Josh Jensen

First-Ever Floyd Bennett Field! Public Arts Festival a Monumental Success

Floyd Bennett Field! Public Arts Festival a monumental success

April 19-21, 2024

Artwork of Derrick Adams projection mapped onto Hangars 3 and 4

Over 1,500 people showed up to the Floyd Bennett Field! Public Arts Festival this past weekend for an amazing and immersive celebration of Floyd Bennett Field's past, present, and future.

Thank you to everyone who was involved to make this weekend an incredible success! Special thank you to the National Park Service at Gateway National Recreation Area for their partnership in this event. We are excited to work together on the rehabilitation of these hangars and the future of Floyd Bennett Field.

Here are a few of our favorite moments from the festival!

We were blown away by the musical performances of Wild Yaks, Sesame Flyers Steel Pan Ensemble, and Batalá.

Wild Yaks

Batala

Sesame Flyers Steel Pan Ensemble

Sesame Flyers Steel Pan Ensemble

It was a sight to behold as historic Hangars 3 and 4 were lit up with the original work of artists Derrick Adams, Peter Burr, Eto Otitigbe, Ryan Hartley Smith, Matt Bruinooge, Alessandro Echevarria, Donghwi Han, Christina Lee, Hanlin Liang, Dakota Ray, Ti Xu, and Phoenix Yang.

Watch a full recording on our YouTube channel and find more information about the artists at jbrpc.org/artsprogram.

Artwork of Christina Lee projection mapped onto Hangars 3 and 4

Our community partners activities and makers market were a perfect addition to Saturday and we loved seeing everyone out enjoying the sun at Floyd Bennett Field!

Erick Sahler signed prints

Rockaway Makers Market

Community partners activities

Additionally, on Sunday April 21, the Ryan Visitor Center and Hangar B were open to the public for behind the scenes tours of these historic buildings and the aircraft inside.

Read more about the Festival in the news

Brooklyn Paper: Projections light up Floyd Bennett Field at inaugural arts festival

Canarsie Courier: Floyd Bennett Field! Public Arts Festival – Looking to the Future

Time Out New York: This new festival projects gorgeous video art onto NYC’s historic airplane hangars

The Rockaway Times: Public Arts Festival Brings Historic Floyd Bennett Field to Life

Artwork of Ryan Hartley Smith projection mapped onto Hangars 3 and 4

2023 Jamaica Bay Wetlands Fellowship Report

in August JBRPC completed the inaugural Jamaica Bay Wetland Fellowship. Read the full report on the accomplishments of this years fellows.

In the program’s first year, Fellows maintained, monitored, and adaptively-managed new wetland restoration projects alongside city, state, and federal agencies to better understand what these sites need to flourish now and help plan for the future wetlands of Jamaica Bay. In the 6-month program, 8 Fellows removed over 6 tons of marine debris, planted more than 70,000 native plants, and restored 50 acres of habitat.

The impact made in 2023 is just the beginning. JBRPC is doubling down on the Wetlands Fellowship program to sustain the wetlands and parklands that make Jamaica Bay the special place we all love; develop career pathways for wetlands and other nature-based solutions; and integrate the knowledge of scientists and local stakeholders with government agencies to ensure Jamaica Bay's health is restored and enjoyed for generations to come.

Learn more about this program and the upcoming 2024 Jamaica Bay Wetlands Fellowship here.

Abu Dhabi Delegation Visits Jamaica Bay

Abu Dhabi Delegation Visits Jamaica Bay As Part Of United Nations General Assembly and Climate Week Events  

Abu Dhabi Environment Agency Delegation connects with Jamaica Bay-Rockaway Parks Conservancy at the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge West Pond Living Shoreline to share best practices for nature-based solutions 

QUEENS, NEW YORK, September 26, 2023  As part of Climate Week NYC, Jamaica Bay-Rockaway Parks Conservancy (JBRPC) had the honor of hosting Maitha Al Hameli and colleagues from Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi (EAD) for a tour of the West Pond Living Shoreline at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, part of Gateway National Recreation Area. The purpose of the visit was to share ideas and best practices for public-private partnerships and nature-based solutions, including talking about the important role living shorelines can play in protecting coastlines, communities, and biodiversity in estuarine and marine environments. 

The Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi is the prime custodian for climate action alignment and coordination in Abu Dhabi and has been leading collaborative efforts with stakeholders to drive science-based, data-backed innovative solutions to a variety of climate issues. During the delegation’s visit to Jamaica Bay,  Hameli highlighted the Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi’s innovative use of drone technology to effectively and efficiently plant mangroves, which are integral to the marine ecosystem and mitigate the effects of climate change.

“The opportunity to speak and participate during key side events at the UN General Assembly and Climate Week as well as meet leading field experts was critical for global collaboration to take action on key Sustainable Development Goals. When we can have these important conversations, all groups are better equipped to lay the foundations for cooperation and solving our global climate crisis,” said Ms. Maitha Al Hameli, Section Head, Marine Biodiversity Assessment and Conservation at the Environment Agency - Abu Dhabi.

"City-to-city and people-to-people exchanges are critical building blocks of climate action. It was our incredible honor to welcome Ms. Maitha Al Hameli and the Environment Agency Abu Dhabi team to the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge at Gateway National Recreation Area to showcase the West Pond Living Shoreline project that aims to protect vulnerable coastline and critical wetland habitat," said Terri Carta, Executive Director of Jamaica Bay-Rockaway Parks Conservancy. "We are also eager to learn from experts like Al Hameli, whose experience with climate change adaptation and nature-based solutions can help us increase our impact and offer hope for the future – here in New York City and around the world."

In partnership with the National Park Service, JBRPC built the West Pond Living Shoreline in November 2021 to restore the vulnerable edge between the Bay and the freshwater West Pond after it breached during Superstorm Sandy, as well as protect the Loop Trail and provide much needed habitat. The success of nature-based solutions such as the West Pond Living Shoreline rely on stakeholder knowledge and partnerships. Critical input and support for the project came from the community who have long-championed the need for nature-based solutions to restore the Bay.

Healthy wetland ecosystems, like the marsh islands and fringe marsh wetlands found in Jamaica Bay, have the ability to absorb storm surges, buffer against erosion and capture more atmospheric carbon than forest ecosystems of the same size. Wetlands also provide vital habitat, recreational and educational opportunities, and coastal protection for waterfront communities. 

The Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi and the Jamaica Bay-Rockaway Parks Conservancy are implementing climate change projects within their specific environs centered on nature-based solutions that hold immense potential for effective and sustainable ways to combat climate change and ensure thriving coastal communities. 

Press Release: Jamaica Bay Festival

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

July 15, 2023

Brooklyn and Queens, New York 

JAMAICA BAY FESTIVAL

The Jamaica Bay-Rockaway Parks Conservancy is hosting the 6th Annual Jamaica Bay Festival on City of Water Day, Saturday, July 15, 2023.

(NEW YORK – July 11, 2023) The Jamaica Bay Festival is a free, fun, family-friendly event taking place in Brooklyn and Queens. The Festival celebrates the unparalleled recreational opportunities and the natural beauty of this urban tidal estuary. Participants can enjoy free kayaking, fishing, surfing, hiking, bird watching, art, nature, and more. This year, JBRPC is partnering with 36 local community groups to host 39 events from morning ‘til night!

The Jamaica Bay Festival provides an opportunity for participants to engage in a wide variety of recreational and educational activities. Visitors and community members alike will enjoy improved access to the Bay as we activate the waterfront from vast natural areas to playgrounds to Jamaica Bay's marsh islands. JBRPC is leading the effort to strengthen Jamaica Bay communities through healthy, outdoor activities that support education and stewardship through recreation.

"Approximately 3 million New Yorkers live around Jamaica Bay and the Rockaway peninsula -- an area that also includes over 10,000 acres of public parklands, 12 miles of Atlantic Ocean beaches, and 18,000 acres of open water, marsh islands, and fringe marsh wetlands" said Terri Carta, Executive Director of Jamaica Bay-Rockaway Parks Conservancy. "Reconnecting with our waterfront has never been more important, whether for recreational activities, learning opportunities, health and wellness, jobs, or arts and culture. The Jamaica Bay Festival on City of Water Day presents an unparalleled collection of community-led events focused on connecting people with the vast natural and cultural resources of the area. More than 36 local partners will welcome new and regular audiences to partake in the diverse activities that make Jamaica Bay and Rockaway unique. There's free fun for the whole family, from the annual kayak parade in the morning to a movie screening on the Boardwalk in the evening. Join us for a day of fun!"

“I applaud the Jamaica Bay Festival for its observance of City Water Day. The 6th annual Jamaica Bay Festival on July 15th, 2023 marks a continued commitment by government, non-profits and the private sector to not just celebrate but cherish natural areas such as Fresh Creek and Jamaica Bay,” said State Senator Roxanne J. Persaud. “The net benefit for SD 19 constituents is the ability to interact with nature and appreciate the area in all its glory.”

New York Assemblywoman Jaime Williams said, “I am proud to be a supporter of JPRPC and to participate again in the Jamaica Bay Festival. JPRPC is a vital organization dedicated to protecting and preserving our waterways and aquatic life. They also educate our communities about the importance of maintaining and understanding our natural resources and the beauty of Jamaica Bay. I look forward to all the events scheduled in the city, especially those in the 59th Assembly District.

“Jamaica Bay is a vital part of District 32, and it is amazing to see it celebrated with this festival year after year,” NYC Councilwoman Joann Ariola said. “All too often, we tend to take for granted just how amazing this body of water really is. This event helps to remind us just how lucky we are to live on the shores of Jamaica Bay, and also just how much the Bay really provides us and adds to our lives.”

“The Jamaica Bay Festival is a celebration of one of New York’s most beautiful natural features,” said NYC Council Member Selvena N. Brooks-Powers. “I am grateful for organizations like Edgemere Alliance and Jamaica Bay-Rockaway Parks Conservancy that help steward our urban environment, and I’m proud to support this wonderful event.”

“The Jamaica Bay Festival opens a host of wonderful outdoor activities to New Yorkers right here in District 46. Thanks to the work and advocacy of the Jamaica Bay-Rockaway Parks Conservancy these beautiful outdoor spaces, right in our backyard, are maintained and made accessible to all to use, enjoy and explore. I look forward to a fun festival full of happiness and enjoyment of one of the jewels of our city, Jamaica Bay” said NYC Council Member Mercedes Narcisse.

“The Jamaica Bay Festival is an opportunity for diverse communities living along the Jamaica Bay shore, to gather, engage and connect with the community for some fun in the sun and water recreational activities in our own backyard. The Garden by the Bay is happy to be a part of this wonderful annual festival, celebrating the vibrancy and beauty of the majestic Jamaica Bay and its local estuary ecosystem,” said Jackie Rogers, President of The Garden by the Bay and Edgemere Alliance.

Harold Paez, Community Boathouse said, “The Community Boathouse is proud to support the Jamaica Bay-Rockaway Parks Conservancy with this year's Jamaica Bay Festival. This national park space is a unique natural resource within the urban environment of NYC. The wildlife, marshlands, and waterways of this area provide a vital connection between the public and our natural environment. The Jamaica Bay Festival is a celebration of these beautiful resources available to the public year round, and we're looking forward to a wonderful day of activities with participants from all over the city.

Beth Eller, Commodore, Sebago Canoe Club said, “Sebago Canoe Club has been a City of Water Day - Jamaica Bay Festival participant since its inception. Every year our members look forward to inviting the community to join us on guided paddling or rowing excursions on the protected waters of Paerdegat Basin. The basin is our home waterway and an ideal jumping off point for exploring the rest of Jamaica Bay, a unique urban wildlife refuge. It's an opportunity to provide the community access to the water that surrounds them.”


The Jamaica Bay Festival is made possible through partnership with government agencies, non-profit organizations and businesses throughout Jamaica Bay in both Brooklyn and Queens. The Festival is generously supported, in part, by the Hudson River Foundation, New York-New Jersey Harbor Estuary Program, Waterfront Alliance, and ConEdison. NYC Ferry is the official transportation sponsor of the Jamaica Bay Festival.

Additional public funding is provided through the offices of NYC Council Members Joann Ariola, Mercedes Narcisse, and Selvena Brooks-Powers, and New York Assembly Members Jaime Williams and Stacey Pheffer-Amato.


About Jamaica Bay-Rockaway Parks Conservancy:

Jamaica Bay-Rockaway Parks Conservancy (JBRPC) is a public-private partnership established in 2013 that is dedicated to improving the 10,000+ acres of public parklands throughout Jamaica Bay and the Rockaway peninsula for local residents and visitors alike. With its partners at the National Park Service, New York Office of Parks & Historic Preservation, and the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation, JBRPC works to expand public access; increase recreational and educational opportunities; foster community stewardship and volunteerism; preserve and restore natural areas, including wetland and wildlife habitat; enhance cultural resources; and ensure the long-term sustainability of the parklands.


Contact: Elizabeth Stoehr, JBRPC Assistant Director, elizabeth@jbrpc.org, 703-597-8378

Website: JamacaBayFestival.com | Instagram: @jbrpc | Facebook: @JBRPConservancy | Twitter: @JBRPC | #CityOfWaterDay #JamaicaBayFestival

JBRPC Featured on Global Heroes

Explore the Natural and Historical Attractions of Jamaica Bay and Rockaway

We are pleased to have been featured by Global Heroes talking about our work in Jamaica Bay and Rockaway!

New York City is known for its bustling urban landscape, but many people are surprised to learn that the city is also home to an unparalleled oasis of nature—Jamaica Bay. Covering 26 square miles, Jamaica Bay is the city’s largest open space in the very backyard of millions of New Yorkers. More than 10,000 acres of public parklands and beaches surround the Bay and Rockaway Peninsula, offering a haven for hundreds of species of plants and animals and providing recreational opportunities for locals and visitors alike…

Read the full article at https://www.globalheroes.com/jamaica-bay-rockaway-parks-conservancy/

Celebrating Ten Years!

JBRPC Celebrates its 10-year Anniversary

Happy 10th Anniversary, JBRPC!

JBRPC turns ten today, April 29, and we're excited to celebrate with all of YOU, our supporters, followers, and staunch advocates for the parks and ecosystems of Jamaica Bay and Rockaway!

JBRPC was conceived in response to a need for a public-private partnership to support the National, City and State park agencies that collectively manage more than 10,000 acres of public parklands around the Bay and Rockaway peninsula. With a mission focused on park improvements and public stewardship, JBRPC grew up with Superstorm Sandy recovery efforts and the need to increase community and climate resilience. 

Over the last ten years JBRPC has removed more than 35 tons of trash and debris from shorelines and parks, planted more than 350,000 native plants and trees, hosted more than 100,000 people at public programs and events -- including our signature Jamaica Bay Festival and Discover Jamaica Bay tour series. We've organized more than 200 stewardship events that drew support from more than 3,000 dedicated volunteers, and welcomed more than 10,000 students into our environmental education programs. We created the Rockaway! Public Arts Festival, featuring works by artists Patti Smith, Katharina Grosse, and Yayoi Kusama. We supported planning for Shirley Chisholm State Park at the former Penn and Fountain Landfills, and managed the planning, design and construction of a 2,400-linear foot living shoreline at the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge. Rounding out our first decade, earlier this year we launched the Jamaica Bay Wetlands Fellowship to train the next generation of wetlands managers and advance nature-based solutions and the jobs to sustain them over the long-term.

All of this was accomplished through the dedication and tenacity of a small but mighty team; current members pictured above. JBRPC is ever-grateful for past and current employees, Board members, volunteers, and partners who have tirelessly worked alongside us for the betterment of our beaches and Bay. We're proud of the many robust partnerships that have been developed along the way with community groups, elected officials, supporters, and our incredible partners in government.

Looking ahead to the next decade, JBRPC is poised and uniquely positioned to build on prior success to realize greater impact in our public parklands. Work is already underway to expand our education programs for younger students and family audiences, increase stewardship opportunities and grow our Wetlands Fellowship program, and transform Floyd Bennett Field into a hub for community and climate resilience. 

I'm proud to be part of this incredible team and community, and proud to work alongside all of you, our friends, supporters, and partners.

Thank you for an incredible ten years, Jamaica Bay and Rockaway! And "cheers" to many more ahead!

Terri Carta

Executive Director, Jamaica Bay-Rockaway Parks Conservancy

Public Comment: NYNJHATS

NEW YORK-NEW JERSEY HARBOR AND TRIBUTARIES STUDY DRAFT INTEGRATED FEASIBILITY AND TIER 1 ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT

The Jamaica Bay-Rockaway Parks Conservancy has submitted a public comment on the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' New York-New Jersey Harbor and Estuary Tributaries Study (NYNJHATS) Draft Integrated Feasibility and Tier 1 Environmental Impact Statement.

We believe more data, modeling and alternatives analysis is needed to gain confidence that the tentatively selected plan will work as outlined. We have raised concerns in the following areas:

  1. More analysis is needed on the effectiveness of the proposed Jamaica Bay storm surge barrier, and associate shore-based features.

  2. More nature-based solutions are needed as a way to manage storm surge and provide co-benefits - from fighting climate change to enhancing communities.

  3. New alternatives are needed that address frequent storms and flooding, beyond the 1% annual chance of 100-year events.

  4. The benefit-cost analysis needs to be expanded to include ecosystem services and community benefits.

  5. New alternatives are needed that reduce the impact to public parklands in Jamaica Bay and Rockaway.

  6. More information is needed on the assumed operation of the Jamaica Bay storm surge barrier.

Click here to view JBRPC’s full comment.