Focus: Stewardship

The Ossining Youth Bureau collaborating with the Friends of the Old Croton Aqueduct This fall the Friends of the Old Croton Aqueduct (FOCA) responded to a request from the OYB to provide a volunteer experience for some Ossining students.

We designed a program to give the students some in-depth information about the Aqueduct Trail and two days of experience learning how to manage invasive plants. This included learning the rationale for doing this type of work, how to identify some of the invasive plants and then how to remove them.

Jennifer Arpi, Program Assistant from the OYB, worked to recruit the students, organized them, coordinated with the Friends including managing transportation, and then, by her presence, helped make the days a success. Six members of the Friends including three Board members collaborated to make this a valuable experience for the students. Two of the NY-NJ Trail Conference AmeriCorps Trail Stewards, who had been functioning as Aqueduct Trail Ambassadors on weekends and holidays this past season, collaborated with Board Member Diane Alden and Adrianna Waitkins to plan and carry out the invasive management section of this project. Adrianna handled many complicated logistics with aplomb and grace, including the delivery of the lunch-time pizza.

Below is a photo of Diane on the first day, September 21st, welcoming and orienting four of the participating six students, with Rosie, Trail Steward, looking on.

These are the two guys who did not make it into the group photo, collaborating in using the weed wrench. Joanna Riesman, the FOCA Board Administrator took the photo above and coordinated many of the logistics involved with this program.

Here is Stephen, Trail Steward, demonstrating the use of the weed wrench.

Jennifer Arpi and her sister Kaylee were proud to have been successful in removing this bittersweet vine by the roots.

The students collaborated with each other to help clear a section of the trail by a stone wall.

On September 28, nine OYB participants and Jennifer Arpi made their way by train to Dobbs Ferry and up the hill to the Keeper’s House to help with FOCA’s Aquefest. At the celebration of all things Aqueduct, students helped man the Aque-Duck flume and assisted kids in leaving their handprints on the banner celebrating 100 years of New York State’s park system. The students also got to tour the interior of the Keeper’s House and received a bit more information about the OCA’s history. Despite the drizzle, the OYB students and the crowd that came out to Aquefest had a great day.

On October 5, nine students accompanied by Jeffrey Santos, Youth Bureau Youth Advocate, received a tour of the Croton Dam in Croton George Park, including a lecture by Board Member Tom Tarnowsky. Tom described the history of the Dam, and led a walk up its west side to the stunning view of the reservoir. The group then took a hike led by Joanna Riesman across the Dam, down the east side to the beginning of the OCA trail, and back to the park. Joanna reported that the weather could not have been lovelier.

On the second day of invasive removal, October 12, eleven students participated; five of them were present on the first day, with only one drop-out of the six who came on September 21. Diane posed in this picture showing thumbs up for the success of the day. The folders in the students are carrying contained photos of the targeted invasive plants to help identify them. They also went home with a pamphlet listing the Prohibited and Regulated Invasive plants of New York State.

Jean Zimmerman, Board Member, came to take photographs, including the one above and then helped us keep track of which invasive species we were removing and how many, substituting for Adrianna who was keeping the tally. Here are Jean’s comments about the day: “I hope you’ll say this about Saturday: The event was great! It really got some urban kids thinking about nature, and how they themselves could make a difference to protect and restore plants. That’s no small thing. I loved seeing their excitement pulling up invasives small or large and using tools. They especially seemed to like using tools! I can see that some of them would want to revisit the Trail, given the chance. Bravo Diane and Trail Stewards and Adrianna! Great job. And please quote me on that!”

Special credit to Rosie and Stephen, the NY-NJ Trail Conference Trail Stewards who provided enthusiastic guidance to the students,and also helped plan both invasive removal days. They set up the station on both days. Our system was to divide the students into three groups, one led by Rosie, one by Stephen Mesa and one by Diane. We rotated the groups during the day so each group got to work with each of us, with three sessions each day.

An enormous thanks to Jean for coming to take photographs and for being a support and special presence during the day. Here she is helping to pack out some of the supplies.

Here are a few photos taken by Jean on the second day including some of the tools involved.

The students quickly mastered the technique of using the weed wrench to pull out bushes, shrubs and small trees. It seemed to be particularly empowering for the young women to be so successful. This is Kimberly using leverage to get the roots out.

Suyana was also proud to have been successful at removing this Siebold’s viburnum up by the roots. No resprouting of this very invasive shrub.

Using smaller tools, the students learned to be carefully persistent at getting the plants out by the entire root, even when they travel horizontally. Kaylee was pleased with her work!

As was Brian.

The students added their contributions to the piles of invasive plants and bushes removed by the volunteers and the Invasive Strike Force earlier in the month. The tally for the second day of invasive plants removed was a whopping 308 plants, probably an undercount.

Here is a photo showing the students at the end of the second Invasive Removal Day; the raised hands indicated they especially enjoyed becoming proficient at using the weed wrench. Turns out that using that tool was an empowering experience for them; it appeared that learning to use this tool effectively was the high point of this event.

The trail is now safer with fewer Barberry bushes, and the removal of many vines which could eventually grow and entangle our valuable trees. Kudos to all involved.

On October 19, the last day of their adventures with the Friends, ten of the students accompanied by Jennifer, received a tour at the Ossining Weir so they could see the inside workings of the tunnel on which they had been walking during their time on the trail. Sara reported that she enjoyed working with the students and that she was sure they enjoyed the experience.

Jennifer Arpi, Program Assistant of the Ossining Youth Bureau was asked to provide comments about our collaboration and provided the following statement:

“The Ossining Youth Bureau is very passionate about providing opportunities to the youth in our community and highlighting the importance of the environment. This year we had the pleasure of collaborating with the Friends of the Old Croton Aqueduct, to create and run a program for high schoolers focusing on the impact of invasive species. I was present at each activity and can say that it was so much fun, bringing all different types of youth together. We were so lucky to be able to get private tours and amazing mentors to teach us, and assist us patiently. We were exposed to new places, learned new skills, and made connections. I was thrilled with the outcome and I hope there is more opportunity for our organizations to unite in the future.”

Some of the students who participated provided their individual comments:

“I liked the program! This was a very good way to spend my time and learn new things. I got to know more places and meet people. This was a very good experience.” -Kaylee Arpi

“The environmental program was an amazing experience” – Kimberly Villa

“Not only is the environmental program useful for community service hours but additionally you get to learn about Ossining old and rich history” – Derick Campos

“The environmental program was a very good experience and it was very fun to travel around and learn about the environment and how to protect it” – John Galarza

Jennifer created a video showcasing the highlights of the program.

Photo credit: Lynn Salmon

The Fourth was definitely with us on the Old Croton Aqueduct Trail for the 2024 I Love My Park Day held on Saturday May 4th.  Here are a few highlights.

135 volunteers showed up, the most ever!  About 60% of the volunteers had participated in previous years but 40% were brand new.  This was our 13th I Love My Park Day sponsored by Parks & Trails NY, Riverkeeper Sweep and hosted by the Friends of the Old Croton Aqueduct.  29 children, accompanied by 106 adults made an enormous difference on the trail. As in the previous year, the removal of invasive species was targeted to specific sections of the trail to encourage the emergence of native species and to make space for the restoration planting.  We appreciated the continued support from our VIPs, local and state officials, Dana Levenberg, NY State Assemblywoman, Elizabeth Feldman, Ossining Town Supervisor and James Creighton, Deputy Supervisor, Town of Cortlandt, who arranged for the Town to be an official sponsor of ILMPD this year and helped promote it.

A team of four signed in the volunteers, helped them select their t-shirts, complete registration forms, fill in the free raffle tickets and put on their name tags and orient them to the day. Pictured are Sara Kelsey (on the left), long time member of the Friends of the Old  Croton Aqueduct and Nina Sukumar.  Not pictured are Jeri Froelich and Kathy Carlisle.  All four have been serving as registrars for many years.

Photo credit: Lynn Salmon

The volunteers were led by a group of expert crew leaders, including Bob DelTorto, President of the Bronx River Reservation Parkway Conservancy, horticulturalist Pete Ström, Ryan Liam McClean Ecological Stewardship Program Manager of the NY-NJ Trail Conference, Linda Rohleder, President of Wild Woods Restoration Project, and Leigh Draper, long time mentor and ILMPD crew leader & Eva Giorgi, Preserve Coordinator, both from Teatown Lake Reservation.

Other crew leaders included Ryan McClean, former NY NJ Trail Conference Trail Steward, two enthusiastic leaders of the garlic mustard brigades of families and children: Jamie Friedman and Brenda Timm, Realtor, also one of our event sponsors.  Adrianna Waitkins, our newest crew leader led the pachysandra management work.  Pablo Mora led the volunteers restoring a stone wall along with a crew member from J & C Masonry and Landscaping, Inc, completing the work that was done in past years.

Tom Lewis from Trillium Invasive Species Management, Inc. and Brad Gurr, a professional arborist from SavATree, both of whom brought crew members and worked independently.

Photo credit: Lynn Salmon

Here are some of the amazing facts and figures detailing what was accomplished. The two groups of garlic mustardteers removed a total of 587 pounds of garlic mustard.

Jamie Friedman, one of the crew leaders provided the following comment about the work: “It was wonderful to see the kids and their parents’ commitment to the work – they climbed the slopes, treading carefully back down with their arms filled with bunches of mature garlic mustard; working alongside their parents.  It was beyond gratifying for the volunteers to see the fruits of their labor in the form of giant bags full of weeds and lovely, clear trailside slopes, and it was equally special for the adults to hear the children’s chatter about invasive plants, and what we can do to support native species, echoing along the trail.”

Photo credit: Chris Mahoney  

Photo credit: Chris Mahoney

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Photo credit: Lynn Salmon  

Photo credit: Lynn Salmon  

Photo credit: Jamie Friedman

Photo credit: Lynn Salmon  

Photo credit: Jim Creighton    

Photo credit: Lynn Salmon

In the very challenging briar patch, the volunteers led by Leigh and Eva, with assistance from Dana, removed 225 pounds of invasive plants.

Photo credit: Rick Lash  

Photo credit Lynn Salmon

Photo credit: Chris Mahoney

Photo credit: Lynn Salmon

In addition to collaborating with the Briar Patch crew, Bob DelTorto removed hundreds of feet of vines from a stately walnut tree.

Photo credit: Rick Lash

A month after we saved the walnut tree, a Walnut sphynx moth, was found under the walnut tree:  Amorpha juglandins.

Photo credit: Diane Alden

Adrianna Waitkins, wrote the following:   “This was my first year as a crew Leader at ILMPD.  My group was responsible for the removal of a large patch of pachysandra.  In your garden, it is a welcome addition but, in the woods, it pushes out native plants and prevents them from growing. Working together we were able to accomplish the removal of most of the patch (61 pounds) … Besides giving back to the trail, it was enjoyable to meet new people and spend the day together working on the improvement and maintenance of this iconic trail.”

Photo credit: Diane Alden

Brad Gurr from SavATree: along with his crew of two and their equipment, razed 300 linear feet of a bramble hedge comprised of several species of invasive bushes.    He provided the following comments:

“Our crew was excited to arrive early to get our equipment into place and be ready to work our way out along the aqueduct… It was great fun to help out and to do our bit to keep the park looking better! We love our parks and love helping out!”

Photo credit: Tom Tarnowsky

Photo credit: Tom Tarnowsky

Photo credit: Tom Tarnowsky

The stone wall crew finished the work begun in previous years and with help the volunteers, restored the last 33 feet needing to be repaired.

Photo credit: Chris Mahoney

Photo credit: Chris Mahoney

The stone wall restoration in this section has now been completed, a project that the volunteers and our stone masons have been working on during I Love My Park Days since 2022.

Photo credit: Diane Alden

Ryan McClean, a former NY-NJ Trail Conference Trail Steward crew leader, returned to volunteer this year as an I Love My Park Day crew leader.   His group reported removing 15 pounds of Garlic mustard and Narrowleaf bittercress and 222 individual plants of Burning bush and Barberry.

Photo credit: Chris Mahoney

Pete Strӧm, our resident horticulturist and arborist, returned for the second year as a crew leader.  He wrote the following:

“Our group worked along a length of stonewall below the aqueduct.  Native species blackhaw viburnums and spicebush are growing in the area along with sensitive fern and wild geranium.  We worked to remove invasive shrubs to help prevent them from getting a foothold in the area… With each shrub removed we were rewarded with patches of bloodroot, cut-leaf toothwort and jewelweed seedlings growing happily.  The side of the trail was piled high with brush waiting to be chipped. We finished our time pulling vines from the stonewall exposing the moss-covered stones. The volunteers working with me were great and motivated.”

Photo credit: Tom Tarnowsky

Linda Rohleder, our long-time mentor and crew leader, worked in the morning in the “Secret Grotto,” reported removing 176 pounds of invasive Bittercress and Garlic mustard as well as 374 individual plants.

Photo credit: Lynn Salmon

In the afternoon Linda worked with volunteers in the Turtlehead Patch, an area of flowering native plants that are now growing in a section where invasive plants were removed in past years.  They removed 150 individual invasive plants.

Photo credit: Linda Rohleder

Tom Lewis and his crew managed 375 feet of invasive plants.  He came with his dad and the youngest volunteer, his son!

Photo credit: Tom Tarnowsky

Ryan L. McClean, Terrestrial Invasive Species Project Manager and Ecological Stewardship Program Manager of the NY-NJ Trail Conference reported the following: “our volunteer group worked with the New York-New Jersey Trail Conference’s Invasives Strike Force to remove a number of invasives. While burning bush and garlic mustard were the dominant species at their site, volunteers were also taught to identify and remove Japanese barberry, multiflora rose, oriental bittersweet, wineberry, Japanese honeysuckle, linden viburnum, and yellow archangel, a creeping nonnative ground cover, which was a surprising find! Removal of the small population will stop yellow archangel from spreading along the trail…. The site was vastly transformed after the removal of invasives and has now left ample space for natives to thrive”. This group reported removing 5436 individual invasive plants.

Photo credit: Chris Mahoney  

Photo credit: Chris Mahoney

Photo credit: Chris Mahoney

Photo credit: Chris Mahoney

Summary: If our math is correct, 7084 individual plants and 1134 pounds of bagged invasives species, mainly garlic mustard and narrow leaved bittercress were removed, plus many feet of vines threatening the health of an old majestic walnut tree anchoring an entrance to a section of the trail.

At lunch time we had our traditional prize drawing sponsored by longtime supporters, Feed the Birds and Robbins Pharmacy; Croton Running Company also donated a prize.

Photo credit: Chris Mahoney

So, what happened to all those bags of invasive plants we removed?  This year we made a major improvement and used paper lawn bags and arranged for the Town of Cortlandt’s Sanitation crew to remove them.  They were very enthusiastic about our change and were happy to make a special trip to haul them away.

Photo credit: Diane Alden

Special thanks go to our long-time financial sponsors: Terraces, Hudson View Auto in Croton, Marguerite Pitts and Brenda Timm, Realtor.  UPS Croton donated substantial printing services, flyers and lawn signs.

The contributions of the Black Cow Coffee Co. and Baked by Susan started the day with delicious morning treats and the provisions from Greens Natural Foods provided the lunch time nourishment that kept us going.

Giving credit where credit is due, we acknowledge the work of our photographers, Chris Mahoney, Tom Tarnowsky, Rick Lash and Lynn Salmon.

The special magic of the day was the camaraderie of the volunteers and crew who worked with such joy and enthusiasm while putting maximum effort into tending the trail.

(image: Wikipedia. By Hugo L. González – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0)

After its recent designation as the Bronx's first and only New York City Scenic Landmark, over forty volunteers gathered on Friday July 26 to clean up trash and show the pocket park some love. News 12 reported that the event was coordinated by The Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition, partnering with the Fordham BID and the Kingsbridge Road Merchants Association. A group of teens from Curriculum Kween's also lent a hand, using brooms, pickers, trash bags and gloves.

Organizers hope that the City will devote more of its budget to helping to keep these green spaces beautiful.

Read the News12 article HERE

Eleven NY NJ Trail stewards have been posted on the OCA at the entrance of the currently temporarily closed DEC owned Unique Area, rotating through in groups of three or four at a time during weekends and holidays since Memorial Day. Above is a photo of the 10 of the 11 crew members, taken in my backyard.

The Program Manager has agreed to have the stewards function as Aqueduct Trail Ambassadors, with the map posted at their table, selling maps as long as the customers can manage the on-line system our webmaster Katharine Gates designed, giving information to passersby and informing those rare visitors hoping to access the riverside that the Area is temporarily closed.

Every day they put out fresh water for dogs and stripe the parking area with sidewalk chalk and remove any trash they encounter. Tom Tarnowsky has already given them a lecture at the Croton Dam and Sara Kelsey is scheduled to give them a Weir tour on June 28; they will walk from Gerlach Park to the Weir so they will be in a good position to give trail walkers advice about how to navigate the trail.

You will note the empty chairs; this is because they have agreed to spend considerable time managing invasive species on the trail. So, while one or sometimes two stewards remain at the station, the others are out removing three invasive species that are currently getting ready to drop their seeds. They are working mainly on the hillsides, supplementing the work of the volunteers on I Love My Park Day, May 4 2024 who we did not want to send up the steep hills.

Here is Jaime, proudly surveying the area where she successfully cleared the hillside of invasive plants, making room for the native plants remaining there to flourish.

Here you can see three of them on the hillside, having cleared the lower section and working their way up to the top. Note the Christmas fern in the lower section of the photo just below the bag.

Each week the plants are placed in large landscape paper bags and taken to the trash cans in the Parking Area; I have arranged with the Cortlandt Sanitation Dept. to retrieve them on Mondays to bring to a landfill. The stewards weigh the bags and during May and June, they removed a total of 432 pounds.

Soon we will move to another section of the trail with a different set of invasive plants to manage, so the stewards will be learning to identify and manage a few at a time. They have each been provided with sketch books which they are using to document the plants they are studying and tell me that it has been a valuable exercise. Sometimes passers-by ask about what they are doing and showing them sketches has proven to be useful. I will begin to photograph their sketches when I can; they are very impressive.

The stewards have agreed to partner with me in September and October when 10 to 12 Ossining Youth Bureau members will be coming to the OCA to learn to manage invasive species on the trail; two days in the Cortlandt/Croton section and one day in Ossining, right by the Recreation Center where they are headquartered next to the Weir. It will be a good experience for the stewards (all recent college grads) to demonstrate and teach what they will have learned and I am sure they will be well received as tutors by the high school students. Joanna is working with the Youth Bureau to handle some of the logistics (transportation) and will also be present on the day Tom Tarnowsky will be giving the students a tour at the dam and most likely on the day when Sara Kelsey will be giving them a private Weir tour. They will also be given the opportunity to participate in Aquefest scheduled for October 5th in Dobbs Ferry. One of the Youth Bureau employees approached me on I Love My Park Day and requested that we provide the students with an opportunity to volunteer on the OCA, so Joanna Reisman and I have already had two meetings with the leadership to begin the planning process. In the July Friends Board meeting we will request approval for the funding that will be needed.

I Love My Park Day is organized and sponsored by Parks & Trails NY.

The Irvington Green Policy Task Force (GPTF) together with its partners the Friends of the Old Croton Aqueduct, NYS Parks, Garden Club of Irvington, Irvington Recreation Department, O’Hara Nature Center, Greater Irvington Land Trust, Pollinator Pathways, and the Irvington Department of Public Works organized a special clean up on the Old Croton Aqueduct in Irvington on a sunny Saturday.

Enthusiastic volunteers of all ages gathered to remove a large amount of non-native invasive plants from the OCA in the central part of the Village of Irvington. Following the removal, the group planted over 20 different species of native plants in the OCA community pollinator garden thanks to financial support from The Greater Irvington Land Trust and donations from Bedford2030 and the GPTF members.

The crew was rewarded with a delicious vegan pesto made of garlic mustard and hummus, and fresh veggies.

There was a wonderful cheerful atmosphere filled with camaraderie. It was excellent teamwork. Everyone was happy to contribute to an important cause.

Renee Shamosh of the Garden Club of Irvington writes: Below are photos of our enthusiastic volunteers removing some of the invasive vines which have been taking down trees and destroying fencing.  Many weeds and debris were removed from our site.  

Meet Barbara and Larry Fasman, who have cleared tires and worse from Tibbetts Brook Park and the Aqueduct Trail for 3 years in a row. .. and they don’t even live in Yonkers. Cleanup organizer Norma Silva, in center, was awed by their persistence! Barbara knows her trash: note the safety glasses!

Larry found trash bags from an apartment building, 585 McLean Avenue. He hauled them to the Aqueduct Trail, then the marvelous Green Team of teens walked the bags up the trail to the main roadway. Eventually, Yonkers Dept. of Public Works picked up the whole sorry collection …. even the new squash racket Larry found.

Shanae Williams and Corazon Pineda Isaac also come every year. Shanae and Corazon are fed up with the regular dumping inside Yonkers parks! Here are Green Team teens with Yonkers Councilwoman Pineda Isaac (middle row blue shirt), and Ms. Williams (bottom right), who serves on the County Board of Legislators.

Here’s our total haul.

The Green Team is a dream-come-true when the hauling gets too heavy! These high schoolers, trained and employed by Groundwork Hudson Valley, cracked jokes and worked nonstop. They show up every year too.

Maybe we will catch and fine the medical waste haulers, lazy apartment superintendents, tire vendors and contractors who treat public parks as a dump site. The solution is obvious – street lamps and a camera at the site. We’ve tried for almost 2 years but nothing happens, except more dumping at the same site.

Here’s to persistence! Thank you volunteers!

Guess who took the aqueduct trail by storm on Earth Day 2024? Families, neighbors and school classes scoured the trail clean! Parks & Recreation and Public Works departments made it happen. Big thanks to Commissioners Steve Sansone and Thomas Meier for supplying volunteers with gloves, water, potted flowers to plant, and garbage trucks that picked up all along the trail!

The aqueduct trail is a GATEWAY INTO YONKERS. Manhattan walkers, Brooklyn bikers and tri-state neighbors get a first impression of Yonkers from the trail. Finding old shoes and exploring the leaf litter gave everyone a look into the recent past.

A father-daughter team from Elmsford picked up trail trash between Walnut Street and Palisade Avenue. They found construction debris, fast food plastic, clothing, furniture and a microwave. Why come from so far? Because they walked through Yonkers to earn their 26-Mile badges, and “We thought we could make a difference here.” What a duo!

Sarah Lawrence volunteers planted new flowers at Walnut Street on the aqueduct trail. The flowers, provided by the Parks Department and Commissioner Steve Sansone, will welcome walkers and bikers all summer long.

On a gorgeous Saturday morning in mid-March, 35 volunteers, including many children and teens, gathered to learn about native and non-native flora and fauna.

The event was organized by the Irvington Green Policy Task Force in collaboration with the Friends of the Old Croton Aqueduct, the NYS Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, the Irvington Parks Department, the O’Hara Nature Center and the Pollinator Pathways Project.

Led by the Friends of the Old Croton Aqueduct Horticulturist Peter Strom, and the Irvington Green Policy Task Force volunteers Jasena Sareil, Leola Specht, and Lisa Antonelli, the volunteers split into their chosen groups: non-native invasives and Spotted lanternflies egg masses identification and removal; expansion of community pollinator garden; and litter collection/removal.

The event helped create awareness of the benefits of non-native invasives removal and planting of natives to regenerate biodiversity and provided the community with a wonderful hands-on experience.

The Irvington GPTF is planning to organize with their partners two additional similar community events on the OCA later this year (spring and fall) to further help educate the community about the native plants contribution to the local ecosystem and sustainability.

The goal is to restore the OCA areas where the non-native invasives were removed in favor of native plants including small trees and shrubs suitable for the location to minimize soil erosion and support pollinators.

We are taking a great deal of action on protecting, preserving, and restoring Irvington’s portion (almost 2 miles!) of the Old Croton Aqueduct State Park!

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.