The High Line

The Daily Plant : Wednesday, April 9, 2014

Welcoming Spring Along The High Line

Photo by Malcolm Pinckney

On Wednesday, April 2, Manhattan Borough Commissioner William Castro joined Friends of the High Line Co-Founder Joshua David and Executive Director Jenny Gersten, Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer, and dozens of dedicated volunteers from the Chelsea and Meatpacking communities to mark the completion of the High Line’s annual Spring Cutback. The Spring Cutback functions as the park’s biggest horticultural undertaking of the year. It also was an appropriate time to bid a “not so fond goodbye” to winter.

The event saw two cutback crews – each of which started work from opposite ends of the High Line several weeks ago – meet at a central location along the High Line, as they trimmed the final few feet of textured grasses, skeletal plant stalks, and dried seed heads to make way for a new growing season.

Using nothing but hand tools, volunteers worked more than 560 hours to complete the cutback on Sections 1 and 2, totaling a mile of parkland, and containing 100,000 grasses, flowers, shrubs, and trees to prepare for spring. The program will produce nearly 6,000 cubic feet of plant clippings that will be turned into compost at the municipal composting facility at Freshkills on Staten Island.

VOLUNTEER AT STREET GAMES

Calling all volunteers!

Please join us as an extension of our event team for the 7th annual Street Games, presented by The Walt Disney Company. The event will be held on Saturday, April 26, 2014 at Thomas Jefferson Park in Harlem!

Street Games celebrates vintage outdoor activities from the 1960s and 1970s by introducing them to a new generation of kids with a modern twist. Some of our activities include:

Stickball, Pogo Sticks, Hula Hoops, Double-Dutch, Yo-Yos,

Hippity Hop, Soap Box Derby, Skateboarding Clinics,

Street Hockey, Disney Zone, Kickball, Ultimate Disc,

New York Red Bulls Soccer Skills Challenge

There will also be featured live performances by the Dance Theatre of Harlem, and Radio Disney will be spinning music all day!

As always, this event is free, open to the public, and "rain or shine"! Volunteers will also receive a special gift as a token of appreciation.

Eligible volunteers will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. Once confirmed, volunteers must attend the mandatory training session on Monday, April 21st. All volunteers who do not receive a confirmation e-mail will be waitlisted.

Volunteers must meet the following minimum requirements:

• 18 years of age or older
• Attendance at Street Games Volunteer Orientation and Training (Monday, April 21st, 5:30 p.m. at The Arsenal)
• Ability to work in any assignment area (though we will try to place volunteers in their area of preference)
• Commitment to seven (7) hours of service on Saturday, April 26, 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM
• Register by Friday, April 11, 2014.

If you would like to volunteer, please register by following this link and completing the form.

For more information and updates on Street Games, visit our NYC Service page (www.nycservice.org/opportunities/8657) or website (www.nyc.gov/parks/streetgames).

If you have any questions, please contact Victoria Lee at victoria.lee@parks.nyc.gov.

Whether you join us as an event volunteer or a visitor, we hope to see you there!

QUOTATION FOR THE DAY

"I have found the paradox, that if you love until it hurts,

there can be no more hurt, only more love."

Mother Teresa

(1910 - 1997)