2014 Annual Report - Bronx River Alliance

Annual Report 2014
Citizen Science on the River
Bringing young people, educators, and other community
members to the river to study it and learn from it has
always been central to our mission. In order for people
to take care of the river for the long-term, they have to
love it. And in order to love it, they have to experience
it. All the better when these stewards are engaged in
meaningful scientific inquiry, using the river to answer
real-world questions.
In 2014, we deepened and expanded citizen science on the river in several
ways. Students from Fannie Lou Hamer Freedom High School helped us
monitor the threatened American eel during its spring migration from the
Sargasso Sea to the river. The students installed eel mops, a type of artificial
habitat, in the river and periodically checked the number and size of eels in
the mops.
We also forged a new partnership with the Environmental Protection Agency
and the NY/NJ Harbor Estuary Program to pilot a bacteria monitoring
program by citizen scientists. This monitoring complements the work that
Bronx River Stewards have undertaken for decades, giving us a more
complete picture of water quality on the river. The good news is that New
York City and State are taking steps to abate some of the most serious
sources of bacteria pollution in the river, informed by the work of these citizen
scientists. The bad news is that we still have a lot to clean up!
In August, scientists from research institutions and government agencies
joined citizen scientists for A Day in the Life of the Bronx River to compare
notes on their Bronx River research and undertake a day of collaborative
exploration. We found new aquatic plants, previously unknown in the Bronx;
counted exotic mussels and resurgent oysters; wrestled eels in the upper river
(they really are slippery, you know!); and monitored water quality. The day―
and the associated press coverage―was a great combination of technical
expertise and community voices speaking up on some of the most pressing
issues facing the river.
As we continue our work to clean and green the Bronx River, government
action and academic studies are critically important. But just as important is
that regular people engage with the river, getting our hands dirty as we study
the returning wildlife or water quality conditions on New York City’s only
freshwater river. Lasting progress on the river depends on a community of
activists and scientists to stay the course for the long-term.
Join us!
Linda R. Cox, Executive Director
We have broken ground!
Bronx River House. Yes, we were
proud to break ground on this
innovative green building in 2014,
our future headquarters and base
of operations for the restoration
of the river. But River House also
means so much more.
Bronx River House is a marker of how far we’ve
come in our mission to restore the river, develop
the greenway, and cultivate a community of
stewards who claim the river as their own. Today,
parks and trails line the river, where only weeds,
vacant factories, and trash-strewn lots existed
before. Every year, thousands of people paddle,
row and sail on a river that not too long ago
was so full of cars that residents joked that you
couldn’t see the bottom. Soon, we will have a
fittingly beautiful and cutting-edge building to
match the work that we do on the river!
not far from Bronx River House, there was just no
reasonable way for my parents to bring me to the
water. Now school children of all ages engage in
real-world science on the river, and families bring
their kids out to canoe on our free Community
Paddling days. We are excited about the ways in
which Bronx River House will enable us to expand
and deepen our river-based programming.
Bronx River House is also a milestone, indicating
that we’ve grown stronger as an organization.
We’ve grown up, and it’s time to move into our own
space! I look forward to reporting back to you on
that transition in the years to come.
Sincerely,
Veronica Vanterpool, Chair
On a personal level, River House is a reminder to
me of how a generation of children can grow up
with this precious resource that we have in our
midst—NYC’s only freshwater river! A National
Water Trail!—in a way that just wasn’t possible
before. When I was a kid growing up in the Bronx,
Bronx River Alliance celebrating the ground-breaking for River House with (from left to right) NY
State Assemblyman Crespo, NYC Parks Commissioner Silver, Bronx Borough President Diaz, and
Congressman Serrano.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Veronica Vanterpool • CHAIR •
PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS
Tri-State Transportation Campaign
COMMUNITY-BASED AND OTHER
NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS
Bronx Museum of the Arts
Bike New York
Boogie Down Rides
Bronx Children’s Museum
Bronx Council for Environmental Quality
Bronx County Historical Society
Bronx Health Reach
Bronx Park East Community Association
Bronx River Parkway Reservation Conservancy
Bronx River Art Center
Bronx Works
buildOn
Christodora
City Parks Foundation
Drew Gardens
East Bronx History Forum
East Coast Greenway Alliance
Five Borough Bicycle Club
Friends of Shoelace Park
Friends of Soundview
Friends of Van Cortlandt Park
Gaia Institute
G.I.V.E (Getting Involved, Virginia Avenue Efforts)
GLOBE, Queens College
Green City Force
Groundwork Hudson Valley
Grow NYC
Harding Park Homeowners Association &
Environmental Center
Harlem River Working Group
The Horticultural Society of New York
Hutchinson River Restoration Project
Long Island City Boathouse
Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance
Montefiore Medical Center
Natural Areas Conservancy
Natural Resources Defense Council
New York Botanical Garden
NYC H2O
NYC WaterTrail Association
New York Restoration Project
NY/NJ Baykeeper
NY-NJ Harbor Estuary Program
The Osborne Association
Partnerships for Parks
Phipps Community Development Corporation
Pratt Center for Community Development
THE POINT CDC
Regional Plan Association
Recycle-a-Bicycle
Rocking the Boat
Sebago Canoe Club
Southern Bronx River Watershed Alliance
S.W.I.M Coalition (Storm Water Infrastructure
Matters)
Sustainable South Bronx
Transportation Alternatives
Tri-State Transportation Campaign
Bike Walk Alliance of Westchester & Putnam
Wildlife Conservation Society
Youth Ministries for Peace & Justice
222nd St Block Association
Joan Bryon •
VICE CHAIR
• Pratt Center for
Community Development
Carolyn McLaughlin • SECRETARY
Raji Kalra • TREASURER •
David Lynch Foundation
Peter Bourbeau • PWB Management Corp.
Maarten de Kadt
Marit Larson • New York City Department of
Parks Natural Resources Group
Jonathan Rook • Sandler O’Neil
Jessica Arcate Schuler • Ecology Team
Co-chair • The New York Botanical Garden
David Shuffler • Youth Ministries for Peace
and Justice
Ethan Strell • Shamberg Marwell
Kellie Terry • THE POINT CDC
Angela Tovar • Ecology Team
Co-chair • Sustainable South Bronx
Carrie Elston Tunick
DIRECTOR EMERITUS
Alexie Torres-Fleming
HONORARY BOARD MEMBERS
Ruth Anderberg
Nancy Wallace
EX OFFICIO BOARD MEMBERS
Mitchell Silver
COMMISSIONER
NYC DEPARTMENT OF PARKS & RECREATION
Ruben Diaz, Jr.
BRONX BOROUGH PRESIDENT
Maria del Carmen Arroyo
NYC COUNCILMEMBER, DISTRICT 17
Andrew Cohen
NYC COUNCILMEMBER, DISTRICT 11
Andy King
NYC COUNCILMEMBER, DISTRICT 12
Annabel Palma
NYC COUNCILMEMBER, DISTRICT 18
Ritchie Torres
NYC COUNCILMEMBER, DISTRICT 15
SPECIAL ADVISORS
Sonia Manzano
Gail Nathan
Wendy Neu
Richard Reagan
Dart Westphal
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
Urban Waters Federal Partnership
National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration
National Park Service, Rivers and Trails
Office of Congressman Joseph Crowley
Office of Congressman Eliot Engel
Office of Congressman José E. Serrano
Army Corps of Engineers
Environmental Protection Agency
Forest Service
Geological Survey
STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT
Bronx Borough President’s Office
Mayor’s Office of Sustainability
New York City Community Boards: 2, 6, 9, 11, 12
New York City Department of Design & Construction
New York City Department of Education
New York City Department of Environmental
Protection
New York City Department of Parks & Recreation
New York City Department of Transportation
New York City Soil & Water Conservation District
New York State Office of the Attorney General
New York State Department of Environmental
Conservation
New York State Department of State
New York State Department of Transportation
New York State Office of Parks & Historical
Preservation
Westchester County Department of Parks,
Recreation, and Conservation
Westchester County Department of Planning
SCHOOLS
Bronx Arena HS
Bronx Academy of Leadership 2
Bronx Community Charter School
Bronx International High School
Bronx Light House Charter School
Bronx Little School
Bronx High School of Science
City College
CS 211
Collegiate Institute for Math and Science High
School
Columbia University
Explorations Academy
Fannie Lou Hammer Freedom High School
Fieldston School for Ethical Culture
Fordham University
Hostos Community College
Lehman College, CUNY
The Learning Tree School
Manhattan College
NYCDOE Teaching American History Grant Program
New York Institute
New Visions Charter School
One To World
PS 103
Pelham Prep Academy
Queens College, CUNY
Shomburg Satellite Academy
SUNY Maritime
Urban Advantage Middle School
Urban Assembly School for Wildlife Conservation
Van Nest Academy
Washington Heights Expeditionary Learning School
STAFF
Judy Alvarez
Kathalene Lamboy
CONSERVATION CREW APPRENTICE
EDUCATION COORDINATOR
Erica Lewis
Claudia Ibaven
ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT
GREENWAY COORDINATOR
Penny Brown
Robin Kriesberg
CONSERVATION CREW LEADER
ECOLOGY DIRECTOR
Julia Hitz
Michael Mendez
DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR
CONSERVATION MANAGER
Linda R. Cox
Jasmine Benitez
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR/BRONX RIVER
ADMINISTRATOR
VOLUNTEER COORDINATOR
Michelle Cropsey
OUTREACH MANAGER
CONSERVATION CREW MEMBER
Elvin Cruz
CONSERVATION CREW APPRENTICE
Olivia Sheehan
ECOLOGY INTERN
Elaine Feliciano
CONSERVATION CREW LEADER
Josue Garcia
RECREATION SPECIALIST
Maggie Scott Greenfield
DEPUTY DIRECTOR
Joseph Sanchez
Orquidea Sanchez
CONSERVATION CREW APPRENTICE
Jose Santiago
CONSERVATION CREW MEMBER
Maria Sawyer
DIRECTOR OF FINANCE & ADMINISTRATION
Elizabeth (Alex) Severino
EDUCATION & RECREATION INTERN
James Vesey
CONSERVATION CREW APPRENTICE
AS OF JUNE 2015
DEDICATED VOLUNTEERS
Sara Armstrong, Linda Bauer, Tom Brady, Charles Berenguer,
William Busk, Luis Raffael Cornelio, Margo Davis, Stephen DeVillo,
Mike Gupta, Dan Hamburg, Pope Jackson, Twahira Khan, Lisa Liquori,
Kristina Lozano, Nilka Martell, James Martocci, Andrew Mittiga,
Nessie Payton, Lovie Pignata, Daniel Ranells, Ramon Rivera,
Frank Saurino, Gerry Segal, Martha Schwartz, Raphael Schweizer,
Lia Vega, Robert Ward.
MATHEW FOGLINO
U.S.
U.S.
U.S.
U.S.
In memory of our dedicated volunteers Morgan Powell &
Annette Williams whose legacy endures on the Bronx River.
DONORS (From 01/01/14 to 12/31/14)
FOUNDATIONS
Altman Foundation
Franklin Furnace Archive, Inc.
Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation
National Fish and Wildlife Foundation,
Hurricane Sandy Coastal Resiliency
Prospect Hill Foundation
The Hagedorn Fund
The Hearst Foundations
The Lily Auchincloss Foundation
The Lucius N. Littauer Foundation
The Norcross Wildlife Foundation
CORPORATIONS
Bank of America
Bloomberg Philanthropies
Budweiser, Anheuser-Busch
Clif Bar Family Foundation
Con Edison
Keurig/ American Rivers
RBC Foundation
REI
TD Bank/Arbor Day Foundation
The New Yankee Stadium Community Benefits
Fund
PUBLIC FUNDING
Congressman Jose E. Serrano’s WCS-NOAA
South Bronx Waterfront Partnership
New York City Councilmember Andrew Cohen
New York City Councilmember Annabel Palma
New York City Councilmember
Maria del Carmen Arroyo
New York City Councilmember Ritchie Torres
New York City Department of Parks & Recreation
New York State Council on the Arts via Bronx
Council on the Arts
New York State Department of Environmental
Conservation Green Gems Programs
New York State Department of State Local
Waterfront Revitalization Program
New York State Department of State,
Environmental Protection Fund
U. S. Community Development Block Grant
U. S. Department of Housing & Urban Development
U. S. Department of Transportation, Recreational
Trails Program
U. S. Environmental Protection Agency, Citizen
Science Grants
U. S. Forest Service, USDA
INDIVIDUAL DONORS
ESTUARY $2500+
Frances Beinecke and
Paul Elston
Elizabeth Bennett
Peter and
Manuela Bourbeau
Edith McBean
Alan and Jill Rappaport
Barbara Robins
Jonathan and Lisa Rook
BRANCH $1000+
April and
William Ausperger
Robert Bender and
Loretta Nash
Fabio Corsi and
Susan Tressler
Garry Cox
Linda Cox and
John G. Robinson
Fred Dixon
Carrie Elston Tunick
Adam Green
Carolyn and
James McLaughlin
Jeffrey Myers and
Patricia Ferren
James Periconi, Esq
Holly Sidford
Tim Tompkins
STREAM $500+
Susan Babcock
Joan Byron
Bill and Paula Luria Caplan
Maarten De Kadt
Joel and Joanne Feinberg
Alfred Finger
Corina Gayk
Marilyn Gelber
Joshua Ginsberg
Barry Hartglass
Kathryn and Vincent Heintz
Melissa Hurley
Raji Kalra
Kenneth Kirshenbaum
Evan Korn
Marit Larson
Lisa Liquori
Kim Mathews
Thomas McArdle
Ellen Neises
Richard Powers
James and Jessica Arcate
Schuler
Martha and David Schwartz
Joanne B. and
Peter Spellane
Ethan Strell and
Jacqueline Elias
Carter Strickland
Stacy Taffet
John Tweddle
BROOK $250+
Charles and Elia Armstrong
Kenneth Arroyo
Jeffrey Bank
Louis Blumengarten
Elizabeth Brody
Stephen Byrns
John Calvelli
Victor Cohen
Barbara Crosby
Atahualpa Del Orbe
Scott Edelstein
Christine Fazio
Susan Freedman
Amy Freitag
Gerald and Marion Galison
Jeremy and
Maggie Greenfield
Daniel and
Marguerite Greenfield
Maxine Griffith
Thomas and
Lea Haber Kuck
Robert Hammond
Jennifer Herring
Elizabeth Kaiden
Liam Kavanagh
Bernadette Kenny
Gregory Kiss
I.C. Levenberg-Engel
Thomas Maeglin
Jean McCarroll
Felicity Nitz
Elizabeth Parry
Elise Partridge
Marguerite Pitts
Richard Powers
Mahindra and
Anris Ramdhanie
Julia Robbins
Jose Rodriguez
Brenda Rosen
Norman Sas
Nolie and Susan Scott
Jane Silfen
Christopher Snow
Julia Steinmetz
George and Christine Stonbely
Patrick Suraci
Jean Tatge
Thomas Thurston
Elizabeth Tunick
Judith Wallace
Thomas &
Christine Webler
Stephen Whitehouse
Doug Wingo
Simon Wynn
Beth Zadek
RIVULET $100+
Marcia and Franz Allina
Dana Archer Rosenthal
Margaret Barry
Mark and Judy Baum
Thomas Behm
Adrian Benepe
Nadine and Joe Berg
Dawn Berry
Tim Bock
Sandra Boer
Cristina Bonaldes
Angel Braestrup
Ivan Braun
Nick Burns
Clifford Chaiet
Curtis Cole
Kevin Connolly
Alan Curtis
John H. and Joan B. Denne
James Deutsch
Stephen DeVillo
Christian DiPalermo
Sherry Dobbin
Nancy Doon
Annie Duran
Mark Edmiston
Lizzie Elston
Richard Epstein
Melinda Everett
Hillary Exter
Rebecca Fleming
Candice Flig
Olivia Ford
Chris Ford
Valerie Francis
Jennifer Freeman
William and Anne Frey
Richard Gans and
Doris Quinones
Carol Gaskill
Michael Glazebrook
Robert Goldstein
Evelyn Gonzalez
Peter Gottesman
Kate Greenfield
Elizabeth Greenstein
Michele Griffin
Mary Louise and
James Hayden
Joanne Heidt
Sarah Heintz
TaShawn Jackson
Harold and
Estrella Jacobowitz
Andre Johnson
Tawkiyah Jordan
Marie Kallio and
Twig Henwacker
Debbi and Richard Keefe
Kathryn Kellinger
Carol Kennedy
Ken Kobland
Peter Kohlmann
Susan Lally
Leonard and
Joanne Lieboff
Henry Lowenstein
Kristina Lozano
Tami Luhby
Heng Ly
Sonia Manzano
Joshua and Joanna Marks
Virginia and
Edward Martin
Nancy McCullough
Kathleen Mcquown
Karen Meara
Deborah Meier
Gerald Meyer
Katie Michel
Deborah Mintz
Wilma Montanez
Thomas F. and
Constance Moran
Christie Pabon
Eugene Palmer
Frances Pandolfi
Ellen Pollan
Michael and
Jennifer Povman
Jane Quinn
Kimberly Rancourt and
Luke Andreson
Elinor Reed
Charles Rice-Gonzalez
Christopher Rizzo
Richard Roark
Martin Robards
John Roller
Katherine Ross Landau
Neal Ryan
Judith Saltzman
Daniela Santiago
Christopher Saporita
Amanda Schachter
Lenore Schlossberg
Katherine Schoonover
Andrew Schwartz
Gerald Segal
Ruth Siegler
Norma Silva
Bernice Silverman
Susan Silverman
David Simone
Mary Sivak
Cynthia and Gerald Sobel
Michael Spina
Robert and Teresa Stoeth
Lois Strell
Henry Stroobants
David Stuart
Margaret Sullivan
Nancy and Sanford Taffet
Ronald Temple
Kelly Terry
Laura Truettner Coles
Veronica Vanterpool
Sedra Varga
Cynthia Vredenburgh
Howard Waldman
Robert and Hillela Ward
James Webler
Marvin Wexler
Robert and Ava Wilensky
Daniel Wood
Hubert Wright
John and Jasmine Zutter
EVENT SPONSORS
Apple Bank For Savings
Beveridge & Diamond
Bloomberg Philanthropies
Bronx Lebanon Hospital
Center
Budweiser,
Anheuser-Busch
Carter Ledyard & Millburn
BRONX RIVER ALLIANCE, INC.
STATEMENT OF ACTIVITIES
FOR THE YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2014
(With comparative totals for the year ended December 31, 2013)
Public support and revenue:
Contributions
Government grants
In-kind contributions
Special event income
(net of direct expenses of $14,295)
Interest income
Miscellaneous Net assets released from restriction
Total public support and revenue
Expenses:
Program services
Supporting services
Management and general
Fundraising
Total supporting services
Total expenses
Change in net assets
Net assets-beginning of year
Net assets-end of year
Unrestricted
Restricted
12/31/14
12/31/13
$185,301
225,331
473,894
153,549
$285,000
$470,301
225,331
473,894
153,549
$452,866
326,025
583,821
138,495
1,460
1,249
0
1,325,784
1,482
8,297
0
1,510,986
1,050,414
1,050,414
1,228,362
157,133
159,860
316,993
1,367,407
0
0
157,133
159,860
316,993
1,367,407
157,769
200,046
357,815
1,586,177
19,298
(60,921)
(41,623)
(75,191)
701,484
552,152
1,253,636
1,328,827
$720,782
$491,231
$1,212,013
$1,253,636
1,460
1,249
345,921
1,386,705
(345,921)
(60,921)
LLP
City Parks Foundation
Con Edison
D’Arrigo Brothers
Durst Organization
Eileen Fisher
Herbert H. Lehman College
Hostos Community
College CUNY
Hub International
Hunts Point Terminal
Produce Cooperative
Association
Jujamcyn Theaters
Krasdale Foods
MBD Community Housing
Corporation
Metro Optics Eyewear
Modell’s
Montefiore Medical Center
New Fulton Fish Market
Sherwood Equities
Signature Urban
Properties LLC
Sims Metal Management
Spring Bank
The Broadway League Inc.
The Children’s Aid Society
Theatre Development
Fund, Inc.
Tryax Realty Management
United Health Care
Verizon
Vista Food Exchange, Inc
Walton Family Foundation
In 2014, the Bronx River Alliance secured $6.9 million in capital
funds for the following river restoration and greenway projects:
•$2.5 M for Bronx River Greenway improvements and
stormwater capture in Shoelace Park from USDOT’s
Transportation Alternatives Program
• $4.4 M for shoreline restoration in Starlight Park 2 from
the Department of the Interior’s Sandy Coastal Resiliency
Competitive Grant Program administered by the National Fish
and Wildlife Foundation
Bronx River Alliance
One Bronx River Parkway
Bronx, NY 10462
718.430.4665
bronxriver.org