For the 32nd year, Bronx parks advocates, once again, gathered to discuss the state of Bronx parks during the Annual Bronx Parks Speak Up event, held at the Herbert H. Lehman College in Bedford Park on Saturday, Feb. 28.

 

The theme for this year’s event was “The Power of Parks: Funding the Future,” and focused on investment, access, and community-driven solutions for parks across The Bronx. As usual, the event brought together community members, advocates, and partners to explore the future of Bronx parks and green spaces. It was hosted, as usual, by Ed García Conde of Welcome to The Bronx.

The event, which ran from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. was held at the college’s campus’s Music Building, located at 250 West Bedford Park Boulevard, and featured various workshops and discussions with park advocates from the community on issues affecting different parks, as well as new projects.

 

Attendees also had the opportunity to connect with organizations during tabling and networking sessions, and to share input on park planning and environmental initiatives.

The titles of the various workshops and panels were: “Activating Bronx Parks through the NYC Green Fund,” “Getting from Greenway to Waterfront: Gateways and Bridges of the Harlem Riverfront Greenway Plan,” “The Importance of Community Gardens,” “Lowering the Temperature with Nature: Prioritizing Parks for the Future,” “Meet Our Urban Forest Stewards,” “Pelham Bay Park Access Study: Public Input Workshop,” “Listening with the Harlem River,” and “Build Your Own Indoor Worm Condo.”

 

Spuyten Duyvil resident and former Bronx Community Board 8 member David Gellman said after the event, “I’m glad I came.” He added that  he believed the crowd this year was lighter than in previous years. “But it was still a good crowd,” Gellman said. “I don’t think there were as many organizations represented, but still good representation.”

Gellman continued, “I always think this is worthwhile. It gets people motivated to speak up about parks and the effort. It’s been said for many years that parks needs to get 1% of the city budget and it hasn’t, and this year, it’s barely half a percent.” He continued, “The other thing is Parks needs its own capital budget. All capital projects, buildings, bathrooms, whatever is going to be built really comes from outlays from the electeds, and that’s not how you run an agency. An agency needs its own capital budget so we can plan out more than 12 or 18 months.”

 

Asked how the park scene was in Bronx Community District 8, Gellman replied, “I think they’re good; they can always be better. I think my park is clean, it’s neat, and well maintained. With my immediate park, plus Van Cortlandt (Park), I think that it’s been taken care of well. I get frustrated when I hear about hiring people to maintain the park and a fair amount of the maintenance is because residents are lazy and leave trash, and that bothers me. I’d rather have someone cutting the grass than picking up the trash.”

Asked for her reflections on the event, a female member of the Van Cortlandt Park Alliance who declined to be identified told Norwood News, “It was wonderful! There [were] a few workshops going on that were related to Bronx environmental green offerings and parks access, and different community building initiatives from a lot of different organizations that showed up, a lot of community members who were interested in learning more about all of the great things that The Bronx has to offer.”

 

Norwood News also spoke to Nilka Martell from the Bronx Coalition for Parks and Green Spaces, who said of the event, “It’s just a great event! It’s the only one of its kind in New York City. Other boroughs have tried to pull this off, and they haven’t been able to.” We asked what inspired it originally. “The parks budget, believe it or not,” Martell said. “Since 2001, New Yorkers have been fighting for 1% of the city budget to be set aside for parks, and here we are, 2026, and it’s still not 1% 39 years later. So it’s unbelievable that it’s been so many years, so many different mayors, so many campaign promises. It’s ridiculous.”

She added, “Here in The Bronx, where a quarter of The Bronx is parkland. We deserve our fair share for our parks. Bay Park, we have one gardener. Pelham Bay Park is the largest city park, three times more than Central Park, one gardener! I mean it makes no sense! So, we get together once a year. All groups here represent parks throughout The Bronx, north, south, east, west, and we share ideas. We share advocacy, best practices, and we come up with new ideas and new initiatives.”

 

During the event, former Bronx Parks Commissioner Iris Rodriguez-Rosa was presented with a proclamation for her service to city parks during her tenure.

Addressing those gathered, Rodriguez-Rosa said in part, “This is absolutely one of the most amazing, wonderful events of the year, and for New York City Parks, this is something that we always look forward to, to be able to be here with all of you, all the amazing advocates, all the amazing parties that are here. I want to say congratulations again – 32 wonderful years!”

 

She added, “I have to say, for me, it’s been a labor of love, and I have been part of this Bronx speak up just about since its inception when I was chief of recreation in the borough of The Bronx, so, just to tell you that it’s been absolutely wonderful to think about all the things that you have been able to accomplish over the years. I always thank my husband for putting up with me, and all the many days and nights and things like that. Thank you, honey, for for being so supportive.”

The event was organized by the Bronx River Alliance, Bronx Coalition for Parks and Green Spaces, and funded by Con Edison. Additional assistance was provided by Lehman College. Partnerships for Parks, and Neighborhood Initiatives Development Corporation, the latter located at 2160 Matthews Avenue, Bronx.

 

Other local groups in attendance on the day included Friends of Mosholu Parkland and Van Cortlandt Park Alliance.

 

To view some of the presentations at the event, check out Norwood News’ YouTube channel here. (There are also five other related videos).

 

For more information on the Bronx River Alliance, located at Starlight Park along Sheridan Boulevard, visit https://bronxriver.org.