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
SMIT H ST
ATL AN TIC AV E
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 positive change through hands-on interventions.
EDUCATION We teach community 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 resiliency and sustainability of the Watershed.
PROGRAMS
DESIGN We facilitate community conversations about the Canal and Watershed design and planning.
The Clean-Up The Gowanus Canal is one of America’s most polluted waterways, due to historic industrial contamination and ongoing combined sewage overflow. Declared a Superfund site in 2010 by the 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).
Gowanus Canal
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 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
50 Watershed Schools
STEM Gowanus Urban Ecology Curriculum We launched a 32-lesson curriculum for middle schoolers 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 Velรกzquez)
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 Executive Director
Christine Petro Education Director
Natasia Sidarta Program Manager
Michael Wasserman Sean DiLuccio 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 Education & Compost Coordinator
Nya Wilson Communications & Garden Coordinator
NYC Civic Corps 2014/15
NYC Civic Corps 2014/15
PEOPLE GOWANUS CANAL CONSERVANCY 2015 ANNUAL REPORT
Interns & Fellows Anina Gerchick Isabel Shriver Jed Lenetsky John Bonina
Julian Neuman Madeleine King Sarah Petrick Tess Kind
Volunteer Coordinators
Adriana Jovanovic, Gardener Adriano Bratta, Financial Consultant Alexandria Donati, Landscape Designer Andrea Solk, Architect Annie Bergelin, Landscape Designer Bess Hauser, Education Grant Writer Bob Lesko, Tree Steward, Urban Forestry Co-Chair Brian Dentz, Videographer Brieanne Berry, Tree Enthusiast Bryan Simpson, Composter Christian Jungers, Master Composter Christine Rung, Landscape Designer Claire Snavely, Composter Diana Gruberg, Landscape Designer Eleanor Cooney, Marketing Ellen Foote, Education Consultant Eric Olsen, Landscape Designer Erin Johnson, Sustainable Community Development Student Eymund Diegel, Environmental Planner & Historian Frederick Phillips, Composter Gena Wirth, Landscape Architect
Greg Thornberg, Tree Steward Greta Ruedisueli, Designer Hannah Edmunds, Gardener & ISA Arborist Hans Hesselein, Landscape Architect Harvey Jaswal, Carpentry & Materials Re-Use Hillary Cohen, Landscape Architect, Bricolage Subcommittee Co-Chair Ian Quate, Landscape Designer Jason Mortara, Artist & Carpenter, Construction Subcommittee Chair Jennifer Roberts, Artist & Tree Steward Jessica Dalrymple, Gardener & Artist Jody Reiss, Science Educator John Craver, Architect, Compost Subcommittee Co-Chair Jon Chesley, Architect Joy Wang, Designer Julia Fuchs, Carpenter Julia Price, Landscape Designer Julian Macrone, Bioswale Steward Kim Rubin, Beekeeper Leah Wener, Landscape Designer Leila Mougoui Bakhtiari, Forester, Urban Forestry Co-Chair
Liam Mahoney, Landscape Designer Lindsay Karich, Composter Liz Barry, Gowanus Low-Altitude Mapping (GLAM) Leader Michelle Kamerath, Gardener Nermin Kajosi, Composter Oliver Diller, Gardener Olivia Weber, Beekeeper Phil Silva, Environmental Planner & Educator Prospero Herrera, Urban Planner Qian Dong, Architect Ruth Hofheimer, Artist Ryan Olds, Gardener & Composter Sam Silver, Tech Wizard Samantha Yost, Environmental Science Sarah Sasser, Gardener Shanna Blanchard, Gardener Suzanne Lipton, Environmental Science & Policy, Compost Subcommittee Co-Chair Suzanne Smith, Composter & Tree Steward Wendy Andringa, Board Member & Landscape Architect, Bricolage Subcommittee Co-Chair Wenting Chen, Video Editor & Architect
Corporate Sponsors
Architectural Grille Baxt Ingui Architects ConEdison emphas!s design, inc. Etsy FedEx Future Green Studio Gowanus Alliance Halstead Property Development Handel Architects Hannah Edmunds Gardens Investors Bank Lightstone Group Mac Support Store Maser Consulting P.A. National Grid Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architects Patagonia Pleasant Run Nursery Quadrozzi™ Enterprises, Inc. SIMS Municipal Recycling Starr Whitehouse Landscape Architects Time Warner Cable Connect a Million Minds Whole Foods Market
Foundations
Benson Scrap Iron and Metal Corp Brado Thin Crust Pizza Brooklyn Brewery Counter Culture Coffee Fleisher’s Craft Butchery Hester Street Collaborative Izzy and Em’s Lot 2 Metarhythm Runner & Stone Sage and Coombe Architects, LLP Urban Arborists
Benefactor Members
Andrew Simons & Helene Benedetti Ann & Ted Wolff Benjamin Jones Elizabeth Albert Lavinia Simons Nancy Belkov & Jeff Parker Richard & Maryann Napoli Sam Ahmad Steve Hindy Thomas & Lorraine Simons
Supporting Elected Officials Brad Lander City Council Member, District 39 Stephen Levin City Council Member, District 33 Carlos Menchaca City Council Member, District 38 Nydia Velázquez US Congresswoman
Supporting Agencies
NYC Civic Corps NYC Dept of Environmental Protection NYC Dept of Sanitation NYC Dept of Youth & Community Development NYC Parks Department - Greenbelt Native Plant Center NYS Department of Environmental Conservation US Environmental Protection Agency, Region 2 US Forest Service, US Dept of Agriculture
Supporter Members 4%
CITY 21%
S R AM
Anselm Fusco Jill Parker & Bob McGill Lee Weiskott Matthew & Jodi Simons Patrick Schnell Richard Kampf
PROG
Citi Foundation Citizens Committee for New York City City Parks Foundation Cornelia & Michael Bessie Foundation G & A Foundation Google - Tides Foundation Investors Bank Foundation Lawrence M. Leibowitz Living Trust Lily Auchincloss Foundation Morgan Stanley Foundation National Fish & Wildlife Foundation Pfizer Foundation Rockefeller Foundation Schwab Charitable Fund
Business Members
INDIVIDUAL 10% CORPORATE 5%
STATE 12%
FOUNDATION 15% FEDERAL 16%
SUPPORT GOWANUS CANAL CONSERVANCY 2015 ANNUAL REPORT
EVENTS 16%
Partners
8th Street Block Association 27th Street Block Association Ample Hills Creamery Apiary Studio Arborpolitan ArtsGowanus Atlantic Ave BID Azavea Balmori Associates Billion Oyster Project BKBioreactor BoroughBees Bronx River Alliance Brooklyn Bird Club Brooklyn Botanic Garden Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy Build it Green! NYC BuildingWorks Construction Pre-Apprenticeship Training Program Crescents Athletic Club Detective Joseph Mayrose Community Garden dlandstudios Drexel University Dykes Lumber eDesign Dynamics Families United for Racial and Economic Equality Fifth Avenue Committee Film Biz Recycling FIND Furnishings Forth on Fourth Avenue Friends of Douglass Greene Park Fungi Perfecti Future Green Studio Genspace Gowanus Alliance Gowanus by Design Gowanus Dredgers Canoe Club Gowanus Houses Art Collective Gowanus Souvenir Shop Gowanus Swim Society
PARTNERS
Greenlab Studio GrowNYC Home Depot ioby Littlefield Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance MillionTreesNYC New York Cares New York Restoration Project North Creek Nurseries NY ASLA NYC Honey Week NYC Urban Sketchers NYC Wildflower Week Oil Painters of America Old Stone House Open House New York Inc. Open Sewer Atlas Park Slope Civic Council Prospect Park Alliance Public Laboratory Riverkeeper Sharon Davis Studio Starr Whitehouse Landscape Architects Steeplechase Coffee The POOP Project Threes Brewing TreeKIT Trees New York Trilox Millworks Urban Arborists Urban Memory Project The V Spot
K-12 Partners
Avenues: The World School Beacon School Brooklyn Friends School Brooklyn New School Brooklyn School for Collaborative Studies Brooklyn Technical HS Key Club Brooklyn Technical HS Red Cross Club
Brooklyn Urban Garden School Compass Charter School Girl Scout Daisy Troop 2937 Girl Scout Troop 2462 Greene Hill School Hannah Senesh Community Day School IS 259 MS 447 MS 51 MS 88 My Little Village Preschool Packer Collegiate Institute PS 29 PS 32 PS 139 - CAMBA PS 636 - One to World St. Ann’s School Stevenson School Stuyvesant High School Summit School
University Partners
City College of New York Columbia University Drexel University Kansas State University Long Island University Brooklyn Learning Community NYC DCC Labor Technical College NYC College of Technology New York University Parsons School of Design Rutgers University School of Visual Arts The New School University of Florida