Learn about Brooklyn’s environmental challenges and successes on NYC H20’s leisurely and informative bike ride along Jamaica Bay.

Climate change, rising sea levels and intense storms like Hurricane Sandy have persuaded city planners of the value of marshland in storm water management.  A century ago the neighborhoods Sandy flooded were wetlands.

All 14 of NYC’s sewage plants are built in this vulnerable floodplain along the water’s edge. Their effluent flows into our bay’s and rivers, so maintaining high quality treatment is vital to protect beach goers as well as wildlife.

Government agencies like DEP and the Army Corps of Engineers have partnered with local NGO’s like Jamaica Bay Eco Watchers and NRDC to design a plan to restore Jamaica Bay’s ecosystem. Initiatives include restoring wetlands, mitigating combined sewer overflows (CSO) with green and grey infrastructure and upgrading sewage plants.

On this ride we will;

• Bike along the Jamaica Bay Greenway, visit restored wetlands and demonstrate how the multifaceted Jamaica Bay Watershed Protection Plan is being put into action
• Visit a sewage plant and a storm water retention facility learning about CSO’s and the ad hoc way in which the sewage system initially developed as well as the urban planning history of this area
• Explore one of NYC’s Forever Wild areas
• See lesser known neighborhoods of Brooklyn, including Spring Creek, Bergen Basin, Sheepshead Bay, Brighton Beach and Coney Island, all fronting Jamaica Bay

The tour will be led by BK ecology enthusiasts Adam Schwartz and Matt Malina.