Members of the nature-minded Fresh Creek Civic Association (FCCA) convened virtually on Saturday afternoon, April 9th via Webex for an informative meeting chock-full of exciting updates for the spring season.
FCCA President Maria Garrett announced that as point person and community liaison, she had been invited to tour the Fresh Creek Coastal Protection Project site on April 8th and had the opportunity to take a closer look at the tide chambers being installed. She said that the experience was very educational and explained that a media crew had also been present and were filming a special Earth Day piece that will air on NY1, which will likely bring a ton of awareness to the flooding issues the community has been struggling with ever since Superstorm Sandy.
Garrett also encouraged the group to participate in the Annual Brooklyn Botanic Garden Greenest Block Competition, the purpose of which is to promote streetscape gardening. The contest awards winners for best residential and commercial blocks, storefronts, garden beds, window boxes, tree beds and community gardens, and culminates in a number of monetary rewards, certificates and flower bulbs for future planting distributed in August. Garrett said that she would be entering her block again this year and that there are plenty of resources available to those who wish to participate. For more information or to enter the competition, visit bbg.org/community/greenestblock.
A member of the group announced that the Lower East Side Ecology Center’s Canarsie Yard, located at 1149 Rockaway Avenue, will be hosting compost giveaways on April 29th, May 13th and June 24th. Garrett confirmed that members of the community may register to collect up to 10 bags of free compost by appointment at /bit.ly/Canarsie-free-compost.
Harold Jones, president of CCDI (Canarsie Community Development Inc.), announced that his organization would be holding their 5th Annual Plant Giveaway at the community garden located at 9299 Schenk Avenue on May 14th. He explained that through government grants, the group had distributed $3,000 worth of plants to the community last year with the intention that residents would use them to beautify the streetbeds on their blocks. Anyone interested in reserving plants this year is invited to email ccdi.canarsie@gmail.com to register.