Pralls Island

The Daily Plant : Thursday, August 16, 2007

Going Beyond The Call At NRG

Nathaneal McVay and Alexander Summers are the Beyond the Call Employees of the Month for July.

Nate and Alex work with the Natural Resource Group (NRG) and have been with Parks since 1997 and 2002 respectively. For four weeks this spring, Nate and Alex were heavily involved in our efforts to eradicate the Asian Longhorned Beetle from Prall’s Island in Staten Island.

Alex and Nate worked beyond the call both on their primary assignment to protect natural resources on the island, and to assist this large operation, where needed, seven days a week.

At its peak, the emergency swamping, cutting and chipping of some 3,000 trees, involved more than 70 federal, state, and city workers. Nate and Alex operated NRG’s 17-foot Boston Whaler to help get people to and from the Island, one of many boats involved in this effort. They braved changing weather, tides, ship traffic, and difficult landing requirements on constant routes, all while launching from Elizabeth, New Jersey. Alex and Nate put safety first and contributed greatly to the overall safety record of the project. There were no lost-time accidents during the thousands of hours worked by everyone on Prall’s Island.

This level of commitment is nothing new for Nate and Alex. Since joining Parks, without formal science training, they have worked with NRG’s Salt Marsh Restoration Team and become strong field naturalists. They often respond for Parks at the scene of environmental incidents, such as unauthorized dumping, storm damage, and oil spills. Alex and Nate played an important role in clean-up activities and damage assessment during last year’s Coast Guard-led response to the Chevron oil spill in New Jersey, which impacted western Staten Island. For their efforts, they were nominated by Director of NRG Bill Tai.

Written by Kamil Krawczyk

SUMMERTIME HEROES:
OUTDOOR MOVIE SERIES AT PELHAM BAY PARK

Celebrate the last few precious summer evenings by coming out to the Bronx for the second half of the Pelham Bay Park Outdoor Movie Series. This first-time event for the park features six films on consecutive Monday evenings focusing on heroes and their struggles against adversity.

Each film was chosen by the five local elected officials who represent Pelham Bay Park, the City’s largest greenspace, and by the event’s media sponsor, the Bronx Times Reporter. Remaining movies in the series are “Rudy,” on August 20 (Congressman Joseph Crowley), “Mr. Smith Goes To Washington,” on August 27 (Senator Jeff Klein), and the series finale, “Citizen Kane,” on September 3 (Bronx Times). All films air at 8:30 a.m. on the spacious lawn west of the park’s running track. The last film, Orson Welles’ acclaimed 1941 mystery, is scheduled to air at the historic Bartow-Pell Mansion Museum.

Screening classic films outdoors has become increasingly popular citywide, with major showings in Bryant Park, Brooklyn Bridge Park, along the Hudson River, and at many other parks. At Pelham, the movies are projected onto a 20-foot-by-30-foot screen with a state-of-the-art sound system. Families are encouraged to bring lawn chairs, blankets, and pack a picnic.

For those of you who want to know what you missed, previous screenings were “The Wizard of Oz,” (Councilman Jimmy Vacca), “To Kill A Mockingbird,” (Assemblyman Michael Benedetto), and “The Tuskegee Airmen,” (Borough President Adolfo Carrion Jr.).

GROW AT PARKS

Did you know that Job Opportunities for Parks employees can be accessed by phone? Dial 1-888-292-5653 to hear current vacancies, application deadlines and how to apply. The Job Hotline is updated weekly. Parks is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

More opportunities to Grow at Parks are now posted on the intranet, internet and job hotline.
 Senior Environmental Engineer (Assoc. Project Manager)/Olmsted Center – 11660B
 Supervisor of Budget and Analytical Unit (Principal Admin. Associate)/Arsenal West – 11761
 Supervisor of Purchasing Unit (Principal Admin. Associate)/Arsenal West – 11762

Remember to send cover letter and resume with the Vacancy Number to grow@parks.nyc.gov

To see what these jobs entail and for other opportunities to Grow at Parks, please visit the Parks Intranet. You can access the postings two ways: 1) from the top of the screen go to Divisions to Personnel to Job Postings or 2) scroll down on the left side to quick links to the red icon.

QUOTATION FOR THE DAY

“The secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources.”

Albert Einstein
(1879 – 1955)