Gardeners Corps

Marine Park Alliance aims to reach 1400 volunteers with the establishment of a Gardeners Corps under the direction of professional horticulturists. They will remove invasive weeds and plant native species in all of our natural habitats and garden beds to promote biodiversity despite the uptick in climate change. The Corps will provide critical horticultural tasks to sustain plantings in garden beds and restoration of the salt marsh, meadows, and woodland habitats. These tasks include pruning, mulching, watering, fencing, and weeding. This comes at a critical time when NYC Parks is losing so much of its staff, and it shows in the unkept landscape of the park. Strong efforts from a volunteer corps could turn this around and keep the park as the beautiful, welcoming space that it is meant to be. 

• Schedule volunteer dates
• Publicize the dates on social media and in the community
• Purchase necessary supplies
• Coordinate task assignments and supervision with partners
• Thank everyone involved

Due to severe budget cuts to NYC Parks Department during this pandemic, Marine Park has less field staff than ever before to cover its 798 acres. This largest park in Brooklyn sorely needs help from dedicated volunteers to make up for this loss. 

Marine Park Alliance's core values include giving back to the park in tithe, time, or talent as the responsibility of park users of all ages and as deeply consequential in the park’s success. We also believe it is important to cherish the beauty of plants and wildlife and promote their biodiversity for the ecological health of precious natural areas. We know there are many people who share these same values and beliefs.