Coastal Preservation Network is a not-for-profit, 501c3 organization
 founded by long-time College Point residents James Cervino and Kathryn Winiarski-Cervino
to make our waterfront community an even better place to live.

• Organizing waterfront and park cleanups, held every fall and spring in conjunction with "It's My Park!" Day,  led by the city's Partnerships for Parks program. The amount of trash we collect is staggering -- hard-working volunteers typically fill at least one 30-cubic-yard dumpster at each event.
• Creating a kayak launch and offer public boating on the shoreline of MacNeil Park. This city park is  surrounded by water, yet lacks access for on-water recreation. We have purchased two ocean kayaks (ride-atop models), lifejackets, two-way radios, and safety gear, through a generous grant from Citizens for NYC.
• Working with the city Parks Department to get desperately needed repair of MacNeil's heavily used waterfront path. The path is used by cyclists, runners, walkers, and fishermen, and is crumbling and dangerous in certain locations.
• Planting seagrasses on MacNeil's south shore to increase marine life, deter erosion, and reduce water pollution. 
• Launching an innovative art-meets-science pilot project to literally jump-start the city's oyster population at MacNeil Park (see http://www.calamara.com/articles/timesLedger.html).
• Battling for more vigorous cleanup of a former toxin-filled dump on which upscale homes have now been built, next to MacNeil Park. A deeper-soil cleanup resulted from our intervention, and will better protect unsuspecting home-buyers and neighbors.
• Successfully fighting against polluters on 119th St. and 15th Ave. who were storing two-story-high mounds of toxic foam along theshoreline without hte required tarp cover. The foam, used for barfge fill, was blowing into the water, and being burned at night, contaminating the air we breathe. The DEC imposed fines with the help of our fact-gathering and site visits.
• Collaborating with the city Parks Department to secure funding for a Sept. 11 Memorial Tree Grove on the westernmost hills in MacNeil Park. Many local residents watched from this park in 2001 as the World Trade Center burned and collapsed across the water. We lost several local residents that day. This place for remembrance and contemplation was dedicated in May 2005.
  
  We are committed to serving our community and with a growing membership, we are able to accomplish more and have a larger impact. We welcome you to become a member.  
  

President:  James M. Cervino, PhD
                  Scientific consultant, New York, NY
                  Guest investigator, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA

 

Make a difference, volunteer today!

Call 917.612.0235

Coastal Preservation Network
9-22 119th St., College Point, NY 11356
katwini (at) earthlink.net