FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 12, 2019
Contact:
Roland Lewis, President and CEO, 212.935.9831 x101, rlewis@waterfrontalliance.org
Alison Simko, Media Communications, 917.929.8375, asimko@waterfrontalliance.org
New York/New Jersey Region to Celebrate City of Water Day July 13, 2019
Dozens of In Your Neighborhood Events will Offer
Free Fun at the Waterfront and Champion a Climate-Resilient Harbor
Crowd Favorites—Waterfront Festival, Cardboard Kayak Race, Free Boat Tours—Return
New York, NY—From Rockaway Beach Boulevard at Jamaica Bay to the Muscota Marsh Dock in Inwood, Manhattan; from New Dorp Beach on Staten Island to SUNY Maritime College in the Bronx, waterfront communities across the metropolitan area will host City of Water Day events on July 13, 2019, in celebration of the region’s 1,600 miles of coastline. Organized in collaboration with the New York–New Jersey Harbor & Estuary Program (HEP), City of Water Day In Your Neighborhood sites this year include more than 50 free events, with nearly 100 participating organizations, across all five boroughs, Westchester County, and New Jersey. Now in its 12th year, City of Water Day is a free harbor-wide day organized by the Waterfront Alliance in partnership with the South Street Seaport Museum and HEP to get people to, on, and in the water. Activities such as free kayaking and boat tours, coastal cleanups, fishing, science experiments, music, and crafts will promote the shared goal of a climate-resilient New York Harbor.
Use this map to locate City of Water Day In Your Neighborhood events that will take place around the region on City of Water Day. HEP provided $10,000 in small grants to 19 In Your Neighborhood organizations to help support these local events. City of Water Day and the In Your Neighborhood program are also supported by the New York City Council.
With the City of Water Day Festival headquartered once again at the Seaport District in Lower Manhattan, The Howard Hughes Corporation® returns as presenting sponsor. The South Street Seaport Museum is at the helm as this year’s festival partner, organizing a sweeping array of activities and information at Piers 16 and 17 for a day of waterfront exploration, learning, and fun, including children’s activities sponsored by Disney.
The one-and-only Con Edison Cardboard Kayak Race will once again be held in Lower Manhattan. In two short hours, 15 teams, from high school students to professional engineers, using nothing more than cardboard and tape, will build seaworthy vessels and then race them in the East River.
Free PortNYC Boat Tours on all kinds of vessels, from tall ships to tugboats, will be offered at docks throughout New York City by individual boat tour operators, with additional sponsorship from the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC).
"From the Bronx River to the Elizabeth River, from Jamaica Bay to the Hoboken waterfront, City of Water Day In Your Neighborhood programs will help people from all over the region celebrate their local waterways and learn about rising seas and the growing threat of coastal storms. Local civic organizations host these special events. The New York–New Jersey Harbor & Estuary Program is proud to support City of Water Day and the In Your Neighborhood programs all over the estuary,” said Rob Pirani, HEP program director.
"It's especially fitting that the City of Water Day In Your Neighborhood event in Elizabeth, New Jersey, will be led by our organization's youth initiative program, called the Green Team. These young people are passionate about improving our environment," said Jonathan Phillips, executive director of Groundwork Elizabeth. "We expect many people to join us on City of Water Day at the Elizabeth River Trail to learn about why it's important to keep our waterways clean, accessible, and resilient. Thanks to the Waterfront Alliance for creating this event, and to the New York-New Jersey Harbor & Estuary Program for organizing the In Your Neighborhood program!"
“At the second annual Jamaica Bay Festival on City of Water Day, we are partnering with more than 20 organizations and agencies to offer fun, free activities to the public, including kayaking, nature walks, bird watching, art and more. Come experience Jamaica Bay!" said Alex Zablocki, executive director of Jamaica Bay-Rockaway Parks Conservancy. “City of Water Day helps to increase awareness of and access to the beautiful wetlands and shorelines of Jamaica Bay in Brooklyn and Queens, and it also helps us expand citizen stewardship as we work to ensure that these precious natural areas are always protected. Many thanks to our partners, the Waterfront Alliance, and the New York-New Jersey Harbor & Estuary Program for making the Jamaica Bay Festival a success.”
"At the Coney Island Beautification Project (CIBP), we work hard to help neighbors understand our relationship and responsibility to the waters around us," said Pamela Pettyjohn, CIBP president and founder. "We've always gone all out for City of Water Day, and gathered many partner organizations to join us to offer great waterfront activities and information—and this year will be no different. Come join us at Kaiser Park to learn and play on City of Water Day!"
“We look forward to participating in our first City of Water Day as we continue to celebrate the opening of our new Pier 35 Eco-Park along the Two Bridges waterfront,” said Trever Holland, co-founder of Friends of Pier 35. “New York City continues to transform these piers into public, open spaces, allowing everyone to enjoy the waterfront in ways that were never imaginable just a few years ago. On City of Water Day, our Friends of Pier 35 event will focus on current resiliency plans for the waterfront in a fun and family friendly environment with lots of activities and games for all ages.”
“As we always do, Hoboken is coming together for a fantastic City of Water Day, one focused equally on fun and education," said Ron Hine, executive director of Fund for a Better Waterfront (FBW). "In our In Your Neighborhood celebration, we'll have information about the importance of a healthy shoreline buffer; educational workshops about water quality issues, wildlife identification, and climate change; a 'Trash Free Seas' workshop to demonstrate the importance of environmental stewardship; and a BioBlitz workshop where participants survey and record species at the shore. Of course, we'll also offer free kayaking and paddle boarding, thanks to the Hoboken Cove Community Boathouse, Resilience Paddle Sports, and the Ke Aloha Outrigger Canoe Club!”
“We are proud to once again sponsor City of Water Day, an impactful initiative celebrating our City’s incredible waterfronts,” said Saul Scherl, president of the New York Tri-State Region at The Howard Hughes Corporation. “With the revitalization of the Seaport District, we are pleased to be bringing New Yorkers back to this historic neighborhood to reclaim their relationship with its iconic waterfront. We look forward to welcoming New Yorkers to the Seaport throughout the summer to take advantage of all the exciting programming that will be taking place—along the waterfront and on The Rooftop at Pier 17, including the return of our Summer Concert Series set against the one-of-a-kind panoramic views of Lower Manhattan.”
“City of Water Day gives all of us a chance to focus on New York's waterways. As a city born from a port, New York has always had an important relationship with the water. The Seaport Museum is excited to offer programming and activities that reconnect us with that water and that allow us to consider the future of recreation, commerce, and resilience of this maritime city,” said Captain Jonathan Boulware, president and CEO of the South Street Seaport Museum.
“NYCEDC is proud to support City of Water Day, a citywide festival that reminds us of the region’s greatest asset, New York Harbor. We encourage all New Yorkers to partake in the day’s festivities and rediscover why New York City is the greatest maritime city in the world,” said Matthew Kwatinetz, EVP, NYCEDC. “Through our work on NYC Ferry, which continues to expand throughout all five boroughs, and PortNYC, which contains the fifth largest cruise port in the nation, we are focused on ensuring New York Harbor remains the crossroads of transportation, culture, and commerce.”
“This year on City of Water Day, as we gather at shorelines all around the metropolitan region to enjoy our beautiful waterways, let us engage in important conversations about resiliency and access,” said Roland Lewis, president and CEO of the Waterfront Alliance. “This is a day to play, and a day to acknowledge our shared responsibility. As climate change irrevocably transforms our lives, we need to address this regional, national, and global emergency together.”
City of Water Day is generously sponsored by (in formation):
Presenting Sponsor: The Howard Hughes Corporation®
Festival Partner: South Street Seaport Museum
In Your Neighborhood: New York-New Jersey Harbor & Estuary Program Children’s Activities: Disney
Cardboard Kayak Race: Con Edison
PortNYC Boat Tours: New York City Economic Development Corporation
Fleet Sponsor: United Metro Energy,
Media Partners: ABC7, FiDi Families, K-LOVE, Untapped Cities
Additional support for City of Water Day is provided by the New York City Council.
The Waterfront Alliance inspires and effects resilient, revitalized, and accessible coastlines for all communities.
The New York-New Jersey Harbor & Estuary Program (HEP) is a collaborative effort to bring the benefits of clean water to the people who live, work, and recreate on our shared waterways. HEP is hosted by the Hudson River Foundation.
The South Street Seaport Museum preserves and interprets the origins and growth of New York City as a world port, a place where goods, labor, and cultures are exchanged through work, commerce, and the interaction of diverse communities.
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Reposted with permission.