Bronx River Alliance Inc

Programs: The ecological restoration and management program protects, restores and manages the bronx river through field work and policy leadership. Guided by a ecology team, comprised of scientists, community and agency representatives, the ecology program tackles the most pressing ecological issues that affect the river corridor. The bronx river conservation crew has a full-time presence on the river, implementing and maintaining our river and upland restoration projects. The crew is locally-recruited, with an emphasis on creating job opportunities for bronx residents, who in turn expose hundreds of youth each year to green career paths in their own neighborhoods. To date, our crew has planted nearly 93,000 trees, shrubs and plants and removed over 630 tons of garbage; supported oyster and fish reintroduction projects; added and maintained rain gardens and rain barrels; and, through year-round work blockage and litter removal, has kept the river clean and accessible to tens of thousands of paddlers. The education & recreation program - from eel surveys to water quality monitoring, the bronx river is a rich learning laboratory. The alliances education program provides hands-on, outdoor learning opportunities for thousands of students and educators in one of the most urban and under-resourced neighborhoods in the country through three programs: bronx river classroom, the bronx river stewards citizen science program, and our wade into the bronx river series, which includes free lectures, walks and workshops on educational topics related to the river. In addition, our recreation program guides thousands of new yorkers each year on interpretive paddling adventures on the river. The greenway program develops open spaces, restores existing parks and integrates them into a series of continuous parks and trails along the riverthe bronx river greenway. When complete, the greenway will form a 23-mile ribbon of parkland along the river from the kensico reservoir to the east river, opening up a healthy corridor for walking, biking and running in communities that desperately need access to open space. The alliance is uniquely structured to create common ground between government agencies and community-based organizations to develop the greenway. The greenway team brings together community advocates, non-profit leaders, and government agencies to interact, coordinate and move projects forward, as well as raise capital funds. To date, over $220 million had been committed to greenway projects. Nearly 20 miles are now in place, with new parks and trails opening every year. In 2016, the bronx river alliance coordinated the allocation of $15,450,000 to nyc parks for bronx river greenway projects. The outreach program - the alliances outreach program draws thousands of people to the river every year through public events, including the amazing bronx river flotilla and the international coastal clean-up, and dozens of other activities including volunteer-led walks, clean-ups, restoration projects, movie nights and performing arts programs. Alliance staff engage community-based organizations, institutions and neighborhood ambassadors to take ownership of a section along the bronx river. These events, together with recreational programming, provide opportunities for all new yorkers to discoverand care forthe unique slice of nature that flows through the heart of the bronx.