2018 Annual Report

2 01 8 GOWANUS CANAL CONSERVANCY ANNUAL REPORT

543 UNION STREET #1E BROOKLYN, NY 11215 TEL: 718.541.4378 www.gowanuscanalconservancy.org

LETTER FROM THE CHAIR Dear Friends and Neighbors, The City’s recently announced draft rezoning plan for Gowanus has spurred a wide range of reactions and emotions. We fear towering buildings, accelerated gentrification, and a loss of neighborhood identity. At the same time, we are hopeful for long-term investments in the canal’s health, new public space, and an accessible waterfront.

These conflicts and contradictions are daunting for our neighborhood – a diverse, overlapping and interdependent community of manufacturers, brownstone dwellers, environmentalists, public housing residents, landowners, canoeists, teachers, students and more. We bring different experiences, different voices and different perspectives to this moment.

But our common ground is clear: We all love Gowanus. It is our home – where we live, where we work, and where we play.

VISION We envision a Gowanus Canal and surrounding urban environment that is clean, resilient, diverse and alive.

MISSION We advocate and care for ecologically sustainable parks and public spaces in the Gowanus lowlands while empowering a community of stewards.

We will need this common ground to find our way through the rezoning process and, more importantly, through the larger challenges that lie ahead: a city that is increasingly dense; a climate that is increasingly warm; and urban infrastructure that is increasingly vulnerable, stretched and exposed.

The road ahead will require honesty and openness. It will also require collaboration and compromise. We at Gowanus Canal Conservancy look forward to listening to you, talking with you and working with you to make the right things happen. Today; and for the future of our neighborhood.

Ben Jones Board Chair, 2015-2018 GOWANUS CANAL CONSERVANCY 2018 ANNUAL REPORT

2

GOWANUS BLUE SCHOOLS

2018 HIGHLIGHTS 2018 was another busy year in Gowanus! As the neighborhood around us changes rapidly, we have deepened and strengthened our core programming to engage stakeholders in understanding, stewarding, and advocating for our unique watershed. I am continually amazed by the passion and commitment of our neighbors – a few of my favorite 2018 memories...

PUBLIC SCHOOLS ENGAGED

BROOKLYN COLLABORATIVE STUDIES 2ND AVE GARDEN

RED HOOK

SALT LOT

STREET TREE STEWARDSHIP M.S. 447

CARROLL GARDENS

PRESIDENT & NEVINS TREE NETWORK

GARDEN STEWARDSHIP

PROSPECT HEIGHTS

CARROLL STREET PLANTERS 3RD & 3RD GARDEN

STEWARDSHIP

PA R K S LO P E GOWANUS LOWLANDS STEWARDSHIP ZONE

Both the extreme rain and the extremely high community spirits at EXPO Gowanus in Thomas Greene Park...

The passion of the Gowanus Blue Schools students as they presented green infrastructure ideas – now that they understand that we adults haven’t actually figured it all out...

Hours of discussion and consensus building about the future of our neighborhood with our fellow members of the Gowanus Neighborhood Coalition for Justice...

GOWANUS TREE NETWORK

BOREUM HILL

Gowanus Green Team apprentices stretched their design muscles facilitating a Lowlands Master Plan charrette for their elders...

The evolution of street tree beds under the care of the Gowanus Tree Network Ambassadors...

PRIVATE SCHOOLS ENGAGED

ADVOCACY

6TH ST GREEN CORRIDOR 8TH ST & 4TH AVE TREE NETWORK

GOWANUS CANAL WATERSHED

SUNSET PA R K

E D U C AT I O N

PROSPECT PA R K

M.S. 88

Thank you all for your support and engagement over the past year.

We at Gowanus Canal Conservancy look forward to many more!

Andrea Parker Executive Director

2,108 PEOPLE LEARNED ABOUT CO M B I N E D S E WAG E O V E R F LO W

225 NEIGHBORS E N G AG E D I N LO W L A N D S O U T R E AC H

726 VOLUNTEERS E N G AG E D I N H A N D S - O N S T E WA R D S H I P

1,379 STUDENTS E N G AG E D I N P L AC E - B A S E D L E A R N I N G

GOWANUS CANAL CONSERVANCY 2018 ANNUAL REPORT

4

G O WA N U S LO W L A N D S The future of Gowanus is entering a critical phase with the confluence of several long-standing efforts: the federally mandated cleanup under the Canal’s Superfund status; related cleanups at the state and city levels; and land use changes that will cue both private development and City investments in the public realm. Through the Gowanus Lowlands Master Plan, we seek to ensure the community has a key role in shaping a watershed that is accessible, active, and clean for all.

WARREN HOUSES

W YC KO F F GARDENS PEDESTRIAN ACCESS

GOWANUS HOUSES

ENERGY FIELD STATION

COMMUNITY CENTER

PROBABLE REZONING

CSO TANK PARK PUMP HOUSE PLAZA THOMAS GREENE PARK

STREET END PARKS WATERFRONT ESPLANADES

PERFORMANCE BARGE

PA R K S LO P E ART IN THE MEDIAN

C A R RO L L PEDESTRIAN BRIDGE GA R D E N S

1ST ST TURNING BASIN

HALL OF GOWANUS CITIZENS PARK

Neighbors discuss multiple remediation processes at a North Canal Visioning Workshop.

5TH ST TURNING BASIN

OUTREACH The Gowanus Lowlands planning process builds upon Bridging Gowanus and the NYC City Planning PLACES study. During 2018, we held 9 community outreach workshops with the help of partner organizations. Thematic workshops focused on the arts; design and planning; recreation and access; environmental justice; and youth, education, and community. Area-specific workshops were organized in north Gowanus, Park Slope, and lower Gowanus.

WASHINGTON PARK ANNEX

MARSH RESTORATION

Site based community comments.

I N D U ST R I A L B U S I N E SS ZO N E TRANSIT PLAZA

2 2 5 T O TA L CO M M U N I T Y M E M B E R S E N G AG E D

UNDER THE TRACKS PARK

The Gowanus Lowlands Master Plan is an evolving document that coordinates ongoing plans with community priorities for open space.

This plan is a tool to advocate for and facilitate resilient, vibrant and equitable design across numerous projects by public and private entities.

GOWANUS CANAL CONSERVANCY 2018 ANNUAL REPORT

6

VOLUNTEER STEWARDSHIP Our volunteers are essential to our work throughout the neighborhood. From our neighbors who drop in for a one-day project to our dedicated Volunteer Committee that meets monthly to plan initiatives and projects, we couldn’t function without them.

VOLUNTEER PROGRAM BY THE NUMBERS

7 2 6 T O TA L VO LU N T E E R S

2,298 HOURS VO LU N T E E R E D

2,850 LBS T R A S H CO L L EC T E D

17 PUBLIC + 9 C O R P O R AT E E V E N TS

18 MEMBERS + 10 CHAIRS 5 S U B - CO M M I T T E E S

GOWANUS TREE NETWORK In 2018, Gowanus Canal Conservancy and The Nature Conservancy piloted the Gowanus Tree Network: neighbors working together to build a healthy urban forest. Tree Ambassadors enroll in free Citizen Pruner training, organize tree stewardship with their neighbors, and enter the Greenest Block in Brooklyn contest.

We engaged 4 blocks and 10 volunteers in 8 events to install native plants and tree guards, expand tree beds, and amend tree beds with compost and mulch.

Volunteers weed the Salt Lot Berm Garden, a native plant garden along the banks of the Canal.

Gowanus Tree Ambassadors lead their neighbors in street tree stewardship on 4th Avenue and 8th Street.

Funded by the 2018 New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Urban and Community Forestry Grants Program (Round 14).

GOWANUS CANAL CONSERVANCY 2018 ANNUAL REPORT

8

E D U C AT I O N Through service-learning, citizen science, walking tours, and STEM curriculum, we teach students and community members of all ages about the complex ecological, historical, and social issues of Gowanus so that they can become better advocates for a sustainable future.

E D U C AT I O N P R O G R A M S BY T H E N U M B E R S

2,108 PEOPLE LEARNED ABOUT CSO

583 STUDENTS E N G AG E D I N WA L K I N G TO U R S

173 STUDENTS E N G AG E D I N S E RV I C E - L E A R N I N G

373 STUDENTS E N G AG E D I N CITIZEN SCIENCE

150 STUDENTS DESIGNED GREEN I N F RA ST R U C T U R E

M.S. 88’s table at EXPO Gowanus 2018

GOWANUS BLUE SCHOOLS In 2018, over 150 middle and high school students from M.S. 88 Peter Rouget, M.S. 447 The Math & Science Exploratory School, and Brooklyn Collaborative Studies investigated combined sewage overflow through the Gowanus Blue Schools program.

Students developed math, science, and design skills related to spatial thinking, calculating stormwater runoff, research, technical drawings, building models, team collaboration, and public presentations by designing comprehensive green infrastructure proposals for their school campuses and exploring environmental justice topics.

Citizen Science Educator Emma McCauley introducing students from Ditmas Junior High School 62 to the Gowanus Watershed.

At the end of the school year, students presented their final projects at the Gowanus Blue Schools Design Competition to a panel of reviewers who are experts on green infrastructure design, environmental justice, and environmental engineering, as well as a public audience of parents, local organizations, and community members.

Students present their designs for green infrastructure at M.S. 447

GOWANUS CANAL CONSERVANCY 2018 ANNUAL REPORT 10

P E O P L E & PA R T N E R S Board of Directors

Full-Time Staff

Fellows

Chairman

Andrea Parker, Executive Director Marissa Fabricant, Stewardship Coordinator Diana Gruberg, Horticultural Manager Jordan Heiden, Education Coordinator Cait LaMorte, Development Director Amy Motzny, Watershed Manager Christine Petro, Education Director Natasia Sidarta, Program Manager

Sarah Dornner, Landscape Fellow Hana Georg, Curriculum Design Fellow Zoe Holland, Landscape Fellow Wendy Story, Nursery Fellow

Ben Jones

Vice-Chairman

Marcos Diaz Gonzalez

Treasurer Andrew Simons

Secretary

Faizal Karmali

Part-Time Staff

Winfield Clifford Remko de Jong, Esq. Heidi Dolnick Alexandria Donati Anselm Fusco Richard Greene Stephen Hindy Richard Kampf Andrew Kimball Virginia McEnerney Lisa Melmed Leah Milcarek Jay Walder Craig Wilson Ted Wolff, Esq.

Emma Garrison, Educator Bess Hauser, EXPO Event Manager Destinie Lane, Gardener Emma McCauley, Educator Ruth Nervig, Gardener Galina Seldina, Bookkeeper

Green Team Massiel Rueda, Crew Leader Jessica Goldberg, Crew Leader Kwanzaa Handy, Senior Apprentice Daunte Jacob, Apprentice Jessica Varughese, Apprentice Sam Vasen, Apprentice

Emeritus John C. Muir

In Memoriam Massiel Rueda 1992 - 2018

Massiel impacted all of us with her positive energy, strong will, and generous spirit. She was tenacious, smart, and full of life, with a warm manner that made her exceptionally easy to talk to.

As an activist who sought to connect people with their environment, Massiel understood the importance of humans and equity in this work. We will strive to pursue all that Massiel cared about and rise to the task of furthering justice while caring for the environment, and each other, in her honor.

Interns Morgan Dougherty-Messing Sherlan Greaves Dante Morgan Luca Nigro

Volunteer Committee Subcommittee Chairs Shari Baitcher, Outreach Shanna Blanchard, Horticulture Erin Johnson, Outreach Ben Leer, Design/Build Bob Lesko, Urban Forestry Liam Mahoney, Compost Jason Mortara, Design/Build Leila Mougoui Bakhtiari, Urban Forestry Ruth Nervig, Horticulture Bryan Simpson, Compost Wendy Andringa Carrie Carlisle Helen Chananie Jessica Dalrymple Emma Garrison Jessica Goldberg Angela Lehn Christensen Klaus Lehn Christensen Daniel O’Connor Frederick Phillips Peter Reich James Riso Greta Ruedisueli Lisa Shufro Suzanne Smith Ashley Verhines Michael Wasserman Leah Wener

Gowanus Tree Network Ambassadors Geoff Barrett, 8th St btw 3rd & 4th Leanne Burney, 4th St west of 5th Ave Maisa Chiang, 8th St btw 3rd & 4th Uriah Crane, 4th Ave btw 7th & 8th Jacky Hunt, 8th St btw 3rd & 4th Lisa Lightbody, President btw Nevins & 3rd Sheila Olive, Degraw btw Hoyt & Bond Peter Sistrom, 4th St west of 5th Ave Anna Stevens, 4th Ave btw 7th & 8th William Touchet, Nevins btw Sackett & Union

Partners 8th Street Block Association 350 Brooklyn 475 High Performance Building Supply ArtBuilt Artichoke Dance Arts Gowanus American Society of Landscape Architects ARUP BEAM Center Bellyfire Productions Big Reuse Billion Oyster Project Bronx River Alliance Brooklyn Bird Club Brooklyn Botanic Garden Brooklyn Boulders Foundation Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy Brooklyn Community Board 6 Brooklyn Historical Society Carnival of Connectivity Central Park Conservancy Con Edison DLANDstudio District 15 School Gardens Consortium Garden Train eDesign Dynamics Families United for Racial and Economic Equality (FUREE) Fifth Avenue Committee Forth on Fourth Avenue Freshkills Park Friends of Carroll Park

Friends of Thomas Greene Park Gowanus Alliance Gowanus by Design Gowanus Superfund Community Advisory Group Gowanus Dredgers Canoe Club Gowanus Grid + Electric Gowanus Houses Art Collective Gowanus Neighborhood Collition for Justice Gowanus Souvenir Shop Gowanus Swim Society Gowanus Wildcats Green City Force Greenbelt Native Plant Center GreenSpace on Fourth High Line Network Hungry March Band KOKO NYC Langan Engineering Lower East Side Ecology Center / Gowanus E-Waste Warehouse Natural Areas Conserancy North Canal Visioning Group NYC Compost Project NYC Urban Field Station Old Stone House Open House New York Open Sewer Atlas Pig Beach Project Sound System Prospect Park Alliance Red Hook Farms Riverkeeper SCAPE South Brooklyn Local Development Corporation Spoke the Hub Textile Arts Center The Nature Conservancy The River Project thread collective TreePEP Trees New York Trilox Millworks Turning the Tide (T3) Waterfront Alliance

University Partners Brooklyn College Colby College Columbia University Harvard University New York University New York City College of Technology North Carolina State University Pratt Institute Rutgers University The City College of New York Yale University

K-12 Partners Allen-Stevenson School Avenues: The World School Brooklyn Collaborative Studies Brooklyn Urban Garden School Compass Charter School Ditmas Junior High School 62 East New York Family Academy German School Brooklyn Girl Scout Council of Greater New York Innovation Diploma Plus High School International School of Brooklyn J.H.S. 223 Montauk Junior High M.S. 2 Parkside Preparatory Academy M.S. 88 Peter Rouget M.S. 447 The Math & Science Exploratory School P.S. 58 The Carroll School P.S. 133 William A. Butler P.S. 170 Ralph A. Fabrizio P.S. 206 Joseph F. Lamb P.S. K225 Eileen E. Zaglin Saint Ann’s School The Berkeley Carroll School

Elected Officials City Councilmember Brad Lander City Councilmember Stephen Levin US Congressperson Nydia Velázquez NYS Assemblymember Jo Anne Simon

GOWANUS CANAL CONSERVANCY 2018 ANNUAL REPORT 12

Individuals Over $5,000

Corporate Supporters

Heidi & Sam Dolnick Benjamin Jones Jay Walder & Susan Cummings Walder Ted & Anne Wolff

AECOM Atlantic Realty Development Bank of America Brooklyn Microgrid The Brooklyn Home Company Center for Better Sleep Citi Foundation City Farm Presents Con Edison Credit Suisse Eileen Fisher JP Morgan Chase & Co. LO3 Energy Inc. M3 Energy National Grid Patagonia Soho Pilot Real Estate Group & Horrigan Development PMG Samsung Electronics The Domain Companies

Individuals Over $1,000 Cathy Bacich & Ed Schallert Marcos Diaz Gonzalez & Madeley Rodriguez Andrew Kimball & Sarah Williams John Lavelle Virginia McEnerney Lisa Melmed Wendy Moore Andrew Simons

Individuals Over $500 Paul Basile Nancy Belkov & Jeffrey Parker Winfield Clifford Ron & Danielle Faris Anselm Fusco Rose Gasner & Larry Chertoff Lisa Goldfarb & Jack Dehovitz Richard Kampf Patrick Kaifosh Rosanne Pugliese & Bill Dudine Jevon Roush & Grier Coleman Eliza Rossman Nelson & Diana Tebbe Lee Weiskott Gena Wirth

Individuals Over $250 Wendy Andringa John Craver & Lindsay Karich Amy & Peter Davis John Grimes Hans Hesselein Anisa Javeri Richard Jenkins Jason Mortara Marianne Mortara Matt Schallert Justin Schein & Eden Wurmfeld Thomas Simons Ian Sinclair & Diana Gruberg

Business Supporters ABA Studio Baxt Ingui Architecture CityScapes NYC DLANDstudio emphas!s design, inc.

Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott - Brooklyn / Troutbrook Company Geto & de Milly, Inc. Langan Engineering Lot 2 Michael Muth Neuhaus Design Architecture, P.C. OTTO Brand Lab Supermass Studio Sevenson Enviromental Services

Foundations

ALLINBKLYN Boerum Hill Association Carver Scholarship Fund Citizens Committee for NYC Friends of Thomas Green Park G & A Foundation c/o Muchnick, Golieb & Golieb Jobar Foundation

Leibowitz & Greenway Family Foundation Lily Auchincloss Foundation Park Slope Civic Council Park Slope Jewish Center The Nature Conservancy The PepsiCo Foundation The Rockefeller Foundation

Agencies NYC Civic Corps NYC Dept. of Education NYC Dept. of Environmental Protection NYC Dept. of Sanitation NYC Soil & Water Conservation District NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation US Environmental Protection Agency US Forest Service, US Dept. of Agriculture

In-Kind ARUP Baba’s Pierogies Brooklyn Brewery Fifth Avenue Committee Five Borough Brewing Co. Folksbier Brauerei Gotham Greens Grand Army Grimm Artisanal Ales Greenbelt Native Plant Center JS Gallery Langan Engineering Moore Borthers Wine Other Half Brewing SCAPE Six Point Brewery South Brooklyn Local Development Corporation Strong Rope Brewery The V Spot Threes Brewing Trader Joe’s Wartega Whole Foods

GOWANUS SPRING GALA Honorees Honorable Kathryn Garcia NYC Department of Sanitation Commissioner Stephen Giumenta Vice President & Design Engineer, Architectural Grille Kate Orff Founding Principal, SCAPE Associate Professor, Columbia University

Co-Chairs Andrew Kimball Jackie Snyder

Gowanus Blue Sponsor AECOM Ben Jones PMG Ted & Anne Wolff

Green Infrastructure Sponsors Architectural Grille Bloomberg Philanthropies Paul Basile, Gowanus Alliance Steve Hindy & Ellen Foote A Friend of Steve Hindy Industry City MacAndrews & Forbes Lisa Melmed Pilot Real Estate & Horrigan Development Two Trees

Clean & Green Sponsors

Bioswale Sponsors

Brown and Caldwell Heidi & Sam Dolnick Richard & Diane Greene SCAPE The Simons Family Lavinia Simon Jay Walder & Susan Cummings-Walder

Wendy Andringa Nancy Belkov & Jeff Parker Melissa Benson & Kieran Beer Nadia Burgard & Cliff Fonstein David Burney Dattner Architects Remko de Jong & Bobi Ahn DeepRoot Green Infrastructure Nicholas T. Donovan Jane Forman Deborah Flynn Gowanus Grid & Electric Gowanus Inn & Yard Hans Hesselein HR&A Advisors Cathy Iselin Jonathan Rose Companies Faizal Karmali Kelco Construction Sandy Mayzel & John Gould Miranda Brooks Landscape Design Liat & Allan Myers Neuhaus Design Architecture, P.C. Danae Oratowski Katie Schwab, Cozen O’Connor Public Straties Sarah & Bruce Shriver Matthew L. Simons Thomas Simons Sims Municipal Recycling Starr Whitehouse Landscape Architects & Planners Doug Steiner, Steiner Studios Tsao & McKown Architects Patricia Vigorita York Analytical Laboratories, Inc.

STEM Gowanus Sponsors The Aguayo Team at HPDM The Brooklyn Home Company Winfield Clifford Hillary Cohen Marcos Diaz Gonzalez & Madeley Rodriguez Elizabeth Roberts Architecture & Design emphas!s design, inc.

Future Green Studio GBX-Gowanus Bay Terminal Gowanus Souvenir Shop Hudson Companies Industrial Carting John Kline Richard & Julie Lam Langan Engineering LendLease M3 Energy Virginia McEnerney Leah Milcarek & Richard McNerny P.W. Grosser Consulting Powerhouse Workshop Quadrozzi Urban Enterprises Joanne Witty & Eugene Keilin

GOWANUS CANAL CONSERVANCY 2018 ANNUAL REPORT 14