Chief of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s National Wildlife Refuge System, Cynthia Martinez, joined Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano, local high school students, and Rick Magder, Executive Director of Groundwork Hudson Valley to designate Yonkers as an Urban Wildlife Refuge Partnership city. Only 16 other cities across the U.S. have received this designation by the Service, the federal agency that manages America’s national wildlife refuges for their significant habitats that protect some of our most important species and provides outdoor recreation opportunities for people.
This designation for Yonkers, which took place in Van der Donck Park, was made because of the city’s sustained commitment, in partnership with Groundwork and the Service, to restore the local environment, including the daylighting of the Saw Mill River, buried for decades by a parking lot, creating Van der Donck Park.
“With a majority of Americans living in urban communities, it’s important that we expand beyond our national wildlife refuges to create a lasting connection between young people, urban residents and the great outdoors,” said Martinez. “The service’s urban conservation program provides opportunities for people to experience nature where they live and better connect them with these special places. With dedicated partners, our goal to bring wildlife conservation into cities is sustainable and attainable as we see here in Yonkers.”
Rick Magder, Executive Director of Groundwork Hudson Valley, which has led the partnership with the Service, said, “We have been working closely with the City and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for many years and this designation dramatically highlights our success in creating real habitat in an urban area that is federally recognized as significant. At the same time, we are training a new wave of conservationists who will protect these valuable resources here in Yonkers and at our nation’s wildlife refuges over the next generation.”
Groundwork Hudson Valley will receive a $30,000 grant from the Five Star Urban Waters Restoration Grant Program, which is administered by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, to support jobs for young people to engage in hands-on conservation work in the city, preparing them for potential careers in conservation, and to provide outdoor recreation opportunities for Yonkers’ residents. Projects include continued restoration of the Saw Mill River and the creation and restoration of small nature parks and trails in neighborhoods in southwest Yonkers and throughout the lower Hudson Valley.
Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano noted, “The award-winning daylighting of the Saw Mill River shows that environment restoration and economic development go hand and hand. The project has transformed our City and brought once-lost fish and beavers back to the river in downtown Yonkers. We’re proud to be designated as an Urban Wildlife Refuge Partnership city and look forward to a strong, continued partnership with the Service and Groundwork Hudson Valley that will further connect Yonkers residents and visitors to our rivers and parks.”
The Saw Mill River daylighting is a nationally recognized example of urban river restoration. The Service staff from Wallkill River National Wildlife Refuge in New Jersey helped Groundwork and the city design the habitat 5 years ago so that fish and wildlife could thrive. The river park is now home to a wide range of species, including the American eel, river herring, turtles, mallards and the Eastern Phoebe.
American Phoebe bird boxes were built by Groundwork’s youth corps during the event for installation in the park, led by Curt Collier, Deputy Director of Groundwork Hudson Valley. A sign was also unveiled to officially designate the site.
New York Congressman Eliot Engel observed, "the Groundwork Green Team is helping us uncover and rediscover our very own natural gem that for too long was ignored and mistreated. The result is a beautiful public space the entire community can share, and an ecosystem that is cleaner and more resilient. I'm unbelievably proud of these students because, they are not just caring for the environment, they are demonstrating what our community's next generation of engaged, proactive leaders can achieve."
The partnership between Yonkers and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service was developed over the last three years by Groundwork Hudson Valley and its award-winning youth conservation program. Youth from Yonkers are working at the Wallkill National Wildlife Refuge in New Jersey to improve habitat along the Wallkill River. In turn, Wallkill staff visit Yonkers to help youth improve biodiversity along the Saw Mill River and soon-to-be constructed Yonkers RailTrail. This partnership of youth and federal agency staff is considered a national model of community engagement, building a true partnership between Refuges and urban places.
In 2012, Wallkill hosted Groundwork’s national conference, giving delegates from across the country the opportunity to see this partnership in action.
“It’s about bringing kids from urban centers to local refuges, and allowing them to connect those experiences with improvements in their communities, so they see these protected sites as part of a larger movement that is related to their own experiences,” said Magder.
“The designation of the City of Yonkers as a National Urban Wildlife Refuge Partnership by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is critical to preserving our environment and natural resources,” said U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand. “This partnership is a testament to the strength of Groundwork’s youth conservation programs and their dedication to restoring natural areas, while connecting our local urban communities with outdoor refuges.”
Yonkers is one of 17 Urban Wildlife Refuge Partnerships across the country, including Philadelphia, Baltimore and Chicago.
The mission of the Groundwork USA network is to bring about the sustained regeneration, improvement and management of the physical environment by developing community-based partnerships which empower people, businesses and organizations to promote environmental, economic and social well-being.
