NYCkayaker watertrail kickoff event 3/27

Fri Mar 28 10:41:28 EDT 2008

I must say that this development is breathtaking.  Here is some early 
history:

Around 1984 or '85 there was an initiative to create Parks launch sites 
spurred on by Chuck Sutherland but it languished.  Then about 1988 Parks 
created the office of Waterfront Planning with Ann Buttenweiser as director 
and with an assistant (the office was located in one of the turrets atop the 
Arsenal HQ building in Central Park near the zoo).  Joe Borker and I (both 
of the MCKC club) were approached to help identify potential sites, answer 
questions of what kayakers would want in the sites, etc.  We even toured 
with Ann and her assistant to some potential spots.

In the Parks Dept each boro has its own head who is quite autonomous.  Some 
were keen on the idea such as Brooklyn and the Bronx which improved sites 
with gravel paths to the water, bulkheading and even a kayak dock in one 
case.  Others boros were lukewarm.  Still, we had initial success in getting 
at least one in each boro (some cases we got 2).

Parks wanted to monitor usage and reduce liability.  So, it started the 
permit program ($2) that included a waiver to make Parks feel happier about 
liability.  I wrote a one page description sheet on particulars of each site 
(location, how to get there, parking, nearby amenities, possible paddle 
trips from location, local water hazards etc.) and there was also a good 
writeup on safety and equipment that Parks had (with information mainly from 
Chuck Sutherland, I believe)  All this printed information was then 
photocopied and attached to each permit.

Then internal Park politics killed off sites.  We lost the two in Staten 
Island for example and sites in Brooklyn and the Bronx, mainly because of 
local opposition.  The one at the far end of Staten Island was scratched 
because the curator at the Conference House feared fleets of kayaks would be 
dragged across the lawns; the SI one at Alice Austen park was killed by the 
Sandy Hook Pilots Association (their office was within sight of the site) 
that maintained kayakers would roam into the nearby anchorage and be hit by 
a ship as it swung around with the change of current (did you ever see how 
slowly that process takes?).  One in Brooklyn had its floating dock cut by 
locals and pushed out to sea and the wooden ramp to it set ablaze. In 
Manhattan, 79th St was on and off again like a yo-yo.  Then, the Waterfront 
Planning office was eliminated because of a severe budget crisis in the City 
under Dinkins.

Now, we have this enormous evidence of a new page being turned with the 
Parks Dept creating more sites and incorporating non-Park sites into the 
great interactive map on the Web and on waterproof paper.

Congratulations to all the kayakers and groups that have helped made this 
delirious development possible in New York City.

BTW, we have something positive happening in Highland NY where I now live. 
The town is located on the West shore of the Hudson across from 
Poughkeepsie.  On this side of the river there has shamefully been no public 
access to the river for some 16 miles of shore line from Esopus down to 
Newburgh.  Our town will now have the first such access in a new public 
park, the Bob Shepard Highland Landing Park.  Closing on the property is 
April 11th and one of the first developments will be a simple kayak launch 
site with funding from Greenway.

ralph diaz
highland, ny

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Harold Lifshutz" <hl16 at nyu.edu>
To: <nyckayaker at rockandwater.net>
Sent: Thursday, March 27, 2008 8:42 PM
Subject: Re: NYCkayaker watertrail kickoff event 3/27

> here's a news link about it
>
> http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/03/27/paddle-to-the-sea-but-first-get-the-map/
> history in the making.
>
> harold
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Gowanus Dredgers <dredgers at excite.com>
> Date: Thursday, March 27, 2008 8:19 pm
> Subject: NYCkayaker  watertrail kickoff event 3/27
> To: nyckayaker at rockandwater.net
>
>
>>  Ahoy NY NJ Kayakers!
>>
>>  I am sure there will be multiple descriptions of todays event but I
>> just found a DPR link that's amazing!  Check out all of the new DPR
>> sites!  Dredgers have added it to our links and we suggest you all add
>> the link to your sites!
>>
>>  http://www.nycgovparks.org/sub_things_to_do/facilities/kayak/
>>
>>  Let's Dredge!
>>
>>  Oern Foote
>>  Gowanus Dredger
>>  dredgers at excite.com
>>  718 243 0849
>>  www.gowanuscanal.org
>>
>>  PLEASE NOTE, our new address:
>>  ------------------------
>>  Gowanus Dredgers Canoe Club
>>  P.O. Box 24403
>>  Brooklyn, NY 11202-4403
>>
>>   --- On Tue 03/18, Tim Gamble < tgamble at syllog.com > wrote:
>>  From: Tim Gamble [mailto: tgamble at syllog.com]
>>  To: nykc at groups.mac.com, nyckayaker at rockandwater.net, 
>> pier63holdtrips at yahoogroups.com
>>  Date: Tue, 18 Mar 2008 09:49:11 -0400 (EDT)
>>  Subject: NYCkayaker watertrail kickoff event 3/27
>>
>>  Hi Guys,<br><br>I think Erik posted a notice already about the
>> Watertrail Kickoff Event on<br>3/27, but I wanted to include another
>> reminder.<br><br>The Parks department sent out a large MS word
>> document introduction, I<br>have included the text below.<br><br>Since
>> it is on our home turf the Red Hook Boaters has volunteered
>> to<br>supply some kayaks for a photo-opp, to contribute to the
>> festivities. I<br>think Parks has also reached out to the Village
>> Community Boathouse, and<br>the Sebago Canoe Club.<br><br>It is
>> important that the entire paddling community try to make a show
>> of<br>support of this initiative. Is anyone else available from
>> 10:00AM to<br>12:00PM on the 27th?<br><br>Come by water, appropriately
>> dressed in a drysuit, or by land. I can bring<br>a bunch of PFDs, and
>> paddles to hand-out as a visual aid for people who<br>don't go in the
>> water.<br><br>Email me BACKCHANNEL if you want to paddle over,
>> otherwise just come down.<br>EITHER WAY PLEASE RSVP AS REQUESTED
>>  BELOW. A lot of RSVP's will<br>demonstrate to Parks that we are
>> interested.<br><br>Tim Gamble<br><br><br>Text of Document From
>> Parks.<br>vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv<br>Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe
>> cordially invites you to attend the<br>launch of the<br><br>**NYC
>> Watertrail**<br>A Map & Guide to the NYC Waterways<br><br>Valentino
>> Pier Red Hook, Brooklyn<br><br>(Located within Valentino Parkat the
>> corner of Coffey & Ferris Streets)<br><br>Thursday, March 27,
>> 2008<br>11:00 a.m.<br><br>Please R.S.V.P. by calling (718)
>> 520-5905<br><br>**********************************************************************<br>The
>> NYCKayaker mailing list is hosted by www.rockandwater.net, and is a
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>> Watertrail Association. Learn more about HRWA at
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>>
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>> Watertrail Association. Learn more about HRWA at www.hrwa.org
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> **********************************************************************
> The NYCKayaker mailing list is hosted by www.rockandwater.net, and is a 
> public service offered to the kayaking community by the Hudson River 
> Watertrail Association. Learn more about HRWA at www.hrwa.org
>
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