and Freshkills Park Alliance photo: Michael Anton, DSNY 2015 Annual Report The generous support and partnership of stakeholders, advocates, and visitors are bringing Freshkills Park to life. Thanks to the generosity of grantors, donors, and increasing numbers of community partners, means that sponsors, thousands of people got to know Freshkills progress is solid and steady. Park through big open site events, art installations and workshops, scientific research projects, races and bike The Freshkills Park Alliance’s mission is to support the events, environmental education programs, and a wide creation of the park through a broad range of recre- range of tours. ational, cultural, scientific and educational programs. The Alliance is committed to maintaining and expand- The process of building out the park continues. The ing the ways for the public to experience and support New Springville Greenway opened this year, adding the this exciting time of transformation, as the work of park popular 3.2 mile long facility to the already completed building moves forward. This has been an important projects of Schmul Park, Owl Hollow fields and North year, as we have strengthened our organization, our Park wetland restoration. The Freshkills Park Alliance partnerships and our programs. partnership with NYC Parks and Sanitation, as well as 2015 Annual Report 1 2015 Annual Report 2 A year of “firsts”... First Interior Park Project Permitted: North Park Phase 1 First Discovery Day event First Programs and Events at East Mound First Park Fitness Path on Richmond Avenue: The New Springville Greenway First (Offsite) Public Artwork: NEST First Biological Survey: BioBlitz First Grasshopper Sparrow Sighting First Conceptual Roadway Design First Request for Expressions of Interest for private development projects First NEA Grant 2015 Annual Report 3 photo: Michael McWeeney 2015 Annual Report 4 In good company Thank you to our partners Government Partners and Geosyntec Science + Research Contributing Agencies Philip Habib and Associates Partners Project Projects Bloomfield College The New York State Department Sage & Coombe Architects CUNY CSI of State, Office of Coastal, Local Langan Hunter College Government & Community Sustainability Rogers Surveying New Jersey City University has provided funding to support the Faithful + Gould NY/NJ Baykeeper Freshkills Park project under Title 11 of HAKS Rutgers University the Environmental Protection Fund. US Forest Service Yale University Cultural Partners NYC Department of Sanitation AIANY/ Center for Architecture Recreation Partners NYC Department of City Planning Archtober Kayak Staten Island NYC Department of Transportation Brooklyn Brainery New York Road Runners NYC Department of Environmental Center for Book Arts Transportation Alternatives Protection Center for Urban Pedagogy (CUP) Staten Island Athletic Club NYC Department of Health Chasing Sanitation Staten Island Bicycling Association NYC Department of Design and Classic Harbor Line Construction Creative Time Community Partners NYC Department of Cultural Affairs CSI WSIA City Parks Foundation Mayor’s Office of Sustainability DSNY Oral History Archive Hilton Garden Inn NYS Department of Environmental Jacques Marchais Museum of NY Cares Conservation Tibetan Art Showplace Entertainment Center NYS Department of State, Division Land Art Generator Initiative Staten Island Mall of Coastal Resources Municipal Arts Society NYS Department of Transportation NYC Audubon Society Donors and Sponsors NYS Department of Health NYC DOT Urban Art Program Airbnb New York Public Library Bloomberg Philanthropies Open House New York (OHNY) ConEdison Related City Initiatives Protectors of Pine Oaks Woods Fund for the City of New York OneNYC Staten Island Arts Furthermore Program/ JM Kaplan MillionTreesNYC Staten Island MakerSpace Fund Waterfront Vision 2020 Staten Island Museum Mertz Gilmore Foundation Staten Island OutLOUD! Mohawk NYC Parks Partners Urban Omnibus NEA Art Works Arts & Antiquities Waterfront Alliance The New York Community Trust Conference House Park NYS Department of State LWRP The Greenbelt Academic Partners Pratt Recycling Greenbelt Native Plant Center Barnard + Columbia Architecture Public Lands Every Day/ NEEF/ Marketing and Special Events City College of New York Toyota Natural Resources Group City University of New York Richmond County Savings Parklands and Planning College of Staten Island Foundation Urban Park Rangers Cornell University: AAP The Shelley & Donald Rubin Gaynor McCown High School Foundation: Art and Social Project Consultants Macaulay Honors College Justice James Corner Field Operations New York Harbor School Staten Island Foundation AKRF NYU Wagner Talas ARUP Parsons School of Constructed Tauck Ritzau Innovative Philanthropy BioHabitats, Inc. Environments Waste Management BKSK Architects SVA Interactive Design Daniel Frankfurt (HDR, Inc.) 2015 Annual Report 5 Capital Projects Update Project Timeline COMPLETED: Summer 2015 IN PROCUREMENT New Springville Greenway: This 3.2-mile path along the North Park Phase 1: This 21-acre arc will be the first section eastern edge of Freshkills Park creates bike and pedestrian to open within the former landfill boundary. It will stretch from access parallel to Richmond Avenue. The Greenway provided entrances in the Travis neighborhood to the edge of Main Creek. new asphalt pavement, concrete sidewalk reconstruction and Walking and high-speed paths will lead visitors past flowering improvements, and associated drainage systems, incorporating swales and through a scenic forested plateau to an expansive the most sustainable techniques in bio-swale design and picnic lawn, an overlook deck and a bird observation tower at the construction. water’s edge. 2015 Annual Report 6 photo: Michael McWeeney IN DESIGN IN PLANNING East Park Early Access: This plan will open up 482 acres of South Park Phase 1: This proposal builds on Owl Hollow Soccer park space for recreation. East Park has beautiful expansive Fields to create a recreational corridor at the Park. South Park meadows, freshwater wetland ponds and creeks. It has also Phase 1 will include the construction of two new ballfields, a become a favorite stopping point for some of the area’s birds, parking area, pedestrian connections and traffic access. including the grasshopper sparrow. The early access plans for East Park include a pedestrian and maintenance entrance Roads: As a major feature of Freshkills Park, roads will provide at Yukon Avenue, additional access points, security fencing, access to the different areas of the park and create a connection a permanent kayak launch, three and a half miles of paved between the West Shore Expressway (Route 440) and Richmond roadway for biking, pathway connections for six miles of walking Avenue. This will open the park, provide site access, and address trails, and a wetland boardwalk. transportation needs of the community. 2015 Annual Report 7 BioBlitz! From August 29th to 30th, over 400 students from CUNY Macaulay Honors College, along with members of the public and over 30 expert scientists, canvassed North Park to count as many plant and animal species that they could identify in the 24- hour period. Over 320 species were catalogued, giving a snapshot of biodiversity at this stage of ecological restoration. 2015 Annual Report 8 Scientific Research Program On the 15th of May, researchers recorded their first siting of Grasshopper Sparrows, a state-threatened bird that has seen massive declines in New York State over the past 3 decades. Researchers from the U.S. Forest Service, NYC Parks, In July, they were astonished to find 25+ singing males plus and Yale University continued their work investigating 20+ fledged juvenile grasshopper sparrows on East Mound, afforestation and phytoremediation at the park. They along with 200+ fledged juvenile Savannah Sparrows. The focused on a subsection of a ~10,000 MillionTrees researchers also recorded Eastern Meadowlarks, Horned Larks, planting that was conducted in the fall of 2015. Poplars Spotted Sandpipers, American Woodcocks, and Killdeers this and willows specially selected for their high growth season. Dr. Richard Veit from the College of Staten Island has been rates and soil mediating qualities were planted, and studying the resurgence of grassland birds on site. The Freshkills post-planting monitoring has commenced to track Park staff are working with the researchers to create a grasslands tree growth and soil dynamics on an annual basis. habitat management plan to ensure the productivity of the habitat The researchers hope to determine if these species into the future of park development. are uniquely suited to afforestation projects in urban environments. Researchers from New Jersey City University, the College of Staten Island, and NY/NJ Baykeeper conducted the first year of field work and pre-restoration monitoring in a study investigating the construction of a living shoreline. They used ribbed mussels along Main Creek, with biodiversity monitoring using novel Researchers at the College of Staten Island continued environmental DNA techniques and traditional assessments. studying the health of turtles at Freshkills Park this year. Between June and August, 91 turtles were captured in the Park’s ponds. Many of the turtles were The Freshkills Park team is sharing park recaptures, which indicates that the habitat is suitable research with the public. Science and to these species. Blood chemistry was also analyzed to research based lectures were delivered