We have protected nearly 400 community spaces from this year’s Department of Finance tax lien sale together! At our rally last week (press and photos), Council Member Antonio Reynoso introduced new legislation that will exempt nonprofits going forward! Find out here if your elected advocates sponsor it, thank them if they do, or ask them to sign on. Thank you to Equitable Neighborhoods of the Community Development Project at Urban Justice Center for advocating with us! Read more updates in Intern Insights: Shannon Dulaney on Protecting Our Places.

SAVE THE DATE: 596 ACRES’ GENERAL MEETING IS SUNDAY, JULY 23! 
Meet organizers from across the boroughs on Sunday, July 23 from 3pm to 6pm at the Rockaway Summer House (504 Beach 68th Street in Arverne)! We will share community land access struggle and success stories to advise and support each other. Event page here.

WE ARE HIRING A RESEARCHER FOR NYCOMMONS
This summer, join our team to add key details to a new tool for NYC community land access! NYCommons.org is bringing NYers accurate information about post office buildings, libraries, NYCHA campuses, parks, gardens, vacant lots, and city-owned waterfronts. Applications due next Wednesday, July 5 at 5pm. Job description and how to apply here.

Read more about identifying community land access opportunities in Intern Insights from groundtruther Tim Nottage! We’ve also been: testifying at City Council, getting our box set for teaching institutions and libraries out there, saying THANKS to our Glove Affair loves and making radio. Plus more! Follow all the action on our Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

NEWS FROM THE ORGANIZING ACRES
Bedstuy, Brooklyn – Building on the efforts of organizers from last summer, neighbors have been meeting every two to three weeks to create their proposal for replacing a long fenced-off city-owned lot, formerly a Head Start playground at 910 Madison Street at Howard Ave, with a community garden. Get plugged in by calling Ezra at (347) 533-0357 or emailing ezra@ezraundag.com! Sign up to Organize for updates here: livinglotsnyc.org/lot/59072/

Far Rockaway, Queens – Far Rock Garden‘s organizers are trying to stop the city from selling our public land at Nameoke and Augustina to a developer who will build suburban-style housing. The Community Board and Borough President also want it to become green space to combat the rezoning‘s 11-acre deficit (the city’s own estimate). Council Member Richards can initiate the process of having this lot transferred to NYC Parks at the request of his constituents! Contact his office at (718) 471-7014 and ask that he request NYCEDC lift its hold and transfer jurisdiction of Queens block 15534 lot 70, the long-abandoned Department of Sanitation lot, to NYC Parks ASAP. Plug in with Allison at afionaj@gmail.com, or Travis at t.andersoncap@gmail.com or (646) 662-0585. Sign up to Organize for updates here: livinglotsnyc.org/lot/4155340070

Highbridge, Bronx – The Holistic Health and Wellness Garden team has been organizing for access to a vacant public lot on W 169th between Nelson and Shakespeare Aves. This land is already in the inventory of NYC Parks; the city planned a park here back in the 1990s but instead it continues sitting locked and abandoned. This week, the group found out about a New York State bill that would “alienate” the site so the city can sell it to an affordable housing developer. The NYS legislature is out for the rest of the year, so the group has time to strategize about next steps! If you want in on this conversation, email dian.organizecflot@gmail.com or sign up to Organize here: livinglotsnyc.org/lot/59053/

OUR LOTS WITH ACCESS
Prospect Lefferts Gardens, Brooklyn – Maple Street Community Gardeners (Maple between Rogers and Nostrand) shared poignant stories of building community last week at the City Planning Commission (CPC) (photo)! CPC has until August 18 to vote on NYC Park’s application to secure this public resource by acquiring it using funding from Borough President Eric Adams and Council Member Eugene. Next stop in ULURP: City Council! See this adorable photo and stop by the never-locked garden whenever! Sign up to Organize on this lot page for updates. Find out more about the public review process of Park’s acquisition here.

Bushwick, Brooklyn – Open hours for BK Rot’s Know Waste Lands (Myrtle between Dekalb and Cedar) are Tuesdays between 8am and 10am, Wednesdays from 5pm to 7pm, and Sundays from 11am to 4pm. Enjoy the flowers and rejoice in grassroots, youth-led environmental solutions! More info and photos here.

Flatbush, Brooklyn – Q Gardens on Church Ave and East 18th Street (along the subway tracks) has now transformed the unkempt area behind the garden’s fence into garden, too (see photos)! Get involved in all of the better-making: stop by on Sundays from 2pm to 4pm to drop off your compost and hang. On the second Sunday of each month from 1pm to 3pm or the fourth Saturday from 11am to 1pm, join in garden work parties! More information here.

Cobble Hill, Brooklyn – South Brooklyn Children’s Garden at Columbia and Sackett seeks waterers! Volunteer by emailing info.sbcg@gmail.com. More information here.

COLLABORATORS
The NYC Urban Field Station of the US Forest Service is conducting a survey of who stewards NYC’s land! By completing it, your garden or other stewardship group will appear on the STEWMAP and on OASIS. Get recognized for your efforts! Email stewmap.ufs@gmail.com to request a survey. More information here. Thanks for taking care of our city!

Nominate gardens for GreenThumb Recognition Awards! Help GreenThumb honor and celebrate community gardeners who are beautifying our neighborhoods, growing healthy food, protecting the environment, and healing our communities. You can nominate up to to three gardens, including your own, by next Friday, July 7 using this online form. Awards will be presented at GreenThumb’s Harvest Fair on September 16.

Next Saturday, July 8 from 11am to 12pm, discover what’s behind the scenes at Queens Botanical Garden’s Farm & Compost, part of the Department of Sanitation’s NYC Compost Project. Get a crash course on how they produce nutrient-rich compost from food scraps and horticultural waste, and learn fundamentals of ecological farming. Register here (required).

Want to learn new skills for stewarding your space? Check out the GreenThumb event calendar. 

GREEN FOR YOUR GREEN
Bushwick, Brooklyn – Does your community garden seek nutrient-rich mushroom compost? Here’s how it works. Bins not included. Email or text (203) 722-9104 if interested.

Check out our list of micro grants and resources that can help you make your project a reality AFTER you have access to your lot.

This Crown Heights block is coming together to co-create Prospect Place Garden! Community Board 8 supports their collective request to have this abandoned Lots for Tots playground at Prospect Place and Albany transferred to NYC Parks so they can steward it through GreenThumb (pdf of letter of support here). Join your neighbors in moving this campaign for access to our abandoned public land forward by contacting Janice at janicepurvis@gmail.com or (646) 479-7035, Mandy at kordalknitwear@gmail.com or (513) 317-4457, or connecting on Facebook or Instagram. Sign up to Organize on this lot page for updates. Photo credit: Inspired Storytellers for the Brooklyn Community Foundation.

Onwards!
596 Acres