Trees toppled. Paths ripped up. Carousels damaged. Electrical wiring submerged in salt water and short-circuited. That’s just part of the mess Superstorm Sandy has left behind in New York City parks. Help repair the damage by donating directly to the public-private partnerships and conservancies that support he NYC Dept. of Parks and Recreation.
Remember that all NYC parks are closed until further notice. That should not stop you from donating money to help the repair when they do re-open. It could be the smartest Hurricane Sandy online shopping you do this week.
Central Park — The most famous, and arguably most beloved park in the world, lets you endow a single tree, or more. The Central Park Conservancy reported to me that 250 mature trees are down, many benches and fences destroyed. They are still assessing damage because there’s a lot of ground to cover — Central Park is 843 acres and contains thousands of trees, thousands of benches and dozens of miles of paths. Not to mention two ice skating rinks, a carousel, a zoo, a city reservoir, and dozens of bronze statues. Click here to donate to the Central Park Conservancy
High Line — This park is in the Evacuation Zone A, so it’s double off-limits. High Line officials report minimal damage to plantings, but electrical wiring is underground, and may have suffered massive damage from salt water flowing into basements in Chelsea and Meatpacking from the Hudson River. Click here to donate to the restoration of the High Line.
Brooklyn Bridge Park — This park was under more than three feet of water in the height of the storm. There’s been damage to historic Jane’s Carousel, which just reopened this past summer after a lengthy multi-million dollar restoration. Click here to donate to the Brooklyn Bridge Conservancy.
Prospect Park — This huge park in the center of Brooklyn sustained significant damage in the storm. Adopt a horse on the carousel, or a bench, or more. Click here to donate to the Prospect Park Conservancy.
New York Restoration Project — Superstar entertainer Bette Middler started this non-profit organization to supply and plant trees throughout New York City, including sidewalks and parks, and support local community gardens. The goal is to plant one million trees by 2017. Some of the trees already planted were ripped out by the storm. Click here to donate to the New York Restoration Project.
photo taken by Evelyn Kanter at Riverside Park on Upper West side.
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