Report: Yonkers I Love My Park Day May 6 2023

March 4, 2024 | DAlden

Event organizer Norma Silva pulled together another very impactful ILMPD on a section of the Aqueduct that borders Westchester County’s Tibbitts Brook Park, sponsored as always by Parks & Trails NY (which provided the red t-shirts) in collaboration with Westchester Parks Foundation, River Keeper Sweep and Groundwork Hudson Valley’s Green Team. They were delighted to have their work acknowledged by the presence of City of Yonkers Council Member Corazon Pineda-Issac.

Amazing what 38 volunteers could accomplish!

They removed 126 tires that had been dumped on the Trail.

They also removed a significant amount of trash – 580 pounds worth!

They also removed 35 bags full of invasive plants, including Garlic mustard and Multi-flora rose, making space for restoration planting in the fall.

That took place in October when 48 native ecotype species of Goldenrod were planted in collaboration with Wild Woods Restorations Project, which supplied the plants and supervised the planting.

And on May 5 2024 Norma Silva will pull together the various community members and local organizations to host I Love My Park Day in the same location, building on the considerable successes of the past few years. Stay alert for the announcement that registration has opened, scheduled for early April.

Preservation

The Friends of the Old Croton Aqueduct are committed to preserving the historic structures atop and underneath the trail. The Friends took part in the reopening of the High Bridge and undertook the complete renovation and reopening of the Keeper’s House in Dobbs Ferry.

Advocacy

The Friends of the Old Croton Aqueduct advocate for the Old Croton Aqueduct and Tunnel, fighting to preserve the integrity of the park and to protect it from encroachments by private landowners. Please find below examples of our work.

Stewardship

The Friends of the Old Croton Aqueduct work to maintain the beauty of the undeveloped trail and the integrity of the entire length of the tunnel from Croton into New York City. We are always looking for volunteers interested in getting involved with adopting a part of the trail for invasive management and native plant restoration. We also have an annual cleanup of the trail in Yonkers.TENDING THE TRAIL: INVASIVE PLANT MANAGEMENT & RESTORING WITH NATIVE PLANTS HISTORIC WALL RESTORATION

Education

The Friends of the Old Croton Aqueduct educate the public about the history or the tunnel and trail. SCHOOL TOURS LECTURES, WALKS AND TOURS NEWSLETTERS Please find below some of our educational content.