April is Earth Month, a time to reflect on our collective responsibility to protect our planet, its resources, and the people who call it home. By the end of May, 100 new trees will be planted across our district! You can explore both completed and upcoming tree plantings using the Parks Department’s mapping tool on their website. Street trees need our care to stay healthy and continue providing benefits to our community, like reducing heat and managing water runoff. Check out the Parks Department’s Tree Care Guide and learn more about how to care for the trees in your neighborhood.

District 39 is also home to Brooklyn’s last remaining upland forest in Prospect Park, which features over 30,000 trees and countless native plant species. Fire restoration efforts are now underway in the Woodland Ravine, rehabilitating all three layers of forest—overstory trees, smaller trees and shrubs, and herbaceous ground cover. If you visit the Ravine, you may notice brown mesh and tubes of compressed straw on the steep slopes. This biodegradable mesh is part of the Prospect Park Alliance’s restoration project, designed to prevent soil erosion and help stabilize the area.

Open Streets and Car-Free Earth Day

Mark your calendars for the Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Car-Free Earth Day on Saturday, April 26th, from 10 AM to 4 PM! Over 50 streets across the five boroughs will be closed to cars and open for walking, biking, and enjoying a variety of environmental, cultural, artistic, and educational activities for all ages and free of charge. In our district, join us at Kensington Plaza (on Beverley Road at Church Avenue to East 2nd Street) for a special performance by the Bindlestiff Family Cirkus, who will be putting on a Hula Hoop Jam from 11 AM to 2:30 PM. For more information, visit nyc.gov/carfreenyc.

Additionally, Citi Bike will offer free, unlimited 30-minute rides on classic Citi Bikes during Car-Free Earth Day. To redeem your free ride, enter promo code CARFREENYC25 in the “Day Pass” tab of the Citi Bike app.

Car-Free Earth Day also marks the official kickoff of the Open Streets season! Open Streets turn roadways into accessible public spaces for everyone. See below for details on the upcoming Open Streets events in our district, starting April 26th.

As the weather warms up, more Open Streets events will pop up throughout the district, and we’ll be sure to keep you informed as they begin. You can also check out this Open Streets map to see locations across NYC. If you’re interested in partnering with the DOT to host an Open Street, applications are being accepted on a rolling basis through Fall 2025.

Community Bulletin

• Take a twilight walk through the quiet cemetery paths, ending in the Catacombs at Green-Wood After Hours, returning on Friday, 4/25, and Saturday, 4/26, and continuing all season long.

• Bring your gloves and garden tools for a Greening and Cleaning Day on 4th Avenue on Saturday, 4/26 at 11 AM. Meet up at GreenSpace Garden located at 207 4th Avenue (between Union and Sackett) and use this form to RSVP. A big thank you to Forth on Fourth Ave, Gowanus Canal Conservancy, and the Brooklyn Society for Ethical Culture for putting this event together.

• Join the Park Slope Civic Council for their annual Earth Day Civic Sweep on Saturday, 4/26, from 10 AM to 2 PM. They will host a neighborhood cleanup, litter pick-up, tree bed care information, live music, a kids' art project, a donation drive for Camp Friendship, and provide information about their organization. Check out their website for a list of requested donation items and RSVP here to volunteer during the event.

• My office is co-hosting another e-waste collection event with the Lower East Side Ecology Center and the Park Slope Civic Council on Saturday, 4/26, from 10 AM to 2 PM at Washington Park in Park Slope on 5th Avenue between 3rd and 4th Streets. Drop off your working and non-working computers, monitors, printers, scanners, keyboards, mice, cables, TVs, VCRs, DVD players, phones, cellphones, and audio and visual equipment.  

• Now more than ever, it's essential for all New Yorkers (citizens and non-citizens) to understand their rights. Join us for a Know Your Rights Workshop on Immigration on Tuesday, 4/29 at 6 PM via Zoom to learn about what rights you have, what to do during encounters with law enforcement, types of warrants, documents you should carry, emergency planning & more! RSVP to receive the Zoom link.

• April is Financial Empowerment Month. Check out the New York City Department of Consumer and Worker Protection’s Top 10 Tips for Young Consumers to help New York City youth make smart financial choices.

• Applications are now open for NYC Civic Impact Funding for up to $10,000 to help nonprofit and community-based organizations engage volunteers and strategically scale services to residents in neighborhoods with high levels of health and socioeconomic disparities, based on the Taskforce on Racial Inclusion and Equity (TRIE) criteria. Applications are due at 5 PM on Monday, 4/28.

In Solidarity,

Council Member Shahana