The Riverdale Nature Preservancy
Pollinator Pathway Webinar:
Tuesday, July 15th, 6:30 PM
Prepare to be inspired! Learn from experienced Pollinator Pathway leaders about how they have established pollinator gardens in their communities. They will share lessons learned as well as tips for those starting out. Featured speakers: Dana Harkrider, Nyack Pollinator Pathway, Nyack, New York. Dana is a native plant enthusiast with a deep commitment to sustainable gardening and pollinator conservation. She is founder of the Nyack Pollinator Pathway, 20 miles north of NYC, a 501(c)(3) dedicated to increasing pollinator habitat on both public and private land. Dana champions biodiversity and ecological stewardship. She has lived in three countries, traveled widely, and now divides her time between New York and the Baja California desert. Patricia Newkirk and Wendy Ferry, Pollinator Pathway Northwest. Patricia and Wendy are two of the three volunteer co-coordinators of the Pollinator Pathway NW. PPNW is hosted by 21 Acres, a center for local food; sustainable living in Woodinville Washington - a suburb of Seattle. Patricia is the former garden manager at Songaia Co-housing Community. During the last 20 years she became very passionate about regenerative agriculture and, in addition to pollinators, loves to talk about Miyawaki Forests. Wendy is a retired engineering program manager in the aerospace industry, very focused on climate science and education, working not only with Pollinator Pathway, but with Climate Reality and the Sierra Club as well. Sam Rohe, The Frank Street Bee and Butterfly Garden, Ottawa, Canada. Sam has been organizing with the Frank St Garden since spring of 2021. They do a bit of everything including programming, events, social media, outreach, and of course, gardening. They work to create strong, interdependent communities, third spaces, and nurture urban environmentalism.
Pathway Community Leaders Share Success Stories
Tuesday, July 15th, 6:30 PM
Nature Walks in VCP
From the Nature Group of Van Cortlandt Park
Tuesday, July 15 2:00pm-3:30pm
Meet at Riverdale Stables
Take a slow walk in the park and learn about our local flora and fauna from naturalist Debbi Dolan. Debbie has a wealth of knowledge about nature that she enjoys sharing with everyone.
Free- limited spacing,
register to reserve!
From CALL
CALL has been involved in our local community, including participation in the Riverdale Y Sunday Market and supporting the Daylighting of Tibbetts Brook.
Learn more about their work and how you can support them below!
Photo Credit: https://www.cityaslivinglab.org
National Endowment for the Arts Grants Revoked
We are writing again with disheartening news. On May 2nd, CALL was informed that two National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) grants are being terminated and withdrawn, making an immediate loss of $30,000. This is on top of what was cut from our National Science Foundation grant. You may have received reports from other arts organizations. The spontaneous database of REVOKED NEA FUNDING has calculated over $25M in lost support.
Since 2015, CALL has been working in the NW Bronx, to support community efforts by local activists to daylight Tibbetts Brook through artistic and community-based practices. Our Rescuing Tibbetts Brook initiative has been a cornerstone of our mission. Without the NEA grant, we face significant hurdles in maintaining the momentum and impact of our projects.
This capricious cancellation erodes CALL’s capacity to sustain our work, which is slow and is achieved incrementally from the knowledge we gather, the relationships built over time, and the teams that we bring together. Defunding one project undermines all the cumulative work CALL has invested in.
Our newest project in Corona, Queens began two years ago as we visited sites throughout NYC’s boroughs to uncover new perspectives on complex issues and the consequences of flash flooding. Simultaneously we reignited a partnership with urban ecologist, Eric Sanderson and his colleagues at the New York Botanical Garden, to formulate a synergistic approach to confronting these challenges.
After completing an investigative WALK followed by a community WORKSHOP to better grasp the concerns of residents and move toward projects for envisioning new futures, we have recruited a Neighborhood Project Team (NPT) that nominated and helped inform the artist selection process. We are still in the initial formative phases of this project, which will take roughly six months for the artists to interact with the community and the other team members (Sanderson and his colleagues) to formulate their first steps.
CALL’s loss of funding weakens or may break the chain of connection, knowledge, and creative ingenuity that makes our work meaningful and impactful. We are committed to finding innovative ways to move forward. We hold up the spirit of collaboration and resilience as we navigate these challenges.
We are reaching out to our community and supporters for encouragement and assistance. You can help us bridge this gap and ensure our work continues to thrive. Whether through donations, spreading the word, or sharing your perspective all will make a difference.
Thank you,
Mary, Olivia & the entire CALL team
Learn more about funding from NYC DEP
NYC DEP offers green roof retrofit funding for private property owners in New York City. The goal is to incentivize private property owners to retrofit their roofs with green roofs to manage storm water runoff.
Attend an online workshop to learn more:
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September 10, 2025; 2–3:00pm
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December 10, 2025; 2–3:00pm
