Winter in Riverside: Our Team’s Work

Jessica Kaplan, Director of Horticulture | Riverside Park Conservancy

What does work look like for our staff during the winter months?

If you haven’t been out in the park on these blustery winter days, you may be surprised to know there is still much going on! This is the perfect time for the Conservancy team to get some pruning done while the leaves are gone, and structure is much easier to see on bare trees and shrubs. 

The primary focus of winter pruning is to remove any dead and damaged branches that may have been missed during the summer. After that, we can move onto any structural issues such as branches rubbing together, causing damage and entry points for pests and disease. Any shrubs that have outgrown garden beds or are in need of rejuvenation are also on our to-do list. We accomplish this in various ways, sometimes reducing height or cutting some species to the ground to put their energy into growing healthy new stems.

Conservancy staff remove damaged branches, creating space for new growth on the Park’s trees.

An important component of winter pruning is tools. Gardeners use tools as an extension of themselves, helping us to help our plants. Ensuring tools are in good working order is a task all year long, but in the winter, we have time to carefully clean and sharpen any dull tools and give them much needed maintenance. This is also a great time to take inventory of what we have and what we need to gear up for another spring and summer season ahead.  

Year-round learning

Winter is also an optimal time to learn! Our field staff attend conferences and other educational talks to keep their skills sharp and bring new perspectives for the coming season. It is important for gardeners to be lifelong learners and experience new methods and teachings. We are lucky to have fantastic field staff who do just that and bring new ideas and strategies back to Riverside Park.

Conservancy staff table at Plant-o-Rama, an annual symposium for horticulture professionals.

This January the team attended Plant-O-Rama, presented by Metro Hort at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. It was an incredibly exciting year as Oliver Lopez, one of our fantastic gardeners, accepted a $1,000 award for continuing education. I was also featured on a panel for managing naturalistic landscapes. In this presentation, I highlighted some of the ways the team cares for meadows in the park including controlling Mugwort by pulling and removing in the spring and cutting repeatedly in the summer and fall. I also gave a preview to an exciting knotweed solarizing project in North Park along the bike path. This creative approach uses wire mesh to prevent the knotweed from growing too large and clear plastic to trap heat and warm the soil, hopefully, reducing the amount of knotweed. This method will be utilized again this summer, and I’m looking forward to seeing the results and sharing them with our horticultural community! 

About Riverside Park Conservancy 

From 59th Street to 181st Street, from riverfront to city-side, Riverside Park Conservancy cares for and enhances six miles of parkland for present and future generations. Working together with NYC Parks, we make improvements as diverse as the park itself and the city it serves. 

Riverside Park Conservancy | October 31, 2024

On Saturday, October 26, Riverside Park transformed into a Halloween haven for pet parents and their pups during Riverside Park Conservancy’s first-ever Halloween Pup Parade. The Park was filled with dogs and their humans in a mix of creative costumes, bringing Halloween spirit and joy to the West Side. Throughout the afternoon, parade participants made their way through the Park’s promenade, ending at Ellington in the Park. Explore the full photo album by photographer Sean J. Rhinehart here.

Event emcee Rachael Burke kept the crowd entertained while judges Rachel Dickson, Patricia Hatcher, Bobby Panza, Anthony Rubio, and Anne Watkins deliberated over their favorite costumes of the day.

The Conservancy would like to extend our gratitude to our sponsors for this event: Dog Days of New York, Schwarzman Animal Medical Center, The Pet Market, Playground Pups, Westside Vet Center, Lucky Dog, Snowball Pet’s Grooming Salon, and Benebone. Thank you for your support!

Costume Contest Winners

Best Overall & Best Group: Wizard of Oz, with dog Tucker
Best Small Pup: MTA Subway Staff, with dog Lola
Best Pup & Owner: Coca-Cola polar bear family with dog Barley
Best Large Pup: Inside Out Emotions, with dogs Judy and Archie
Spookiest: Farmer, with dog Luna

About Riverside Park Conservancy

From 59th Street to 181st Street, from riverfront to city-side, Riverside Park Conservancy cares for and enhances six miles of parkland for present and future generations. Working together with the New York City Parks Department, we make improvements as diverse as the park itself and the city it serves.

Calling all Riverside Park Pups! Grab your humans and get ready to wag your tail in Riverside Park Conservancy’s inaugural Halloween Pup Parade! Join us on Saturday, October 26 from 12:00-3:00 PM.

Pups are encouraged to don their most creative costumes as we parade through the park, spreading Halloween cheer and cuteness overload! Whether you come dressed as a tiny pumpkin or a fierce superhero, all breeds, sizes, and spooky styles are welcome.

The parade will start on the promenade by 116th Street and will end at Ellington in the Park, where we will convene for our Costume Contest, music, special giveaways and lots of Halloween merriment.

SPECTATOR INFO:
Looking for the best spot to watch the festivities? The Parade will prance down the Promenade inside the park from 116th Street, ending at “Ellington in the Park” upper level, opposite the 105th Street Dog Run, where we will hold our Costume Contest. The seating at Ellington is first-come, first-serve. There will be ample viewing opportunities along the Promenade, but if you’re looking to watch the contest, we suggest arriving at Ellington by 1pm. Join us to see who wins the Best Pup in each of our six judged categories — and cast your vote in person for the People’s Choice Award!

SCHEDULE:

12:00 pm – Parade assembly & check-in at 116th St

12:30 – Procession Step-off

1:30 – Costume Contest at Ellington in the Park

2:00 – Halloween Party time

Please note: registration to walk in the parade is now closed!

If you have any questions about the event, reach out to [email protected].

If you’re interested in being a sponsor of the inaugural Pup Parade (which comes with some pretty paw-some perks) please contact [email protected].

Join The Nature Conservancy and Riverside Park Conservancy for an immersive City of Forest Day experience led by a soundscape practitioner. Bring your own blanket to this sound bath inspired by the New York City urban forest, meant to enhance awareness of how trees and the network of people that care for it nourish New Yorkers physically and emotionally.

3:30 PM – Sound area opens

4:00 PM – Welcome/Sound Bath by Jeffrey Connors

5:00 PM – Closing and reflections along Hudson River sunset

This is an all-ages event. Registration is suggested but not required. Entry is first-come first-served and not guaranteed with registration.

In the event of rain, this event will be cancelled. Register to receive notifications and event updates.

Learn more about:

City of Forest Day

Future Forest NYC/The New York City Urban Forest

Notice of Photography: By attending this event, you agree to be photographed and/or filmed. Your participation constitutes your consent to such photographs, audio/video recordings, including any media which contains your image or likeness, for any purpose at The Nature Conservancy’s sole discretion. You also consent to the use of your name in connection with such images.

Please let a staff member know if you do not consent to being photographed.

The Art Students League of New York and the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation invite you to the opening of Works in Public in Riverside Park South, celebrating sculptures by Henry Roundtrip Marton Newman and Sydney Shen.

The Art Students League of New York and the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation invite you to the opening of Works in Public in Riverside Park at 145th Street, celebrating sculptures by Patricia Espinosa and Malin Abrahamsson.

PLEASE NOTE: The Riverbank State Park stairs down to the waterfront at 145th Street are currently closed for renovation. Visitors should access the 145th Street waterfront via the pedestrian access at 148th Street and Riverside Drive, or the pedestrian bridge at 151st Street and Riverside Drive.

Don headphones and party on the pier at this Quiet Clubbing event featuring three live DJs spinning tunes of different genres.

Summer on the Hudson events are free and open to the public. Seating is limited, unreserved, and available on a first-come, first-served basis. If there is heavy rain at the time of the event, the event will be canceled. For weather updates, check nyc.gov/parks/soh 2 hours before the event.

The Hippo Playground Project Presents: Hippo Playground Summer Concert Series!

Michael Napolitano from  Michael & the Rockness Monsters, a band whose electrifying performances and heartfelt music have earned them acclaim nationwide. Michael Napolitano is the founder, and director of Rockness Music. He performs, composes, produces, and engineers all of the music for Rockness Music and Michael & the Rockness Monsters. They deliver dynamic live shows filled with infectious energy and soul-stirring melodies. From coast to coast, the music is a blend of humor, heart, and high-octane performance that leaves audiences mesmerized, creating unforgettable experiences that transcend mere entertainment.

 

For up-to-date information about the performances follow:

Instagram: hippoplaygrounduws | Facebook: Hippo Playground – UWS

The Summer Concert Series is fully funded by proceeds from the Hippo Spring Fair.

The Hippo Playground Project Presents: Hippo Playground Summer Concert Series!

Mil’s Trills is a Brooklyn-based children’s music project dedicated to creating positive inclusive music-making experiences that strive to empower and embrace young audiences and families. Through joyful collaborative live shows engaging albums, and the interactive songwriting web series, they work to find new creative ways of bringing people together towards a peaceful global community.  Mils Trills is led by Amelia Robinson who writes and performs original lively tunes on her electric ukulele with the help of a rotating cast of musical guests.

 

For up-to-date information about the performances follow:

Instagram: hippoplaygrounduws | Facebook: Hippo Playground – UWS

The Summer Concert Series is fully funded by proceeds from the Hippo Spring Fair.

The Hippo Playground Project Presents: Hippo Playground Summer Concert Series!

Joanie Leeds is a Grammy-award winning musician best known for her work as children’s musical artist. Over the past decade, Joanie has won 1st place in the USA Songwriting Competition, an Independent Music Award, a GOLD Parent’s Choice Award, NAPPA GOLD Award, Family Choice Award and is a John Lennon Songwriting Competition Finalist and International Songwriting Competition Finalist.

 

For up-to-date information about the performances follow:

Instagram: hippoplaygrounduws | Facebook: Hippo Playground – UWS

The Summer Concert Series is fully funded by proceeds from the Hippo Spring Fair.

The Hippo Playground Project Presents: Hippo Playground Summer Concert Series!

CARA SAMANTHA  is a Grammy award winning background vocalist and American Idol alum who infuses jazzy soul into her unique pop stylings. She is a prominent voiceover artist who was featured as the singing voices of Adele, Elsa, Ellie Goulding, Madonna and more in The Key of Awesome’s viral music parodies on YouTube with several million views and voiced the co-lead character in Audible’s original story, Jukebox Joyride by The Pop Ups. Howard Stern loved one of Cara’s vocals so much that he personally gave her a shoutout live, on-air, during his morning show.

 

For up-to-date information about the performances follow:

Instagram: hippoplaygrounduws | Facebook: Hippo Playground – UWS

The Summer Concert Series is fully funded by proceeds from the Hippo Spring Fair.

The Hippo Playground Project Presents: Hippo Playground Summer Concert Series!

Hopalong Andrew is NYC-based singer-songwriter, Andrew Vladeck, a folk and western music artist who performs original and traditional cowboy-themed music. He’s collaborated with many renowned musicians and won various songwriting awards, including 1st Place in International Songwriting Competition, and nods from Billboard, IMAs, GASC, UKSC. He’s shared bills with The National, Andrew Bird, Norah Jones, Soulive, Beth Orton, Moe, Jeff Buckley, Ani DiFranco and many more.

 

For up-to-date information about the performances follow:

Instagram: hippoplaygrounduws | Facebook: Hippo Playground – UWS

The Summer Concert Series is fully funded by proceeds from the Hippo Spring Fair.