City of Water Day

The 15th annual City of Water Day returns to the shores of the metropolitan region on Saturday, July 16, 2022. A celebration of the waters that surround us, and an opportunity to learn about the current and future impacts of climate change and sea level rise, City of Water Day is organized by the Waterfront Alliance, the NY-NJ Harbor & Estuary Program (HEP), and many other partners.

Underscoring the importance of a resilient and equitably shared waterfront, dozens of shoreline communities in New York and New Jersey will produce satellite In Your Neighborhood events on July 16. Each In Your Neighborhood site will feature unique activities related to that coastal neighborhood, from hands-on science workshops and free kayaking to art projects.

Waterfront Alliance will produce Art at the BlueLine, a climate art installation at Lower Manhattan’s Seaport on City of Water Day 2022.

BROOKLYN EVENTS

1) Gowanus Arts Address Our Climate Crisis

• Organizer: Gowanus Dredgers Canoe Club
• Time: 11 AM – 7 PM
• Join the Gowanus Dredgers Canoe Club and Arts Gowanus, from 11am -7pm, for a shoreline stroll and street walk to view quirky art and environmental restoration activities. In a neighborhood once notorious for industrial pollution and the death of waterfront marine life, a vibrant renaissance and rebirth is underway. Featuring artwork by Gowanus Artists highlighting issues of climate change and waterfront engagement on display outdoors for the entire day and viewable for the month of July and early August at the Gowanus Shoreline public walkway. Arts Gowanus and the Gowanus Dredgers Canoe Club invited a number of artisans to participate and have reproduced their works for display at our waterfront. You may also join them for a small evening reception, 5-7 pm, where we expect participating artists to attend and speak to their works and you can receive updates on the construction underway for over 6,100 new Gowanus apartments. The event is rain or shine but if raining, the social gathering would occur inside Gowanus Dredgers boathouse at 165 2nd St.
  For more information visit https://gowanuscanal.org/gowanus-arts-address-our-climate-crisis
• Location: Gowanus Shoreline Esplanade

2) Floating Garden Workshop

• Organizer: RETI Center
• Join the RETI center on City of Water Day to help build and launch a floating garden from their barge in Gowanus Bay. RETI Center is constructing a salt marsh environment on our coastline developed by design firm thread collective. Participants will be working to help build and launch a floating garden that incorporates marsh grasses, mussels, oysters and kelp that’s built entirely of salvaged and sustainable materials like scaffolding planks, reclaimed fishing nets, wine corks, salvage steel, and more. All skill levels and ages welcome. Refreshments, all tools and supplies will be provided. Learn more at https://www.reticenter.org/
• Location: RETI Center Barge

3) Our Varied Expressions of Resiliency

• Organizer: Coney Island Beautification Project
• Join Coney Island Beautification Project as they celebrate this year’s City of Water Day by educating residents about sea level rise and resilience. A range of diverse groups will table at Kaiser park, displaying a wide range of climate related messages. Activities will be available for all age levels and all participants will get the chance to express themselves through painting, music, writing and more! Be sure to stay on top of their latest City of Water Day news by following them here: https://www.facebook.com/cibproject/
• Location: Kaiser Park – Bayview Avenue near Coney Island Creek

4) Citizen Science Fishing Clinics

• Organizer: Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy
• Take part in Brooklyn Bridge Park’s citizen science Fishing Clinics and contribute to ecological surveys with marine biologists. The Conservancy’s rod and reel clinics are designed to introduce the public to the ecology and life of the East River, in order to foster conservation and environmental stewardship of our waterways. Working with expert anglers and a marine biologist, participants will learn the basics of line fishing, while contributing to an ecological survey — helping to monitor the health of our river. All organisms caught are cared for by professionals and safely returned back to the water. To learn more visit https://www.brooklynbridgepark.org/
• Location: Brooklyn Bridge Park, Pier 5 Fishing Station

5) Sebago Canoe Club Open House

• Organizer: Sebago Canoe Club
• Join Sebago Canoe Club’s free open house on City of Water Day! Visitors will be able to join short paddling or rowing excursions on Jamaica Bay, Brooklyn, NY. Arrive early, gates open at 10am! Last trip sign up is 1pm and trips fill quickly. Guided group outings led by trip leaders in kayaks, canoes and other rowing vessels will last approximately 30 minutes. All participants must sign a waiver on the day of the event. All minors (under 18) must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardians. Participants must be 16 years old to use single occupancy kayaks. Minors of any age may board any other vessel accompanied by a parent or guardian. All participants must wear properly fitted life jackets (supplied by SCC). Advance tickets strongly recommended. Limited walk-ups. For more info go to https://sebagocanoeclub.org/open-house/.
• To register go to https://www.eventbrite.com/e/292072425487
• Location: Sebago Canoe Club

6) Gowanus Watermark Walk

• Organizer: Gowanus Dredgers
• The Gowanus Dredgers will lead a shore walk to explore and understand the extent of Superstorm Sandy’s flooding around the Gowanus Canal, and reflect on the past and future flows of water in the neighborhood. While they explore ghost streams, contemplate the Laurentide Ice Sheet of yesteryear, and imagine future storms intensified by climate change, they will delve into the shared history of water and society along the Gowanus estuary, and consider potential futures for this intrepid shoreline. Walk leaders will welcome comments, questions, and input from attendees throughout. To learn more, go to http://www.gowanuscanal.org/
• Meet outside Mirror In the Woods, 575 Union St., 2 blocks from R Union St subway station, Brooklyn, NY 11217. We’ll walk roughly 2 miles counterclockwise around the head of the Gowanus Canal along Hurricane Sandy’s flood extent, concluding at the Third St. Bridge near the intersection with 3rd Avenue.

7) Gowanus Science Saturday

• Organizer: Gowanus Dredgers Canoe Club
• Join the Gowanus Dredgers Canoe Club at the shoreline to help survey and map the Gowanus Canal. Their underwater drone will explore and record what lies below the surface of the Gowanus Canal. Participants will also get the chance to view some footage captured earlier this season and even get the opportunity to take the helm of their submersible robot! For more information about this event be sure to visit them here: http://www.gowanuscanal.org/
• Location: Gowanus Dredgers Boathouse

8) Community Testing Day

• Organizer: Human Impacts Institute
• The Human Impacts Institute’s summer youth fellows are partnering with the NYC Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and Urban Soils Institute to bring environmental health testing to City of Water Day. Participants are encouraged to bring a sample of soil from their home for Urban Soils Institute to test on-site for heavy metals. DEP will provide exciting education about NYC’s waterways and sewer systems. Participants are encouraged to attend and learn more about the health of their water and soil! Visit them here for their latest updates: www.humanimpactsinstitute.org
• Location: Marsha P. Johnson State Park

9) (Re)Imagining Greenpoint’s Green Waters

• Organizer: EXILED TONGUES
• (Re)Imagining Greenpoint’s Green Waters integrates artistic programming with community sustainability initiatives to bring wider attention to the polluted waters of Newtown Creek, offering methods that use community participation, techniques of ARTIVISM within an abolitionist framework, and aesthetics of “Theater of the Oppressed” to promote remediation of the Creek. This event on City of Water Day aims to repair the relationship between residents from neighborhoods along Newtown Creek by making the Creek widely accessible to the public. By working with the Newtown Creek Nature Walk, and local nonprofits and businesses our project they showcase the waterfront as a place of pleasure and community building. An interactive public arts festival will be hosted at Kingsland Wildflowers. The festival will feature local artists and community members educating audiences about the ongoing environmental struggles at Newtown Creek. Each artist will have their own salon for community members to easily view and move through and the festival will act as an entry point for residents to share concerns about climate change and racial/environmental justice. It will culminate in the presentation of a sculpted podium which will serve as a symbol for the ongoing community work that needs to be done to bring attention to the Superfund site. In addition to the festival, participants will also get the chance to join canoe tours. For more information visit them here: www.exiledtongues.com
• Location: Kingsland Wildflowers/Newtown Creek Nature Walk

10) Exploring the Waters

• Organizer: Chisholm State Park
• Learn all about the waters of Jamaica Bay and explore some of the wildlife that lives at Shirley Chisholm State Park on City of Water Day! Stop by anytime for a shoreline scavenger hunt, water quality monitoring, a touch tank of bay critters, and to help clean up the shoreline. Seining demonstrations will also take place at 12pm & 1:30pm, where a large net will be used to catch and count fish from Fresh Creek! Learn more at https://parks.ny.gov/parks/shirleychisholm/details.aspx
• Location: Shirley Chisholm State Park, Penn Water Access Area