Showing posts with label "Friends of Brook Park". Show all posts
Showing posts with label "Friends of Brook Park". Show all posts

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Community Organizations in the South Bronx Announce the Exciting Live Streaming of Red Tail Hawks Nesting

Here is news on three Bronx entities that united to make sure we all have an extra opportunity to connect with mother nature. They installed a video cam to provide live footage of a Red-tailed Hawk that calls the our borough home. Kudos to everyone that took the time to make the video stream a reality.

Gregory

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The South Bronx, N.Y. – A new nest camera in an undisclosed location in the South Bronx is streaming up-close, high-definition views of a Red-tailed Hawk nest <http://www.ustream.tv/channel/southbronxhawks> thanks to a partnership of local organizations.

The new video stream puts viewers seven stories off the ground and right beside the nest, where they can watch the hawks arrive, see them taking turns feeding the recent hatchlings the eggs, and compare notes on the birds.

The Female, who delivered three eggs has not been named yet. Visitors to the “BirdCam” site can vote on what to call all the hawks.

To watch, go to: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/southbronxhawks

BronxWorks Executive Director Carolyn Executive Director said, “BronxWorks is thrilled to host this nest of three wonderful red tailed hawk chicks. We salute the Bronx groups who have worked over the years to heighten the environmental awareness of the people of the Bronx and to make the Bronx more environmental friendly.”

“I was so pleased to hear that yet another family of wild creatures has taken up residence in the Bronx,” said Congressman José E. Serrano who represents the area and has been known as a vocal supporter of environmental initiatives, and even has a beaver in the Bronx River named after him to recognize his support for it’s revitalization. “It seems that all the new green spaces we’ve created over the years are attractive to humans and wildlife. I look forward to checking in on the nest on the HawkCam, and watching them grow and thrive.”

It is believed that these are the same two parents that have nested young here for at least the past three years.

On the weekend of the 14th of April the first eggs hatched. The last of the three hatched this morning it is believed. (The typical clutch size for Red-tailed hawks is two to three eggs.) It has been about four weeks since the eggs were laid.

The nest should be active for at least the next two months.

To make sure no one misses a moment of the early stages of this Red-tailed Hawk story, BronxWorks and Friends of Brook Park created a temporary BirdCam website for the world to watch these magnificent birds.

Friends of Brook Park are no strangers to the local raptors. Their team was credited with rescuing a Red Tail Hawk in 2010 that was later released in Central Park.
See here for that story: http://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/X246/dailyplant/22274

Daniel Chervoni, Head Gardener with Friends of Brook Park and avid Bird Watcher often walking around the neighborhood with his binoculars and camera said, “We are always trying to help restore Nature around here. This shows you why we need to preserve all the community gardens we have now, and create more open space, especially on our waterfront.”

Candido Nieves, a local resident and volunteer with Friends of Brook Park who also helped rescue the hawk in 2010 said,”I am so happy to see our hawks coming back again. I hope some of the local schools will use this as a resource in their classroom to inspire the next generation to protect the environment.”

See some of Mr. Chervoni’s footage of a hawk landing in the nest from street level here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3sGGT4QSk-0&list=UUs2k1xeaLq8INorOa3iwiVQ&index=1&feature=plpp_video


More on BronxWorks here:
BronxWorks helps individuals and families improve their economic and social well-being. From toddlers to seniors, we feed, shelter, teach, and support our neighbors to build a stronger community.
http://www.bronxworks.org/

More on Friends of Brook Park here:
Friends of Brook Park is a leading environmental organization in the South Bronx, working to cultivate community gardens and food justice, and for the revitalization of our waterfront with green jobs and public access.
http://www.friendsofbrookpark.org/

Congress Member Serrano of the 16th District:
http://serrano.house.gov/

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Protest Against Military Recruiters Targeting Bronx Youth

Anyone who has grown up in the Bronx knows first hand that a "high majority" of U.S. soldiers come from our neighborhoods. The rampant drug addiction in the 70's that helped decimate the South Bronx was a direct result of Vietnam.

Even though I do NOT agree with the Friends of Brook Park in regard to their views on Fresh Direct, I do see them being 100% on point with their present battle against military recruiters targeting Bronx youth.

They should push for a law making sure all members of Congress and the US Senate send their children to the front lines each time they vote for our youth to do the same; not the Coast Guard, the front lines! Lets hope they don't open up another front in Iran.

Gregory

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Military recruiters target kids in communities continue to suffer the worst service cuts of the Obama Administration.

This Thursday activists inspired by the Granny Peace Brigade will distribute informative flyers to parents and students in our neighborhood high school.

Contact: mutualaid10@gmail.com

These flyers explain how recruiters lie, that parents have the right to prevent school administrators from giving their children's personal/private information to recruiters, and that youth in our community have opportunities to earn an income other than the joining wars for oil which the Pentagon are looking for troops for.

Join us at 141st street and Brook Avenue at 4:45 p.m. on Thursday to learn how you can help and to distribute flyers.

If you can't make it, check out the Granny Peace Brigade here:

http://www.grannypeacebrigade.org/counter_recruitment.html

There are schools throughout the city with folks. One hour only!
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Friends of Brook Park
http://www.friendsofbrookpark.org
646.648.4362
PO Box 801
South, South Bronx, NY 10454

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

"Battle for Brooklyn" to be shown at the Bronx Documentary Center

Even though I have clearly voiced my opinion in favor of Fresh Direct coming to the Bronx, here is a post related to an event organized by "South Bronx Unite Stop Fresh Direct", "Friends of Brook Park" and "Development Don't Destroy Brooklyn". The organizations have joined forces to show a documentary related to "developer abuse" in BROOKLYN. I assume the documentary deals with the use of eminent domain to confiscate private property so public or private development can take place? I don't see the connection since I do believe eminent domain was NOT used in the Fresh Direct Deal. I doubt there even changing the zoning. Where I see Fresh Direct bringing jobs, commerce and a fleet of ELECTRONIC ZERO EMISSION TRUCKS to an industrial zone that sees an estimated 85,000 fuel burning trucks per day, they have a vision for a park with a bicycle bridge connecting to Randals Island. I am sure the event will be passionate and informative. Let the debate begin!!! The more information the public has, the better.

Gregory

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Join South Bronx Unite Stop Fresh Direct; Develop Don’t Destroy Brooklyn; and Good Jobs New York for a screening of the award-winning documentary Battle for Brooklyn at Bronx Documentary Center.



Thursday, March 8 at 7:00pm
614 Courtlandt Avenue (@ 151st St.)
Bronx, New York 10451
(close to the 2 or 5 train at 3rd Avenue—149th)

Battle for Brooklyn (93 minutes) follows the story of reluctant activist Daniel Goldstein as he struggles to save his home and community from being demolished to make way for a professional basketball arena and the densest real estate development in U.S. history.

The film will be followed by a Q&A featuring the filmmakers; Develop Don’t Destroy Brooklyn’s Daniel Goldstein; Good Jobs New York’s Bettina Damiani; and South Bronx Unite Stop Fresh Direct. The discussion will explore how mega economic development deals that seem isolated are connected by grassroots struggles that affect us all. Panelists will discuss the seven-year battle over Forest City Ratner’s eminent domain abuse at Atlantic yards and the current burgeoning struggle against the city’s proposal to help move FreshDirect, the online grocer, from Queens to the Bronx waterfront, where activists have long been trying to establish a greenway. Both are campaigns against destructive, undemocratic, and publicly subsidized land deals bolstered by spurious promises of jobs that, as “Battle for Brooklyn” proves, never seem to materialize.