rods will be provided to participants 14 years old and older. Participants younger than 14 must have an adult who is responsible for the rod. Each participant needs a registration ticket regardless of whether or not they are fishing.
Learn about fishing equipment, techniques, regulations, consumption advisories, and good places to fish. Although no Recreational Marine Fishing Registry is required, staff can help participants register for one since its free. In addition to fishing, participants can learn about fish identification, fishing equipment and techniques, fisheries management, angling ethics and aquatic ecology. Due to COVID-19 there are new safety guidelines for free fishing events. 
Register now!    

Nature Exploration at Mount Loretto Unique Area - Staten Island
Date: June 12
Time: 10 a.m. - 3 p.m.
Description: At Mt. Loretto on Staten Island, visitors will be able to stop by the Nature Exploration Station just inside the main entrance on Hyland Boulevard. Activities for all ages will be available to help introduce visitors to the animals, plants, and habitats at Mt. Loretto. Visitors will also be able to sign out binoculars and field guides to use during their walk.
Contact our Region 2 office for more information.  

Love Our NY Lands

There are tens of thousands of acres of State lands to visit and thousands of miles of trails across the state for hikers of all abilities, whether you want to hike the Adirondacks or take the family and friends out for a short excursion to a scenic view in the Catskill Park.

All New Yorkers and visitors should be able to access, enjoy, and feel welcome on state lands. These lands belong to all of us, our families, and our neighbors. While enjoying these shared spaces, be respectful of other visitors. Share trails, treat people with kindness, and leave things as you found them for others to enjoy.

All of us have a responsibility to protect State lands for future generations. Follow the Hiker Responsibility Code, practice Leave No Trace principles, and consider visiting trails less traveled. Use the DECinfo Locator to find a DEC-managed resource near you.

DEC staff are here to keep you and our natural resources safe. Forest Rangers, Assistant Forest Rangers, Foresters, backcountry and front-country stewards, trail crews, and education staff are important resources for outdoor recreators and for the protection of our lands. These professionals are stationed across New York, and visitors can expect to interact with stewards at trailheads, rest areas, information stations, welcome centers, and campgrounds, as well as out on trails and summits.

Forest Rangers provide more than enforcement and rescues. One of their primary roles is education, which is crucial to ensuring hikers have a safe experience. If you run into a Forest Ranger or Assistant Forest Ranger on the trail, use that opportunity to ask questions about safety and sustainable recreation.

Trail crews work hard to build and maintain our trail systems across New York State. As you pass by crews out on the trail, take a moment to thank them for their commitment to protecting our lands and keeping users safe.

If you need help planning an adventure, or have questions about equipment, safety, or trail conditions, stewards and educators are happy to assist. If you are headed to the Catskills or High Peaks region of the Adirondacks, you’ll find stewards and educators who can provide helpful advice or assistance. You can also find formal information stations at the following locations:

Expansion Sites

• Glens Falls northbound rest area on Route 87
• Once the US/Canadian border opens, a station at a southbound rest area on 87 to capture visitors coming from Canada - TBD
• Catskills Visitor Center, Route 28, Mt Tremper (Ulster County)

High Peaks Information Stations
Stations will operate from May 21 through Oct. 11

• DEC is scheduling these information stations to begin prior to the Memorial Day holiday weekend. Times and locations to come.

Catskill Information Station

• Catskills Visitor Center, Route 28, Mt. Tremper

For more information, including how to become a steward and how you can protect New York's lands, visit DEC's website.

New York State Celebrates Arbor Day and Awards Additional $1.18 Million Urban and Community Forestry Grants  

In celebration of Arbor Day, grants totaling $1.18 million have been awarded to communities across the state to inventory, plant, and maintain public trees. The grants are part of the second phase of grants through DEC's Division of Lands and Forests’ Urban and Community Forestry Program, which works to increase public awareness of the importance of trees and help communities develop and implement comprehensive tree management plans to create healthy forests while enhancing quality of life.

The 26 projects receiving funds this year were selected during Phase 2 of the Urban and Community Forestry (UCF) Round 15 grants after additional funding was made available. With this announcement, a total of $2.6 million is being awarded to 64 projects across the state. The awarded projects were selected from 154 applications, ranked by cost effectiveness, lasting benefits, use of partnerships, inclusion of outreach and education, and support from local stakeholders. The UCF grants complement DEC's ongoing initiatives to address invasive species, climate change, environmental degradation, environmental justice, and urban sprawl.

Over the last nine years, New York State has awarded more than $12.6 million in urban forestry grants to support projects with a total value of more than $20 million.

Grant recipients in Region 2 are:

Kings County

• Gowanus Canal Conservancy, Inc. - $63,000; Tree Maintenance
• The Brooklyn Queens Land Trust - $30,940; Tree Maintenance
• The Green-Wood Cemetery - $75,000; Tree Planting

New York County

• Randall’s Island Park Alliance, Inc. - $40,000; Tree Inventory and Management Plan
• The Governors Island Corporation - $45,000; Tree Inventory and Management Plan

DEC Announces $500,000 Environmental Benefit Project to Support Trees New York's 'Greening the South Bronx'

Trees New York, a not-for-profit organization working to plant, preserve, and protect New York City’s urban forest through education and community participation, received $500,000 in funding through an Environmental Benefit Project (EBP) to support the Greening the South Bronx project. Greening the South Bronx will use the resources to plant trees in community spaces below 180th street in the Bronx. 

Trees New York’s Greening the South Bronx project is funded through a 2020 DEC Order on Consent totaling $621,500 to resolve the NYC Department of Corrections’ past air quality violations. EBPs are agreed to as part of the settlement of an enforcement matter and are designed to benefit the local community and environment. In this case the NYC Department of Corrections provided Trees New York with the $500,000 EBP to support the Greening the South Bronx project.

Through the project, Trees New York will work with Young Urban Forester interns recruited from local public schools, as well as Citizen Pruner volunteers from the community to increase the tree canopy cover in the South Bronx. The project will plant trees that shade buildings and impervious surfaces including parking lots, playgrounds, and sidewalks, providing a number of environmental benefits for the South Bronx community, including positive impacts to air quality. In addition to tree planting, Trees New York will implement a comprehensive stewardship and maintenance plan to ensure that the environmental benefits from increased tree cover are maximized and sustained.

DEC's Region 2 office continues to collect ideas for future EBPs from non-profit organizations in Manhattan, Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island. DEC encourages NYC organizations to share ideas by completing this form (PDF) or by emailing us for more information.

DEC Announces 2021 'I BIRD NY' Challenges

DEC has begun the 2021 "I BIRD NY" challenges for beginning and experienced birders. Two levels of challenges provide the opportunity to identify birds and learn about birdlife and offer a chance to win birding equipment.

New York State's wide-ranging habitat types, from the Atlantic Ocean's sandy beaches to majestic Catskill and Adirondack peaks, Great Lakes shorelines, and everything in between, create a birder's paradise, supporting more than 450 different bird species throughout the year. New York also has 59 designated Bird Conservation Areas to safeguard and enhance bird populations and habitats on State lands and waters. The I BIRD NY program was launched by Governor Andrew Cuomo in 2017 to build on the State's efforts to increase access to New York's vast natural resources and promote no- and low-cost opportunities to explore the great outdoors and connect with nature.

I BIRD NY is just one of DEC's ongoing efforts to engage New Yorkers in nature-based activities that provide a fun opportunity for the entire family to learn about the natural world. Because people can watch birds wherever they live, work, or play, birdwatching is an accessible activity that does not require transportation or the purchase of specialized equipment.

Birdwatching can be enjoyed by people from all economic backgrounds and education levels. While binoculars can help, many birds can be identified without special equipment. DEC is hosting its annual I Bird NY Beginner's Birding Challenge (PDF), which is open to anyone 16 years of age and younger. To complete the Beginner's Birding Challenge, participants must identify 10 common New York bird species and submit their challenge sheet to DEC. Entries can be mailed or emailed. All challenge participants will receive a certificate of participation and be entered into a random drawing for a chance to win birding accessories.

In addition to the Beginner's Birding Challenge, DEC is offering the I Bird NY Experienced Birder Challenge (PDF). To complete the experienced birder challenge, birders of any age must identify at least 10 different bird species found across New York State. All participants in this challenge will also receive a certificate of participation and be entered into a drawing for birding accessories.

Birding enthusiasts can visit I Bird NY to access this year's challenge sheets, as well as find information on where and how to watch birds, upcoming bird walks or other events in your region, a downloadable Beginner's Guide to Birding (PDF) - available in Spanish (PDF) - and additional resources.

Brownfield Cleanup Program

Bronx

DEC invites the public to comment on a draft plan to investigate contamination at the Ace Suede and Leather brownfield site at 808 East 139th St., Bronx (site ID#C203072)
Nota: Una versión en español de esta hoja informativa también se adjunta.
Public comment deadline: June 6, 2021
For more information in English
For more information in Español 

DEC invites the public to comment on a proposal to address contamination at brownfield site on East 767 133rd St., Bronx (site ID#C203123)
Nota: Una versión en español de esta hoja informativa también se adjunta.
Public comment deadline: June 12, 2021
For more information in English 
For more information in Español 

Queens

Contamination Cleanup will begin at the Teitelbaum Dry Cleaning Inc. brownfield site on 35th St., Astoria (site ID #C241149)
Nota: Una versión en español de esta hoja informativa también se adjunta.
For more information in English 
For more information in Español

DEC invites the public to comment on a proposal to address contamination at a brownfield site at 3-60 Beach 79th St., Far Rockaway (site ID #C241207)
Nota: Una versión en español de esta hoja informativa también se adjunta.
Public comment deadline: June 12, 2021
For more information in English 
For more information in Español 

Contamination cleanup will begin at the Rockfarmer brownfield site on 37th Ave., Jackson Heights (site ID #C241212)
Nota: Una versión en español de esta hoja informativa también se adjunta.
For information in English
For information in Español