Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Freshkills Park Tours


The former Fresh Kills landfill looks very different today than it did a decade ago. (SI Advance file photo/Irving Silverstein)

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. – From garbage dump to picturesque, recreational hub.

City planners have bold plans for Fresh Kills, labeled "one of the great regional parks of the 21st century."

Have trouble seeing that grand vision? Then set aside 90 minutes to see for yourself.

The Parks Department is again opening up the 2,200-acre West Shore site for guided tours between April and November, led by Urban Park Rangers and Freshkills Park staff, according to an Article in The Staten Island Advance.

Freshkills Park, located on Staten Island's West Shore, is opening its gates this spring for guided tours. The site, once the world's biggest landfill, is being transformed into one of the next great regional parks of the 21st century. Tours are available from April through November and are led by the Urban Park Rangers and a member of the Freshkills Park staff.

The largest park developed in New York City in more than 100 years, Freshkills Park will provide a wide range of recreational opportunities, ecological restoration and cultural and educational programming that promote environmental sustainability, and a renewed public concern for the human impact on the earth.

Tour guides will discuss the site's history, engineering and landscape design, including the abundant flora and fauna that are returning to the area. The tour will take visitors to the tops of two of the site's four large landfill mounds, offering expansive views of the site and views of downtown Manhattan and all four Staten Island bridges.

NYC Parks & Recreation rendering of Freshkills Park on Staten Island Park when completed.

Read More:

Gothamist - March 2, 2010 - By John Del Signore

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