2015 ANNUAL REPORT 543 Union Street #1E Brooklyn, NY 11215 718.541.4378 GOWANUS CANAL CONSERVANCY 2015 ANNUAL REPORT Dear Friends, Partners and Members,

Since its inception, the Conservancy has advocated for an open space network that would support and protect the health of the Gowanus Canal while providing access to its shores and vibrant public parks and corridors for the people who live, work and play in the neighborhood.

In 2015, that vision started to become a reality. Construction began on the Sponge Park, which will transform the end of 2nd Street into a canal-fronting park that captures and filters stormwater. Additionally, as plans for new development and Superfund-related infrastructure emerge on the north end of the canal, it is clear that better (and more) public space is a priority, particularly along the canal’s edge.

As these projects unfold, we are working closely with diverse local partners like Fifth Avenue Committee, Gowanus Alliance, Arts Gowanus, Old Stone House and others to ensure that these emerging public spaces not only reflect the community’s interests, priorities and needs, but weave together into an interconnected Greenscape, maximizing the health, resiliency, vibrancy and beauty of our Gowanus neighborhood.

Throughout the next year, we will continue to reach out to residents, businesses and partners to get your input on the priorities for the Greenscape, with an eye toward designing a community-based masterplan that reflects the unique qualities of Gowanus.

To learn more about the Greenscape initiative and how you can help, please visit our website www. gowanuscanalconservancy.org. We not only welcome your input, we need it!

Ben Jones Board Chair

LETTER FROM THE CHAIR SMITH ST ATLANTIC AVE

GOWANUS WATERSHED

PROSPECT PARK

We envision the evolution of an Open, Clean and Alive Gowanus Canal and Watershed with accessible, connective open space; clean water, soil and air; and vibrant ecological, business and cultural activity.

MISSION & VISION

GOWANUS CANAL CONSERVANCY 2015 ANNUAL REPORT VOLUNTEER We empower community members to implement EDUCATION positive change through We teach community hands-on interventions. members of all ages about the complex environmental, social and political issues of the Gowanus so that they can be advocates for change.

CAPITAL We build, monitor and maintain innovative landscapes that test best practices and improve the DESIGN resiliency and sustainability of We facilitate community the Watershed. conversations about the Canal and Watershed design and planning.

PROGRAMS The Clean-Up The Gowanus Canal is one of America’s most polluted waterways, due to historic industrial contamination and ongoing combined sewage Gowanus overflow. Declared a Superfund site in 2010 by the Canal US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Canal is in the beginning stages of an estimated $500 million clean-up, which will be paid for by Potentially Responsible Parties (PRPs).

Dredging The primary historic industrial contamination in the canal is coal tar from 3 Manufactured Gas Plants. The off-gassing of this contamination causes the ranbow slicks often seen on the surface of the canal (at left).

EPA, National Grid and other PRPs are working together to design and coordinate dredging an average of 10’ of heavily contaminated sediment from the bottom of the Canal. Less contaminated sediment below will then covered with a multi-layer cap.

In 2015, the team conducted numerous tests, including a cutting-edge technology to stabilize the sediment below. Dredging is projected to start in late 2016 or early 2017.

Find out more at www.gowanussuperfund.com, or by getting involved with the Gowanus Canal Community Advisory Group (CAG) www.gowanuscag.org.

WHAT’S HAPPENING HERE?

GOWANUS CANAL CONSERVANCY 2015 ANNUAL REPORT Gowanus Gowanus Canal Watershed

Long Term Control Plan The NYC Department of Environmental Protection is working to reduce an annual 377 million gallons of combined sewage overflow (CSO) into the Canal from the Gowanus Watershed during rain events. The Watershed consists of about 1,800 acres of densely developed land and 122,000 residents, which contribute wastewater to the CSOs. The two major strategies are:

1. Two large underground sewage detention tanks - an 8 million gallon tank on the north end of the Canal, and a 4 million gallon tank near the middle - will increase the holding capacity of the combined sewage system, lessening CSOs into the Canal. The locations of the tanks are to be announced in early 2016.

2. Curbside rain gardens, or bioswales, will divert and absorb street water, keeping it out of the combined sewage system and lessening CSOs into the Canal. There are currently 11 bioswales in the watershed, and about 90 more under construction.

Find out more at http://www.nyc.gov/html/dep/html/cso_long_ term_control_plan/gowanus_canal_ltcp.shtml Compost Volunteers hand-produced 44,218 pounds of compost from local food waste.

Volunteers distributed 13,800 lbs of this compost to tree pits and gardens throughout the neighbohood, to nurture soil health and permeability.

Nursery Volunteers propagated 600 native plants to invigorate local gardens and street ends.

Wildflower Corridor Volunteers built and installed 24 wildflower planters to activate the 9th St Wildflower Corridor. VOLUNTEER STEWARDSHIP

We empower community members to implement positive change through hands-on interventions. 2015 Funders: Council Members Brad Lander, Carlos Menchaca, and Stephen Levin, Citi Foundation, City Parks Foundation, ConEdison, Etsy, FedEx, Morgan Stanley Foundation, Patagonia, Rockefeller Foundation, Time Warner Cable-Connect a Million Minds

GOWANUS CANAL CONSERVANCY 2015 ANNUAL REPORT Open Space Stewardship Volunteers cared for 3900 square feet of open space in the Gowanus, removing 1862 pounds of trash and installing 515 native plants.

Urban Forestry Volunteers measured and mapped 3075 street trees to inform GCC and City maintenance plans. Volunteers actively stewarded 265 street trees, enhancing the health of our urban forest.

56 Events 921 Volunteers 4,474 Service Hours

2015 Partners: 27th St BA, Apiary Studio, Arborpolitan, ArtsGowanus, Atlantic Ave BID, Balmori Associates, Brooklyn Brewery, BIG!Reuse, Dykes Lumber, DSNY, Friends of Thomas Green Park, Forth on Fourth Avenue, Fungi Perfecti, Future Green Studio, Gowanus Alliance, Greenbelt Native Plant Center, Greenspace on Fourth, GrowNYC, Old Stone House, Park Slope Food Coop, Urban Arborists, NYC DPR, NYC Wildflower Week, NYRP, Riverkeeper, TreesCount!2015, TriLox, Whole Foods Bioswale Maintenance Curriculum We provided 10 hours of lessons and field-based training for 25 volunteers to steward the 6th Street Green Corridor.

Urban Ecology Lectures 216 people attended a series of 5 lectures and expert panels diving into the dynamic roles of plants, wildlife, and infrastructure in our urban ecosystem.

EXPO Gowanus 150 people learned about clean-up and revitalization projects proposed and slated for the Gowanus Canal and Watershed.

EDUCATION

We teach community members of all ages about the complex environmental, social and political issues of the Gowanus so that they can become better advocates for change.

GOWANUS CANAL CONSERVANCY 2015 ANNUAL REPORT STEM Gowanus 50 Urban Ecology Curriculum Watershed We launched a 32-lesson curriculum for middle schoolers Schools to immerse in Gowanus field studies and create site design proposals, and tested it with 6 teachers and 250 students.

School Clean & Green 419 K-12 students worked 626 hours to propagate native plants, compost food waste and steward gardens at the Salt Lot.

996 Youth 498 Adults 4,080 Education Hours 627 Service Hours

2015 Partners: Trees New York, TreeKit, Urban Memory Project, Azavea, Threes Brewing, Gowanus Souvenir, The American Legion (school partners on last page) 2015 Funders: Con Edison, Google, National Grid, NYS Dept of Environmental Conservation, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, Tiger Baron Foundation, USDA Forest Service 6th Street Green Corridor Monitoring We worked with Drexel University to install a weather station and other state-of-the-art monitoring equipment in 7 of the 11 bioswales in the 6th St Green Corridor. This equipment will be used to comprehensively measure the project’s performance over the next three years.

CAPITAL

We build, monitor and maintain innovative landscapes that test best practices and improve the resiliency and sustainability of the Watershed.

GOWANUS CANAL CONSERVANCY 2015 ANNUAL REPORT 6th Street Green Corridor Maintenance Our Staff and Volunteers spent 99 hours maintaining the bioswales, removing 389 pounds of trash and 196 pounds of weeds. This experience is directly informing the content of our Bioswale Maintenance Curriculum.

11 Bioswales 293,786 Gallons Stormwater Managed

2015 Partners: Drexel University, eDesign Dynamics, Perfetto Contracting Co. 2015 Funders: NYC Dept of Environmental Protection, US Environmental Protection Agency (secured by Congresswoman Nydia Velázquez) Gowanus Greenscape Vision The Gowanus Canal has begun a period of rapid physical changes, that range from a $500 million clean-up to development pressure to climate change. Public open spaces are emerging as a result of these changes. In 2015, we launched a community planning process to develop a vision for how these discrete spaces become a vibrant public space network.

DESIGN ADVOCACY

We facilitate community conversations about the future of Gowanus Canal and Watershed design and planning.

GOWANUS CANAL CONSERVANCY 2015 ANNUAL REPORT EXISTING

PUBLIC SPACE

MANUFACTURING ZONE

IBZ ZONE

FEMA FLOOD ZONE

EMERGING GREENSCAPE

GREENWAY

GREEN CORRIDOR

BIOSWALE

PARK

PUBLIC INVESTMENT

STREET END

PRIVATE INVESTMENT

5 Charrettes 104 Participants

2015 Partners: Gowanus Alliance, Gowanus by Design, Fifth Avenue Committee, Families United for Racial and Economic Equality, Gowanus Houses Art Collective, Forth on Fourth Avenue (Park Slope Civic Council), Old Stone House, Councilmember Brad Lander Board Of Directors Ben Jones, Chair - Lot 2, Southside Coffee Andrew Simons, Founder & Vice Chair - emphas!s design, inc. Dick Napoli, Treasure - Halstead Real Estate Management Richard Kampf, Secretary - P.W. Grosser Consulting, Inc. Alexandria Donati - Miranda Brooks Landscape Design Anselm Fusco - Madison Marquette Property Investments Remko de Jong - Muchnick, Golieb & Golieb, P.C. Steve Hindy - Brooklyn Brewery Ted Wolff - Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP Wendy Andringa - Starr Whitehouse Landscape Architects John Muir, Founder & Emeritus

Staff

Andrea Parker Christine Petro Natasia Sidarta Michael Wasserman Sean DiLuccio Executive Director Education Director Program Manager Stewardship Coordinator Outreach Coordinator NYC Civic Corps 2015/16 Contractors Allison Hamilton - Bookkeeper Ann Fraioli - STEM Curriculum Developer Christine Facella - Bioswale Maintenance Curriculum Illustrator Graeme Daubert - Educator Leah Wener - STEM Gowanus Illustrator Phil Silva - Bioswale Maintenance Curriculum Developer Ruth Nervig - Bioswale Gardener Suzanne Lipton - Event Planner

LaToya Anderson Nya Wilson Interns & Fellows Education & Compost Communications & Anina Gerchick Julian Neuman Coordinator Garden Coordinator Isabel Shriver Madeleine King NYC Civic Corps 2014/15 NYC Civic Corps 2014/15 Jed Lenetsky Sarah Petrick John Bonina Tess Kind PEOPLE

GOWANUS CANAL CONSERVANCY 2015 ANNUAL REPORT Volunteer Coordinators Greg Thornberg, Tree Steward Liam Mahoney, Landscape Designer Adriana Jovanovic, Gardener Greta Ruedisueli, Designer Lindsay Karich, Composter Adriano Bratta, Financial Consultant Hannah Edmunds, Gardener & Liz Barry, Gowanus Low-Altitude Mapping Alexandria Donati, Landscape Designer ISA Arborist (GLAM) Leader Andrea Solk, Architect Hans Hesselein, Landscape Architect Michelle Kamerath, Gardener Annie Bergelin, Landscape Designer Harvey Jaswal, Carpentry & Nermin Kajosi, Composter Bess Hauser, Education Grant Writer Materials Re-Use Oliver Diller, Gardener Bob Lesko, Tree Steward, Urban Forestry Hillary Cohen, Landscape Architect, Olivia Weber, Beekeeper Co-Chair Bricolage Subcommittee Co-Chair Phil Silva, Environmental Planner Brian Dentz, Videographer Ian Quate, Landscape Designer & Educator Brieanne Berry, Tree Enthusiast Jason Mortara, Artist & Carpenter, Prospero Herrera, Urban Planner Bryan Simpson, Composter Construction Subcommittee Chair Qian Dong, Architect Christian Jungers, Master Composter Jennifer Roberts, Artist & Tree Steward Ruth Hofheimer, Artist Christine Rung, Landscape Designer Jessica Dalrymple, Gardener & Artist Ryan Olds, Gardener & Composter Claire Snavely, Composter Jody Reiss, Science Educator Sam Silver, Tech Wizard Diana Gruberg, Landscape Designer John Craver, Architect, Compost Samantha Yost, Environmental Science Eleanor Cooney, Marketing Subcommittee Co-Chair Sarah Sasser, Gardener Ellen Foote, Education Consultant Jon Chesley, Architect Shanna Blanchard, Gardener Eric Olsen, Landscape Designer Joy Wang, Designer Suzanne Lipton, Environmental Science Erin Johnson, Sustainable Community Julia Fuchs, Carpenter & Policy, Compost Subcommittee Co-Chair Development Student Julia Price, Landscape Designer Suzanne Smith, Composter Eymund Diegel, Environmental Planner Julian Macrone, Bioswale Steward & Tree Steward & Historian Kim Rubin, Beekeeper Wendy Andringa, Board Member Frederick Phillips, Composter Leah Wener, Landscape Designer & Landscape Architect, Bricolage Gena Wirth, Landscape Architect Leila Mougoui Bakhtiari, Forester, Urban Subcommittee Co-Chair Forestry Co-Chair Wenting Chen, Video Editor & Architect Corporate Sponsors Business Members Supporting Elected Officials Architectural Grille Benson Scrap Iron and Metal Corp Brad Lander Baxt Ingui Architects Brado Thin Crust Pizza City Council Member, District 39 ConEdison Brooklyn Brewery Stephen Levin emphas!s design, inc. Counter Culture Coffee City Council Member, District 33 Etsy Fleisher’s Craft Butchery Carlos Menchaca FedEx Hester Street Collaborative City Council Member, District 38 Future Green Studio Izzy and Em’s Nydia Velázquez Gowanus Alliance Lot 2 US Congresswoman Halstead Property Development Metarhythm Handel Architects Runner & Stone Supporting Agencies Hannah Edmunds Gardens Sage and Coombe Architects, LLP NYC Civic Corps Investors Bank Urban Arborists NYC Dept of Environmental Protection Lightstone Group NYC Dept of Sanitation Mac Support Store Benefactor Members NYC Dept of Youth & Community Maser Consulting P.A. Andrew Simons & Helene Benedetti Development National Grid Ann & Ted Wolff NYC Parks Department - Greenbelt Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architects Benjamin Jones Native Plant Center Patagonia Elizabeth Albert NYS Department of Environmental Pleasant Run Nursery Lavinia Simons Conservation Quadrozzi™ Enterprises, Inc. Nancy Belkov & Jeff Parker US Environmental Protection Agency, SIMS Municipal Recycling Richard & Maryann Napoli Region 2 Starr Whitehouse Landscape Architects Sam Ahmad US Forest Service, US Dept of Agriculture Time Warner Cable Connect a Million Minds Steve Hindy Whole Foods Market Thomas & Lorraine Simons

Foundations Supporter Members Citi Foundation Anselm Fusco Citizens Committee for New York City 4% Jill Parker & Bob McGill PROGRAMS City Parks Foundation Lee Weiskott Cornelia & Michael Bessie Foundation Matthew & Jodi Simons EVENTS G & A Foundation Patrick Schnell 16% Google - Tides Foundation Richard Kampf Investors Bank Foundation CITY Lawrence M. Leibowitz Living Trust 21% INDIVIDUAL Lily Auchincloss Foundation 10% Morgan Stanley Foundation National Fish & Wildlife Foundation CORPORATE 5% Pfizer Foundation Rockefeller Foundation STATE 12% Schwab Charitable Fund FOUNDATION 15% FEDERAL 16% SUPPORT

GOWANUS CANAL CONSERVANCY 2015 ANNUAL REPORT Partners Greenlab Studio Brooklyn Urban Garden School 8th Street Block Association GrowNYC Compass Charter School 27th Street Block Association Home Depot Girl Scout Daisy Troop 2937 Ample Hills Creamery ioby Girl Scout Troop 2462 Apiary Studio Littlefield Greene Hill School Arborpolitan Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP Hannah Senesh Community Day School ArtsGowanus Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance IS 259 Atlantic Ave BID MillionTreesNYC MS 447 Azavea New York Cares MS 51 Balmori Associates New York Restoration Project MS 88 Billion Oyster Project North Creek Nurseries My Little Village Preschool BKBioreactor NY ASLA Packer Collegiate Institute BoroughBees NYC Honey Week PS 29 Bronx River Alliance NYC Urban Sketchers PS 32 Brooklyn Bird Club NYC Wildflower Week PS 139 - CAMBA Brooklyn Botanic Garden Oil Painters of America PS 636 - One to World Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy Old Stone House St. Ann’s School Build it Green! NYC Open House New York Inc. Stevenson School BuildingWorks Construction Open Sewer Atlas Stuyvesant High School Pre-Apprenticeship Training Program Park Slope Civic Council Summit School Crescents Athletic Club Prospect Park Alliance Detective Joseph Mayrose Community Public Laboratory University Partners Garden Riverkeeper City College of New York dlandstudios Sharon Davis Studio Columbia University Drexel University Starr Whitehouse Landscape Architects Drexel University Dykes Lumber Steeplechase Coffee Kansas State University eDesign Dynamics The POOP Project Long Island University Brooklyn Families United for Racial Threes Brewing Learning Community and Economic Equality TreeKIT NYC DCC Labor Technical College Fifth Avenue Committee Trees New York NYC College of Technology Film Biz Recycling Trilox Millworks New York University FIND Furnishings Urban Arborists Parsons School of Design Forth on Fourth Avenue Urban Memory Project Rutgers University Friends of Douglass Greene Park The V Spot School of Visual Arts Fungi Perfecti The New School Future Green Studio K-12 Partners University of Florida Genspace Avenues: The World School Gowanus Alliance Beacon School Gowanus by Design Brooklyn Friends School Gowanus Dredgers Canoe Club Brooklyn New School Gowanus Houses Art Collective Brooklyn School for Collaborative Studies Gowanus Souvenir Shop Brooklyn Technical HS Key Club Gowanus Swim Society Brooklyn Technical HS Red Cross Club

PARTNERS