Remember that yellow police tape that was strewn across the entrance to the Brooklyn Heights Promenade last week? Here we go again. The New York City Department of Parks & Recreation has announced that “due to the storm in the New York area, all New York City parks, playgrounds and beaches will be closed from Wednesday, November 7 at noon until Thursday, November 8 at noon.” That, of course, also includes Brooklyn Bridge Park.

More: The majority of NYC parks and playgrounds will re-open Thursday afternoon. Due to the effects of Hurricane Sandy, some properties will continue to be closed as we address conditions in the park. Please visit our Park and Facility Closures page for a complete list of current closures.” (CT)

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/51470

This morning I resumed my routine of taking a brisk walk along the Promenade, down Squibb Hill, around Pier 1, and back. I was anxious to see how this part of Brooklyn Bridge Park had weathered the hurricane. On the way in, I passed this blaze of fall foliage (click on image to enlarge). More photos and text after the jump.

Looking north along the riverside esplanade toward the Brooklyn and Manhattan bridges.

A single, battered Rosa rugosa clings to its bush, surrounded by rose hips.

Frank Gehry’s 8 Spruce Street shows its Bernini drapery in the morning sunlight. A Machine, part of Oscar Tuazon’s “People” series of sculptures, is in the foreground.

The Brooklyn Bridge, seen through the trees.

Looking south along the Esplanade; the skeleton of the shed on Pier 2 is in the background.

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/51203

On their afternoon jaunt through Brooklyn Heights today, Baby Fink noticed an interesting window display at the ClarkPet.com store and asked Mrs. Fink, “Mommy, doggie, what doin’?” The only way post modern parents like us can even attempt to explain such a menagerie is with the late 90s classic by the Bloodhound Gang, “The Bad Touch”. For those of you who were well into your “hey you kids get off my lawn” years by then suffice to say that A) They did, in fact, get off on your lawn and B) do the phrase “you and me baby ain’t nothin’ but mammals why don’t we do it like they do it on the Discovery Channel” ring a bell?

Larger photo and the full BHG video after the jump.

Folks, do you really think this is NOT a posed display? For Mrs. Fink’s part: A Gold Star Day for the most likely bored teenager who pulled this off.

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/49685

Once again, Brooklyn Bridge Park is hosting a Free Fall Tree giveaway. On Saturday, October 13 at Pier 6 from 10 a.m. to noon—in partnership with the New York Restoration Project and MillionTreesNYC—young trees will be distributed in compact 2-gallon containers, making them easy to transport. The BBP webbie notes: “Autumn is an ideal time of year to introduce a new tree to your home garden. Your tree will have time to acclimate, root out and prepare for the cold winter that lies ahead. Once warmer weather arrives, your new planting will be ready to flourish.”

Volunteers will be on hand to provide a tutorial on how to plant and care for your tree. To reserve a tree (they went like lightning last Spring), click here. (Photo: New York Restoration Project)

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/49144

Dr. Barry Commoner, the scientist and environmental advocate whom the New York Times calls “Planet Earth’s Lifeguard,” and a resident of Brooklyn Heights, died Sunday after a long illness. He was a Brooklyn native, a graduate of James Madison High School and Columbia University, and received his doctorate at Harvard. On the occasion of the first Earth Day, in 1970, Time magazine put his image on its cover, and he was a candidate for President on the Citizens’ Party ticket in 1980. During that campaign, the Times notes, a reporter asked him, “Are you a serious candidate or are you just running on the issues?”

According to the Times:

Dr. Commoner was a leader among a generation of scientist-activists who recognized the toxic consequences of America’s post-World War II technology boom, and one of the first to stir the national debate over the public’s right to comprehend the risks and make decisions about them.

He is survived by his wife, Lisa Feiner, two children by a previous marriage, and a grandchild.

Photo: 250.columbia.edu.

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/48732

Your correspondent had just walked out the door Saturday morning when he spotted these late summer blossoms in the garden outside his building (corner of Montague and Pierrepont Place). More photos and text after the jump.

Wasp gathering nectar, Pier 1, Brooklyn Bridge Park.

Double-crested cormorant drying its wings on a piling, Brooklyn Bridge Park.

Hot pink blossoms, Pier 1, Brooklyn Bridge Park.

Spartina grass, salt marsh, south edge of Pier 1, Brooklyn Bridge Park.

Tour boat Half Moon passing close to Pier 1 esplanade; Brooklyn Bridge in background.

Large flower beside pond, northeast corner of Pier 1, Brooklyn Bridge Park.

South Street Seaport Museum’s schooner Pioneer, seen from Brooklyn Heights Promenade; Governors Island in background.

Friday evening: lower Manhattan seen from Pier 1, Brooklyn Bridge Park. Sunset reflected from windows of One Liberty Plaza.

Sunset reflected from Empire State Building, seen through Brooklyn Bridge from Pier 1 esplanade, Brooklyn Bridge Park.

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/45502

On Friday morning I took a quick turn around Pier 1, Brooklyn Bridge Park, before heading to work. As I was lining up a shot of Mark di Suvero’s Yoga, a small branch with some dry leaves fell in front of me. I didn’t notice it until I downloaded the photo; it’s at the right side of the picture (click on it to enlarge). More photos and text after the jump.
Rounding a corner of a path, I startled some sparrows. They flew up, then alighted on a fence.
These are rose hips from Rosa rugosa, near the Granite Prospect, where Patti Smith will read and sign books this Monday evening, August 6, at 7:00.
Sailing up the East River, a sloop approaches the Manhattan Bridge.
Worker on a cable of the Brooklyn Bridge.
Flowers by the pond near the pier’s northeast corner.

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/45153

Our friends at Gothamist got some scary looking photos taken last night by Bobby Finger of a ragged looking one-eyed raccoon seen climbing a chain link fence next to a walkway adjoining Pier 1 in Brooklyn Bridge Park. The critter in the photo above is another, much healthier looking Brooklyn raccoon, caught on pixels by our friend Flatbush Gardener. You may recall our publisher Homer Fink’s encounter with a raccoon two and a half years ago, right on Willow Street!

The raccoon wasn’t the first instance of mammalian wildlife (apart from the unfortunately ubiquitous Rattus norvegicus or the familiar grey squirrel) to be spotted in the Park. Our man Karl found a muskrat living in a pond next to Pier 1 in August, 2010, and named him (or her) “Dodger.” Dodger hasn’t been seen since.

Gothamist updated their post to report that Park officials confirmed that the raccoon has been captured.

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/44158

Last Wednesday was the 4th of July, but let the festivities continue on this Open Thread Wednesday. Fire away!

FYI: Our bear friend pictured here lives in Palmetto Playground, located in the southwest tip of Brooklyn Heights, at State Street & Columbia Place, with the BQE behind it. According to NYC Parks, Palmetto Playground’s nomenclature was inspired by the names of its surrounding streets: Atlantic, Columbia & State. Columbia is the capitol of South Carolina, an Atlantic state, and the state tree is the Cabbage Palmetto, hence, Palmetto Playground. The park offers basketball courts, a kid’s playground and a small off-leash dog park. And, by golly, a working water fountain. (Photo: Chuck Taylor)

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/44037

New York City may be offering its neighborhoods an olive branch—or at least snippers to prune it—with a substantial budget increase for care of street and park trees. Over the past decade, NYC’s declining bottom line has given responsibility for beautification and maintenance in the Heights to the Brooklyn Heights Association, which has overseen a cyclical block pruning program. Since 2001, it has dedicated more than $75,000 to pruning, planting and tree care from member donations. A major BHA effort took place in February and March.

For the fiscal year that begins this week, NY’s City Council added $2 million for tree pruning to the $1.45 million in Mayor Bloomberg’s proposed budget. The extra money is part of $30 million in restorations to the Parks Department’s budget, including money for public pools.

Of course, the move equates to more than a green thumb from the city. According to The New York Times, falling trees and limbs have led to a marked increase in injuries, deaths and lawsuits. “Tree pruning is something where you don’t see the impact of deferring until there’s a tragedy,” Park Slope-based Councilman Brad Lander told the Times. “Hopefully, getting pruning back on a better schedule will mean New Yorkers will be safer.”

Money added for tree care would put street trees on a more timely pruning cycle. Because of budget cuts, the pruning rotation had been elongated to every 15 years from once every 7 years in 2008. During that time, the budget for street-tree pruning contracts fell to $1.4 million from $4.7 million.

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/43743

Yesterday morning I took my usual walk along the Promenade and down Squibb Hill to Pier 1, Brooklyn Bridge Park, where I joined the group assembling for the bird tour. Our guide was Carolyn (at left, in green top, in the photo) who began by regretting how hot it was and noting that this meant birds would be harder to find than usual. Nevertheless, our little expedition enjoyed some success. More photos and text after the jump.

We didn’t have to go far before encountering some birds of several kinds, including barn swallows, mockingbirds, a rock pigeon (not as common as before, Carolyn noted, because of the increase in the population of hawks and peregrine falcons in the city) and two different kinds of sparrows. Unfortunately for me and my little point-’n’-shoot camera, by the time I could aim and shoot they were gone.

There was a catbird in here a moment ago, I swear!

Our luck improved as we got near the water.

Here’s a mother mallard and two youngsters paddling past the pilings. Carolyn said the males leave in spring after the ducklings hatch. (No doubt they repair to a place where they can smoke cigars, drink beer, and watch the Stanley Cup playoffs.)

We also saw this gull perched on a piling as kayaks passed.

Another gull was soaring overhead.

A house sparrow glides to a landing.

Here he displays his black breast, marking him as male. House sparrows are an invasive species, brought here for sentimental reasons and because they have a prodigious appetite for insects. The story of how they were brought to New York and of their subsequent conquest of North America is told on a sign at the northwest corner of Hillside Park.

After the tour, Carolyn showed her feather collection.

All in all, not as productive of good photos as the tour I took last year, but very informative, thanks to Carolyn’s considerable knowledge.

This morning, I took an early walk down to Pier 1 and saw lots of birds, including this mockingbird pair perched on a park bench.

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/43362

The Brooklyn Bridge Park Corp. is expected to vote Tuesday June 19 on which developer will be awarded the contract to build the controversial BBP hotel and residential complex next to Pier 1 near DUMBO, as mandated by NYC Mayor Bloomberg to fund the future of the park.

Curbed refers to reports in The New York Times and Crain’s that favor Toll Brothers and Starwood Capital Group. Those companies have combined forces to offer a hotel comprising 200 rooms, with a 160-unit condo complex. There will also be 32,000 square feet of restaurant & banquet space, a 6,000-square-foot spa and 300 parking spaces. Under the development guidelines for the park, the hotel and connecting residences cannot exceed 100 feet in height, while a separate residential building can’t be more than 55 feet tall.

In addition, three more apartment buildings—one at John Street and two next to Pier 6—are planned for the park. The project, which would begin construction in 2013 and open in 2015, claims that it will generate $119.7 million in rent and other payments. It is conceivable that the multi-use residential and commercial complex will be complete long before the park itself.

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/42452

It was a perfect weekend day, and Karl has the best of what Brooklyn Heights, Brooklyn Bridge Park, and the Fulton Ferry Historic District had to offer: The P.S. 8 Paddlewheeler Festival! The secrets of compost tea! Gran Electrica’s backyard garden! Red admiral butterflies! See it all on his video after the jump.

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/41667

Tomorrow evening (Friday, June 1) the Brooklyn Film Festival starts at the Brooklyn Heights Cinema with screenings of Brooklyn Castle (8:00 p.m., Cinema 2, sold out) and Rose (photo) (8:30 p.m., Cinema 1, tickets available through the Festival website linked above). The Festival continues through the weekend, the following week and weekend, finishing on Sunday, June 10. A complete schedule is on the linked Festival website.

Several events will be taking place at Brooklyn Bridge Park this weekend. The World Science Festival–Science on Site will be on Pier 1 Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. Also on Saturday, professional and amateur astronomers will be on Pier 1 for a stargazing party from 8:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. On Sunday afternoon, from 3:00 to 5:30, Walt Whitman fans should gather at the Granite Prospect on Pier 1 for a marathon reading of the Brooklyn Bard’s “Song of Myself”.

On Saturday afternoon, starting at 3:00 p.m., gather at the Brooklyn Historical Society, 128 Pierrepont Street (corner of Clinton) for a walking tour, “Hiding in Plain Sight: A Walk Down Pierrepont Street, Brooklyn Heights”. Tickets ($8; $5 for BHS members) may be purchased, and there are more details, here.

Don’t forget the final two performances of Theater 2020′s production of Shakepeare’s A Comedy of Errors: Friday and Saturday at 8:00 p.m., at the Cranberry Street Theater Space, Assumption Church, 55 Cranberry Street.

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/41508