Formed in 2002 to help support the Salt Marsh Nature Center, the Salt Marsh Alliance looks to provide a way for residents and local businesses to help maintain the Nature Center in partnership with New York City’s Park and Recreation Department and the Urban Park Rangers. Through joint effort, Brooklyn’s largest park composed of 530 acres of grassland and salt marsh, home to a variety of birds and native flora and fauna, has been protected as a “Forever Wild Preserve.”
“We decided to come in as users of the Center and found that they could use some extra help and so we formed the alliance as volunteers,” said David Schulman, board member of the Salt Marsh Alliance. “Now there are about a hundred members in the alliance.”
While the Nature Center is tended to by Park Rangers, the art educational exhibits and displays require ongoing care, maintenance and security. The grounds, including the one mile trail, must be patrolled for the safety of visitors and nearby residents. The Salt Marsh Alliance provides items and services as needed, including supplies and labor, such as litter removal and the repairing of graffiti and vandalism.
“We keep up with changing the art exhibits -- otherwise it’ll get boring for visitors. Alliance volunteers are around to provide help to school groups that visit the Nature Center and offer assistance during walks on the trails or during events such as movie screenings,” said Jessica Schulman, president of the Alliance. “All events at the Center are free of charge. During movie screenings we do open a concession stand where people can purchase refreshments for a small price because, well, people do enjoy popcorn with a movie!”
On Earth Day (April 22) 2000, the Nature Center opened to the public in marshland that had suffered the devastation of fire during the 1990s, when it was then just a boardwalk and natural trails, unlike the current ones marked by the Parks Department. The Salt Marsh Nature Center now serves as an in-park community center for public education, recreational activities and environmental studies. It also serves as starting points for walking tours and workshop sites. The Center works to highlight the diversity of the landscape as well as provide an abundance of informational written material such as trail maps, nature center brochures, and Outdoors, a newsletter that lists walks, tours, and special events.
“I, along with a number of friends of Marine Park, was involved in the fight to have the Center built. Once it opened, I knew I wanted to be a part of it in some way because I was interested in the nature around it,” said David Schulman.
The Salt Marsh Alliance is committed to preserving the marsh land, as more than 75 percent of the original salt marsh in Jamaica Bay was destroyed, much of it between 1950 and the mid-1970's. The destruction came as a result of filling the marshes to create more land area for homes and industry. Marine Park's salt marsh, formerly a wasteland filled with trash and abandoned cars, has been restored to its natural condition. For the Alliance and residents alike, this serves as proof that a rare and fragile ecosystem can safely exist even within the borders of a heavily urban area like Brooklyn.
To mark its 10th year honoring Earth Day next April 22, the Alliance plans to host a celebration at the Nature Center in light of a decade of environmental preservation and appreciation shown to the wildlife of Marine Park. In addition to introducing visitors and residents to this rare ecosystem, and providing a quiet oasis in urban Brooklyn, the Salt Marsh Nature Center also hosts cultural and community-oriented events. Every month, the Saturday Nights Live! Program brings live entertainment to the Center, including musical groups, storytellers, and open-mike poetry readings. Weekends usually feature children's programs, made up of magic shows and arts and crafts. Important community functions like civic group meetings, and blood drives are also held at the Center.
The Nature Center is open every day but Wednesday from 11a.m. to 5 p.m. The grounds, including the nature trail, are open from dawn to dusk. To learn more about the Salt Marsh Alliance and upcoming events, visit their website at www.saltmarshalliance.org or call 718-421-2021.
