Last night at Bronx River Alliance 2015 Assembly, Bronxites came out to Hostos Community College to celebrate one of our most precious resources: The Bronx River.
Much like The Bronx, the river itself has gone through its ups and downs and is going through some major transformations and last night, residents were able to watch some slideshow presentations catch up on some of the bigger projects going on including the construction of Bronx River House which will be the new home of the Bronx River Alliance once it opens (hopefully) in October of this year.
Nilka Martell of G.I.V.E and who was selected as one of the 25 most influential women of the year by the Bronx Times this year, held a brief moment of silence for the late Morgan Powell who’s love of the Bronx River and history was a gift he freely gave to all with his tours, talks, and writings, and research.
Bronx River House is truly a wonderful building that will compliment The Bronx River in so many ways via every inch of its design. The building, which is being constructed in Starlight Park, will be covered in lattices which will allow for plants and vines to grow across it and will, in essence, be a part of the living ecology of The Bronx River.
Designed by Kiss+Cathcart, Architects, not only will the 7,000 square foot structure house about 20 staff members but it will also feature the following (you can download the full PDF here):
- A boathouse with storage capacity for 30 canoes, 9 kayaks, and other boats
- A nature classroom along with a multipurpose community room
During the evening the crowd was also presented with some water safety tips by the United States Coast Guard based out over in City Island (a very appropriate topic considering some of the tragic deaths in the river this past year) and talks about water quality were also part of the program.
Of course, the evening wouldn’t have been complete without a short talk on New York City’s FIRST fish ladder along the Bronx River (you can watch a quick video here on a test run with water running through it). Once operational this year, the fish ladder will allow for the alewife herring to be able to migrate and return to their freshwater spawning grounds for the first time in hundreds of years!
As usual, it was a beautiful evening uniting Bronxites from all corners of our borough celebrating our love for this place we call home and all the wonderful natural resources we are lucky to have.
The evening was made possible by sponsors such as are favorite coffee purveyor Lovie Pignata of Morris Perk who served up some delicious brew and organic earl grey tea along with amazing cookies by Taylor Made Creations, Inc., Lloyd’s Carrot Cake, Fairway, and The Wine Cellarage.
We’re looking forward to the continuing revival of The Bronx River and preserving it for future generations to come.
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