THE FREE NEWSPAPER OF OUTDOOR ADVENTURE JULY/AUGust/SepteMBER 2014 INCLUDES CALENDAR OF URBAN PARK RANGER FREE PROGRAMS 2 NYC Parks nyc.gov/parks/rangers URBAN PARK RANGERS Summer is the season when New Yorkers Urban Park Rangers can help you discover Message From: take full advantage of all NYC Parks has to our 29,000 acres of parklands. offer. The more than 800 athletic fields, Liam Kavanagh nearly 1,000 playgrounds, and 695 tennis There is no better place to make the most courts operated by NYC Parks are in full use out of a summer excursion than the 10,000- First Deputy Commissioner and our 8 beaches comprising over 14 miles acre wetland in Brooklyn and Queens known of coastline and 55 outdoor pools receive as Greater Jamaica Bay-Rockaway Parks. millions of visitors trying to keep cool in Thanks to the partnership between NYC NYC Parks & Recreation the summer heat. Our summer concerts Parks and the National Park Service this offer plenty of options for music lovers protected area consisting of islands, and our tours and exhibitions of the 50th waterways, meadowlands, and beaches is anniversary of the World’s Fair at Flushing more accessible to New Yorkers than ever Meadows Corona Park are a must for before. Greater Jamaica Bay-Rockaway history buffs. Parks is an environmental sanctuary for over 300 species of birds including the New York’s forests, meadows, and shorelines endangered piping plover, 80 types of are also great places to explore. When I visit butterflies, and 75 varieties of finfish, and these places with my granddaughter, every with more than 20 miles of greenway and rock, stick, and puddle becomes part of a open space it is ideal for activities such as natural playground filled with plants and hiking, biking, camping, birding, fishing, animals that turns an everyday outing into surfing, boating, and even golfing. And no an adventure. Even a quintessential Brooklyn summer would be complete without visiting girl like my granddaughter can enjoy the the beach. Since Hurricane Sandy more great outdoors without leaving her than $140 million has been invested to favorite borough. repair and restore Rockaway Beach. Last summer, there were more than 3 million The best guides to aid in your own visitors to Rockaway Beach. This year, we exploration and appreciation of New York hope to see even more beach-goers enjoy City’s outdoor areas are the Urban Park the sand and water! Rangers. Whether fishing at Van Cortlandt Park, practicing archery at Willowbrook The Urban Park Rangers are ready and able Park, canoeing at Bayswater Park, hiking to help you explore this great natural the Waterfall Trail at Prospect Park, or treasure – one of America’s leading urban camping at Inwood Hill Park, the parks for outdoor exploration – and the rest Credit: Malcolm Pinckney | NYC Parks unparalleled expertise provided by the of New York City’s renowned parks. BROOKLYN continued STATEN ISLAND Urban Park Ranger Fort Greene Visitor Center: Blue Heron Nature Center: Fort Greene Park. Enter the park at Myrtle Blue Heron Park. 222 Poillon Avenue, Nature and Avenue and Washington Park. 718.722.3218 between Amboy Road and Hylan Boulevard. Visitor Centers 718.967.3542 MANHATTAN High Rock Ranger Station: Belvedere Castle: High Rock Park. Park in the lot at the end of BRONX Central Park. 79th St., mid-park. Nevada Avenue, off Rockland Avenue, and Crotona Nature Center: 212.628.2345 follow signs. 718.667.6042 Crotona Park. Enter the park at Charlotte St. and Crotona Park East. 718.378.2061 Inwood Hill Nature Center: For hours, call the specific location. Inwood Hill Park. Enter park at W. 218th St. Orchard Beach Nature Center: and Indian Road. Under Renovation due to Pelham Bay Park. Section 2 of Orchard Super-Storm Sandy Beach. 718.885.3466 Pelham Bay Ranger Station: QUEENS Pelham Bay Park. Bruckner Blvd. and Alley Pond Park Adventure Center: Wilkinson Avenue. 718.319.7258 Alley Pond Park. Enter at Winchester Blvd., THE FREE NEWSPAPER OF OUTDOOR ADVENTURE under the Grand Central Parkway. Van Cortlandt Nature Center: 718.217.6034 or 718.217.4685 Urban Park Rangers Van Cortlandt Park. Enter the park at 1234 Fifth Avenue W. 246th St. and Broadway. 718.548.0912 New York City 10029 Forest Park Visitor Center: Forest Park. Woodhaven Boulevard and Forest Park Drive. 718.846.2731 BROOKLYN Director Deputy Director Sarah Aucoin Richard Simon Salt Marsh Nature Center: Fort Totten Visitors Center: Marine Park. East 33rd Street and Avenue U. Deputy Director Graphic Designer Fort Totten Park. Enter park at fort entrance, Bonnie McGuire Elizabeth Green 718.421.2021 north of intersection of 212th Street and Cross Island Parkway and follow signs. 718.352.1769 Cover Photo Credit: David Goldemberg | NYC Parks URBAN PARK RANGERS nyc.gov/parks/rangers NYC Parks 3 Go Park! Go Cricket! By Matthias Augustin Cricket is very much alive in New York City. It’s played in New York City parks in all five boroughs, mainly on weekends. In recent years, as the sport has grown more popular, the Parks Department has designed and built beautiful new cricket fields across the city. Credit: Daniel Avila | NYC Parks Some of my favorite spots, which have been playing in Walker Park since 1876, You’re playing at your best. Your shots dedicated cricket fields recently built or when the park’s name was Livingston Park. come off the grass beautifully. You’re reconstructed, include Canarsie Cricket middling the ball just right. Your timing is Field in Brooklyn at Seaview and Paerdegat There are cricket stars from virtually good. All’s right with the world. Avenue North; Spring Creek Park at every country and corner touched by the Gateway Drive off Erskine Street in British Commonwealth, which introduced Three things everyone in the world seems Brooklyn; Idlewild Park in Queens at 223rd the game all over the world, from Africa to love are music, food, and sports. So next Street and Springfield Lane; Baisley Pond to Australia, Asia to Europe and the time you walk by or drive by a game, stop Park in Queens at North Conduit Avenue Caribbean, and today, its fans have and inquire. Cricket lovers are only too and Baisley Boulevard; and Van Cortlandt made it a staple in the United States happy to share their love of the sport. Park in the Bronx at Broadway and West and here in our New York City parks. For more information about cricket fields 242nd Avenue to West 250th Avenue. In The season is from May to October, citywide, go to nyc.gov/parks and search Staten Island, Walker Park is home to the depending on weather. “Cricket.” oldest running cricket club in the United States – the Staten Island Cricket Club When the game is going well, cricket Matthias Augustin is the Director of (SICC). They were founded in 1872 and have players say, “Everything’s clicking.” Brooklyn Construction for NYC Parks. What do you enjoy most about where I forget that I am in a city. The Ranger in the being a Ranger? beaches here offer tranquil beauty and It’s amazing to have a job where I am incredible opportunities to view wildlife Spotlight: constantly learning new things. Sometimes like Snowy Owls in winter, endangered I get to learn from trainings and research, shorebirds that arrive in the spring, and Judith Velosky but more often, I learn through experience humpback whales that migrate through and observation of nature, which I the waters in late summer. Urban Park Ranger particularly enjoy. Being outdoors year- Sergeant round is also something that I really love What are you most proud of? about my job. Animal rescues are a big part of our job and it’s a tremendous feeling to help What are your favorite programs? injured wildlife, especially when it’s I enjoy teaching our outdoor skill programs something as magnificent as a raptor. I’m like camping, fishing and canoeing. It’s also proud to serve the public on a daily wonderful to offer these kinds of basis and in times of emergency such as experiences to people who live in the city. Hurricane Sandy. After Sandy, we mostly In my favorite program, Wilderness addressed safety issues in the parks and Survival, we teach participants how to trees that had fallen throughout the city, make fires, gather food and water, and but we also helped with some recovery build a shelter from natural materials. It’s efforts like distributing supplies in the so fun to learn and teach survival tactics hardest-hit areas of the city. I feel in a city park, and since we lead these fortunate to be able to reach out to survival programs in the fall and winter, it’s and help those in need. usually colder and sometimes snowy, so the need to survive seems more pressing. What are your hobbies/interests? My husband and kids are my main focus. What is your favorite park and why? We all love being outdoors and try to go for It’s a tie between two parks on the edges hikes or bike rides whenever possible. We of New York City: Pelham Bay Park in the just rode the 5-Boro Bike Tour, which was Bronx and Rockaway Beach in Queens. awesome! I also love watching live sports, Pelham Bay Park has beautiful hiking trails going to museums, listening to music and where you can explore forests and exploring all those urban spaces in New wetlands along the Long Island Sound and York City that I don’t see during my work see animals like wild turkeys, owls, and days, which are mostly spent in the city’s deer.