“From coastal resiliency and sustainable green practices to the preservation of affordable housing, world-class public art, and vibrant, year-round programming in award-winning public spaces, Battery Park City leads the way in many of the measures that makes cities livable."
BPC Parks Happenings is a monthly “snapshot” of the Authority’s work in maintaining Battery Park City’s parks and public spaces. Scroll down to see what’s on for February!
–Clean Sweep: Winter is still going strong with cold weather. Once temperatures rise above freezing, we will wash down heavily soiled areas such as the dog runs and pathways.
–Brick By Brick: We will also continue masonry repair work on sidewalks and pathways once temperatures rise above freezing.
–Ice Ice Baby: In the event of possible snow, our parks team will be out to clear paths for safe access. We ask that you are aware of the machinery within the open spaces and travel on clear paths. If you see an area not yet cleared, please contact info.bpca@bpca.ny.gov.
–Temporary Time-Out: Our “Fireman’s Pole” play feature in Rockefeller playground is currently closed as we are await replacement parts to make repairs.
–We Want YOU: Battery Park City Authority Horticulture team is looking for volunteers in Spring 2025 to join us in completing gardening tasks like weeding, watering, and deadheading of plants. Please fill out our application form if you’re interested or email info.bpca@bpca.ny.gov for our volunteer form.
–Shaping Growth: Look up and be mindful of the continued effort to perform annual tree pruning around Battery Park City to care for our urban tree canopy. Check out our BPC Tree Map for in-depth information on all trees and plants found within Battery Park City.
–Oh Tannenbaum: We chipped 1,618 Christmas trees! Wood chips from the donated Christmas trees will be used in the parks in a variety of ways; including mulch for our gardens and provide a carbon source for our composting. Thank you for your participation in the successful program that helps to fertilize the trees, flowers, and other plants in BPC!
–Can You Dig It: Soil samples will be taken throughout the park this month as a part of our regular annual soil testing for physical, chemical, and biological analysis. This will help our gardeners have a better understanding of the health of our soils in our gardens.
–Lichens are for Lovers: Let’s get enlichened! Assistant Horticulturist, Matt Vitale, pictured below, is identifying lichen species on a crabapple. We are conducting a Lichen bioblitz in the park and would love for you to join us with contributing observations. Lichens are mini ecosystems consisting of two organisms: a mushroom and a photosynthetic partner (algae or cyanobacteria). They are indicators of air quality and play an important role in our biodiversity. We invite you to contribute pictures of lichens that you see in the park on the iNaturalist BPC Wildlife project.
Sustainability at BPCA
• In December we composted 7,029 lbs. of food waste and 70 lbs. of dog waste from the community. Wrapping up composting for 2024, 953 lbs. of dog waste was composted, and we hit another record high food composting number of 79,825 lbs. of food waste. This was over 3,000 lbs. More than 2023!
• Please remember to use our green compost bins to discard your food waste. And if you’re walking along the South Esplanade or in one of our three dog runs, help BPCA reach zero waste by composting your dog waste.
• Our community food compost drop-offs, located at 75 Battery Place, Gateway Plaza, 200 Rector, the lower level of River Terrace and Chambers Street and the Esplanade by North Cove Marina are open 24/7 for drop-off of food scraps for our compost program.
• Our Path to Zero! As a decades-long leader in sustainability, BPCA is striving to divert 90% of what is sent to landfill! To continue helping toward our Zero Waste goal, we ask that you rethink what you throw away in the parks, and please recycle or compost items.
Actions that make a difference in the Parks
• Use refillable coffee cups and water bottles • Place compostable items in compost bins • Place dog waste (without baggies) in designated bins • Minimize waste such as plastic snack bags • Only take what you need when eating out, such as ketchup and other condiment packets and napkins • Minimize plastic utensils – bring your own
