New York – New Jersey Harbor Estuary Public Access Assessment In an initiative to recognize and address challenges to public access, the New York - New Jersey Harbor & Estuary Program is working with the US Forest Service and other partners to identify where public access and/or stewardship is limited in the region, and where opportunities to develop access and increase capacity are needed. This assessment will address the following objectives:

1. Assess current public access and stewardship capacity to better match grants and other resources with need.

2. Document progress toward public access goals by documenting current opportunities and areas of unmet need.

3. Celebrate successful stewardship by developing a means of recognizing exemplary access.

4. Provide information about public access sites and stewardship organizations to the public online via www.harborestuary.org.

Overview of methods Specific steps and work products include: 1) Creating an estuary-wide map of publicly-accessible waterfront spaces including the presence of direct access to the water, site features, site challenges, transit options; 2) Conducting a survey of estuary stewards including number staff, volunteers, funding, tenure, and services; 3) Identifying areas of high need based on socioeconomic and population data from the US Census such as disadvantaged populations, nearby children, population density and growth. This information will be used to create a series of indices and assessment maps showing stewardship capacity, quality of access, and areas of unmet need throughout the estuary. Final products and applications The NY-NJ Harbor & Estuary Program will produce a series of maps and a report based on the results of the analysis and survey. The Estuary Program will use the analysis to target resources toward building capacity in underserved areas and addressing gaps in public access. Additionally, data will be used by the Forest Service to conduct research and support a public database of stewardship organizations. For more information, e-mail stewardship@harborestuary.org or call (212) 483-7667

Participating Agencies and Organizations Alley Pond Environmental Center, Inc American Littoral Society, NE Chapter Assn. of NJ Environmental Commissions Bay Improvement Group Bay Terrace Community Alliance Bayonne Nature Club Bayshore Watershed Council Brighton Neighborhood Association, Inc Bronx Council for Environmental Quality Bronx River Alliance Bronx Theatre High School Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy Brooklyn Queens Land Trust Carl Schurz Park Conservancy Christodora Citizens Campaign Fund for the Environment Civics United for Railroad Environmental Solutions CIVITAS Citizens Coastal Preservation Network Committee for Environmentally Sound Development Committee to Improve Carroll Park Concerned Citizens of Bensonhurst , Inc Coney Island Beautification Project, Inc. Constitution Marsh Audubon Center & Sanctuary County of Essex, Department of Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs Cultural Research Divers CUNY School of Law - Green Coalition Earth Celebrations East Jersey Chapter, Trout Unlimited Eastern Queens Alliance, Inc. Edison Sustainable Jersey Green Team Empire Dragon Boat Team Ft. Hamilton High School/Science Dept. Freehold Soil Conservation District Freeport-Nassau Fisherman's' Alliance Friends of Brook Park Friends of Cunningham Park, Inc. Friends of Denyse Wharf Friends of Ferry Point Park Friends of Fort Totten Parks Inc. Friends of High Rock Park Friends of Hudson River Park Friends of Kaiser Park Inc Friends of Liberty State Park Friends of Rockaway Friends of Sherman Creek Conservancy Friends of Soundview Park Friends of Sunset Park Friends of the East River Esplanade Friends of the Upper East Side Historic Districts Friends of Van Cortlandt Park FROGG Future City Inc. Gerritsen Beach Cares Inc. Going Coastal, Inc. Gotham Whale Gowanus Canal Conservancy Greater Newark Conservancy

Green Shores NYC Groundwork Elizabeth Hackensack Riverkeeper Harbor LAB Harding Park Environmental Center Harlem River Community Rowing Hudson River Foundation for Science and Environmental Research Hudson River Park Trust Hudson River Waterfront Conservancy Hudsonia Human Impacts Institute Hutchinson River Restoration Project Inwood Canoe Club Jamaica Bay Ecowatchers Kayak Staten Island Keyport Environmental Commission Long Island City Community Boathouse Lower East Side Ecology Center Lower Raritan Watershed Partnership Manhattan College Manhattan Sailing School Manhattan Wetlands & Wildlife Manhattan Yacht Club Margert Community Corporation Meadowlands Environment Center Meta Local Collaborative Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance Middlesex County Conservation Corps Middlesex County Improvement Authority Middlesex County Office of Parks and Recreation Middlesex County Office of Planning Monmouth County Park System National Park Service, Gateway National Recreation Area Natural Areas Conservancy Natural Resources Protective Association NJ Sports and Exposition Authority NY Harbor Foundation/Billion Oyster Project NY Harbor SEALs (Monitoring Sea, Estuary, Air, and Land) NY State Parks New Yorkers for Parks Newtown Creek Alliance NJ Audubon NJ Sea Grant Consortium NJ Dept. of Environmental Protection NOAA Restoration Center North Brooklyn Boat Club North Shore Waterfront Conservancy of Staten Island Norton Basin Edgemere Stewardship Group NY Kayak Polo NY/NJ Baykeeper NYC Audubon NYC Dept. of Environmental Protection NYC Parks NYC Parks-Conference House Park NYC Urban Field Station

NYC Water Trail Association NY-NJ Harbor & Estuary Program NYSMEA and John Dewey High School NYU Wallerstein Collaborative Park Ridge Green Team Parkes Ecological LLC Partnerships for Parks, Catalyst Program Passaic County Dept. of Planning & Economic Development Passaic River Boat Club Passaic River Coalition Project Limulus Prospect Park Alliance Protectors of Pine Oak Woods Inc Rahway River Watershed Association Randall's Island Park Alliance Raritan Riverkeeper Resilience Paddle Sports Riverdale Neighborhood House Riverkeeper Rockaway Waterfront Alliance Rocking the Boat Roosevelt Island Historical Society Sarah Lawrence College Center for the Urban River at Beczak Scenic Hudson, Inc. Sebago Canoe Club Secondary School Field Research Program Shore Road Parks Conservancy Shorewalkers, Inc. Sisters of Charity Solar One South Brooklyn Youth Consortium South Street Seaport Museum Sparkill Creek a Watershed Alliance Staten Island OutLOUD Staten Island Zoo Stormwater Infrastructure Matters Coalition Surfrider Foundation The Battery Conservancy The Gaia Institute The Masters Of Succession Collective The Nature Conservancy The River Project The Trust for Public Land Tidewaters Gateway Partnership Inc. Trees NY Trust for Public Land, NJ Two Bridges Neighborhood Council Udalls Cove Preservation Committee Village Community Boathouse Waterfront Museum WE ACT for Environmental Justice Women's City Club of NY Woodbridge River Watch Yonkers Paddling and Rowing Club