Don’t forget to vote on Tuesday! The Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance has updated its guide to reflect results from the primaries. This is NOT an endorsement list, but rather a questionnaire allowing candidates to more thoroughly explore harbor and estuary issues than in any other forum.
Find the Guide here:
http://www.waterfrontalliance.org/votersguide
Polls are open from 6AM to 9PM. More information voting from the NYC Board if Elections can be found here:
HarborLAB’s dock at its current Yonkers Paddling and Rowing Club home. HarborLAB Facilities Manager Patricia Menje Erickson seated, YRPC Commodore John Maggiotto in waders. Lovely Hudson River and Palisades in background. Photo by Erik Baard.
HarborLAB’s first season is closing with continued burgeoning growth. We agreed with Yonkers Paddling and Rowing Club to purchase its dock as that storied organization (over a century of paddling tales!) upgrades and expands. HarborLAB Facilities Manager Patricia Menje Erickson will oversee the refurbishing of the dock, which floats level, has new floats, and is decked with durable recycled plastic timber. We’re very grateful to NRG Energy and TF Cornerstone for their renewed sponsorships, which will make this work possible. We’ll also have budget transportation of the dock from the Hudson River to Hunters Point. We’re also grateful to YPRC and its Commodore John Maggiotto for this arrangement to foster our safe growth.
We will move the dock to our launch in November.
The dock is among those built through a program coordinated by Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance in 2000, under the direction of Carter Craft.
Come help Newark reclaim its riverfront for recreation and education! Along with other water access allies, we’re answering the call for help to make this a great introduction to the estuary. This is an event HarborLAB volunteers can happily assist but it’s not managed by us.
Here’s our Facebook event for a HarborLAB contingent of volunteers (including a Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance offer for a free ride to Newark from Manhattan):
https://www.facebook.com/events/637262316284756/
More here:
http://newarksriver.wordpress.com/
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Newark-Riverfront-Revival/174945239233944
We need not bring our boats to this event! The Newark City government will offer 10 of the county’s sit-inside (decked) kayaks for public use for three hours. They need volunteers to welcome the public and help keep the program safe and smooth on the storied Passaic River.
On the water, you should have experience rescuing paddlers in decked kayaks. Here’s a video posted by one of our suppliers (http://www.oldtowncanoe.com/resources/safety_and_rescue/kayak_rescue_methods/), while some of our volunteers and CUNY faculty board members have received training through the American Canoe Association, nonprofit paddling groups, and outfitters like NY Kayak Co.
On the dock, life guards and first responders are especially valued. Volunteers with experience fitting life vests, giving basic paddling tips, bracing boats for entry and exit, and other forms of assistance would be of great help.
If water quality permits responsible use of sit-on-top kayaks, HarborLAB will gladly return with its own tandem fleet, team, and learning tent soon. We can also bring canoes!
Let’s make friends across state lines and the reaches of the estuary!
HarborLAB’s morning crew of volunteers and supporters. Photo by Scott Sternbach.
HarborLAB is very grateful to NY Waterway for its exceptional generosity in providing a special City of Water Day ferry for our boats and volunteers to reach Governors Island in time to provide services. Storms threatened to disrupt the day, according to forecasts earlier in the week. Because we were to commence the public kayaking program on Governors Island at 11AM, we didn’t have the scheduling luxury of “playing it by ear.”
NY Waterway is a sponsor of both HarborLAB and the Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance, which produces City of Water Day. The company also runs special ferries from Manhattan to Governors Island in support of City of Water Day.
When HarborLAB Founder Erik Baard called NY Waterway CEO Arthur Imperatore and Operations Chief Alan Warren to explain our worries, they kindly offered a special East River Ferry to get our volunteers, educational literature, boats, tables, canopy, and other needed items to the island before 10AM. This also saved us the trouble of delivering some items to City of Water Day producer Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance’s offices in Manhattan. HarborLAB extended this offer to Green Shores NYC, LIC Community Boathouse, Newtown Creek Alliance, North Brooklyn Boat Club, and other waterfront and environmental groups. We were happy to bring longtime Friends of Gantry Plaza State Park and Hunters Point Library community leader Mark Christie among our fellow passengers, along with Claudia Coger, President of the Astoria Houses Tenants Association (thanks to NYCHA Community Outreach professional Howard Hemmings).
The ferry captain and crew members were very courteous and kind, and quick! Our gratitude to them too!
HarborLAB Operations Manager EJ Lee exults in the morning sun and breeze aboard the special East River Ferry provided by NY Waterway. Somewhere Celine Dion is smiling. Photo by Scott Sternbach.
HarborLAB Facilities Manager Patricia Menje Erickson shows her Con Ed pride! Not only is Con Ed a HarborLAB sponsor and a City of Water Day sponsor, but it’s also her employer. Photo by Scott Sternbach.
A beaming Mrs. Coger represents NYCHA residents, specifically the Astoria Houses. We’re very grateful to Howard Hemmings for helping HarborLAB learn directly from the community about needs and goals.
Boats below deck while volunteers enjoyed fresh morning air. Photo by Erik Baard.
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