ANNUAL REPORT 2015-2016 Making Connections In early 2017, I was honored to follow Linda R. Cox in the role of Executive Director of the Bronx River Alliance. Ever since I began at the Alliance in 2005, I’ve loved the myriad connections we make in our work: connections for communities to come to the river, connections for wildlife to access the healthy habitats they need to survive, conections for our youth to make between the science they learn in textbooks and the real-life issues confronting a river in their own backyard. I’m pleased to share a number of connections we’ve made along the river in 2015 and 2016. Over this period, we secured essential funding for a link in the Bronx River Greenway that will connect Starlight and Concrete Plant parks and provide more neighborhoods with direct access to the river. In 2016 we celebrated the groundbreaking for the project, with the many partners who helped us build momentum and raise the funds for this important project. We also worked closely with NYC Parks and community partners to install new connections for migratory fish to access the river’s freshwater stretches, which are essential for their life cycles. In 2015 we opened a fish passage at the lowermost dam on the river (at East 182nd St in River Park) to allow Alewife herring to migrate upstream to spawn, as well as a separate passage for American eel. We are happy to say that monitoring confirms that both passages are working as we had hoped! Through our Trees in the Classroom project, developed in 2015, we enable educators to bring young trees right into their classrooms for students to steward and monitor their growth. The fostered trees are planted by the students in the Bronx River Forest, giving the children a real sense of connection to the forest and the river. We also launched a focused effort to connect citizen scientists through the entire Bronx River watershed, in both Westchester and Bronx Counties, to work together on water quality and habitat issues. A new coalition is growing, increasing communication and coordination - and sharing an infectious sense of excitement about working in the context of the full river. As demonstrated by these highlights, the Alliance is a connetor that brings communities to this vital slice of nature that flows through the heart of the Bronx. Just as importantly, the Alliance also connects us to one another as we continue the work of reclaiming the river for our communities. Maggie Greenfield, Executive Director September 2017 Community Science Engagement Today’s headlines underscore the need for continued engagement and informed action to protect our global environment and shared natural resources. Tucked away in the Bronx, the Bronx River is an important end to that goal. Our science-based programs connect everyday people to a unique freshwater habitat. Citizen Scientists emerge from these programs knowing about water quality monitoring, salinity, pH, dissolved oxygen and turbidity. Over 1,000 school children and teachers use the river as their learning lab and collect data they then upload to the Alliance’s database. Their education in the concrete jungle is complemented by monitoring of macroinvertebrates and eels—beneficiaries of the river’s improved ecological health. A new program, Project WASTE, connects the litter on our streets and in storm drains with the river flow. Participants remove floatable trash from the river at Muskrat Cove and note the types and quantity of waste found. These are the actions that inform policy decisions about recycling, waste collection and environmental stewardship. The Bronx River Alliance offers unique opportunities for education and action. The river is a resource because the community cares, the staff is dedicated and the progress continues. While the headlines can be scary, it is encouraging and uplifting to see the awareness, skills and activism spurred from exposure to the Bronx River and the Alliance’s programs. The Bronx River Alliance is one more reason I am proud to be from the Bronx and excited to spend time on the Bronx River. Veronica Vanterpool, Chair September 2017 BOARD OF DIRECTORS Veronica Vanterpool, Chair Tri-State Transportation Campaign Joan Byron, Vice Chair Neighborhoods First Carolyn McLaughlin, Vice Chair Retired Jay Rook, Treasurer Sandler O’Neil Ethan Strell, Secretary National Audubon Society Maarten de Kadt Writer & retired teacher Carrie Elston Tunick Artist NYC Parks Commissioner Mitchell Silver speaks Raji Kalra during Bronx River House groundbreaking David Lynch Foundation Marit Larson NYC Parks Natural Resources Group PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS Nilka Martell, Greenway Team Co-leader Loving The Bronx COMMUNITY-BASED AND OTHER David Shuffler NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS Angela’s Pulse Youth Ministries for Peace and Justice Bike New York Kellie Terry-Sepulveda Boogie Down Rides The Surdna Foundation Bronx Children’s Museum Angela Tovar, Ecology Team Co-Leader Bronx Community Health Network Bronx Council for Environmental Quality The Point CDC Bronx Park East Community Association Bronx River Parkway Reservation Conservancy DIRECTOR EMERITUS Bronx River Art Center Alexie Torres-Fleming Bronx Sole Bronx Tourism Council Bronx Works HONORARY BOARD MEMBER BuildOn Nancy Wallace Christodora City Parks Foundation Sarah Lawrence College Center for the Urban River at Beczak EX OFFICIO BOARD MEMBERS (CURB) Mitchell Silver Cyclopedia Discover Outdoors Foundation COMMISSIONER Drew Gardens NYC DEPARTMENT OF PARKS & RECREATION East Bronx History Forum Ruben Diaz, Jr. East Coast Greenway Alliance BRONX BOROUGH PRESIDENT Five Borough Bicycle Club Rafael Salamanca Jr. Friends of Shoelace Park Friends of Soundview Park NYC COUNCILMEMBER, DISTRICT 17 Friends of Van Cortlandt Park Andrew Cohen Gaia Institute NYC COUNCILMEMBER, DISTRICT 11 Global Learning and Observation to Benefit the Environment Andy King (GLOBE), Queens College Greenburgh Nature Center NYC COUNCILMEMBER, DISTRICT 12 Green City Force Annabel Palma Green Street Solar Group NYC COUNCILMEMBER, DISTRICT 18 Groundwork Hudson Valley Ritchie Torres Grow NYC Harding Park Homeowners Association & Environmental Center NYC COUNCILMEMBER, DISTRICT 15 Hutchinson River Restoration Project Long Island Sound Study (LISS) SPECIAL ADVISORS Loving the Bronx Sonia Manzano Mary Mitchell Community Center The Mission Continues Gail Nathan Montefiore Medical Center Wendy Neu Natural Areas Conservancy Richard Reagan Natural Resources Defense Council New York Botanical Garden Dart Westphal NYC H2O NYC WaterTrail Association NY/NJ Baykeeper NY NJ Harbor Estuary Program NY Public Library The Osborne Association STAFF Partnerships for Parks Tahai Addae Erica Lewis Patagonia Development Associate Administrative Assistant Phipps Community Development Corporation Pratt Center for Community Development Michelle Luebke THE POINT CDC Penny Brown Ecology Director REI Conservation Crew Leader Regional Plan Association Riverkeeper José Fargas Claire Mardian Rocking the Boat Conservation Crew Apprentice Foodway Coordinator Save the Sound Sebago Canoe Club Elaine Feliciano Michael Mendez Solar One Conservation Manager Southern Bronx River Watershed Alliance Conservation Crew Leader Swale S.W.I.M Coalition (Storm Water Infrastructure Matters) Nick Garcia Brennan Ortiz Sustainable South Bronx / The Hope Program Conservation Crew Member Greenway Coordinator Transportation Alternatives Tri-State Transportation Campaign Toniann German, Jr. Joseph Sanchez United By Blue Recreation Coordinator Outreach Manager Urban Health Plan Waterfront Alliance Westchester Parks Foundation Maggie Scott Greenfield José Santiago Wildlife Conservation Society Executive Director Conservation Crew Member Youth Ministries for Peace & Justice Julia Apland Hitz Maria Sawyer FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Manager of Institutional Giving Director of Finance and Urban Waters Federal Partnership Administration National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration National Park Service, Rivers and Trails Claudia Ibaven Office of Congressman Joseph Crowley Director of Programs Christopher Velez Office of Congressman Eliot Engel Conservation Crew Apprentice Office of Congressman José E. Serrano Jonathan Jimenez U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Conservation Crew Apprentice Interns U.S. Department of Transportation Zoe Bellapigna U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Desiree Johnson John Hughes U.S. Forest Service Jazmine Rodriguez U.S. Geological Survey Volunteer Coordinator STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT Kathalene Lamboy Bronx Borough President’s Office Education Coordinator As of October 2017 Mayor’s Office of Sustainability Mayor’s Office of Recovery & Resiliency DEDICATED VOLUNTEERS New York City Community Boards: 2, 6, 9, 11, 12 Roseanne Andrade, Sara Armstrong, Linda Bauer, Jeffrey Behm, New York City Department of Design & Construction New York City Department of Education Sharon Behnke, Roderick Bell, Charles Berenguer, Susan Brenner, New York City Department of Environmental Jesse Brown, William Busk, Kevin Connolly, Stephen DeVillo, Mike Protection Gupta, Dan Hamburg, Oscar Hutarra, Pope Jackson, Twahira Khan, New York City Department of Parks & Recreation Lisa Liquori, Nilka Martell, Rodney Millard, Nessie Payton, Lovie New York City Department of Transportation Pignata, Nicole Porco, Daniel Ranells, Hatuey Ramos-Fermin, Eric New York City Soil & Water Conservation District Sanderson, Frank Saurino, Jessica Schuler, Martha Schwartz, Gerry New York State Office of the Attorney General Segal, Hank Stroobants, Angela Tovar, Charles Vasser, Robert Ward,