News from the Acres: When We Advocate, They Listen!

PROTECTING OUR PLACES – The Department of Finance Tax Lien Sale
Since 1996 the NYC Department of Finance (DOF) Tax Lien Sale has routinely dispossessed community organizations of key properties. We have been advocating: we revealed that 89 nonprofits were included in the 2016 lien sale and collaborated on a Know Your Rights for Nonprofit Property Owners with the DOF Taxpayer Advocate’s Office. The DOF just responded by publishing this list of nonprofit properties and this list of privately-owned vacant properties included in the 2017 sale. Check the lists to see if places your communities care about are headed towards the sale. Circulate widely! The deadline to resolve this before the tax debt is sold is May 1 (deadline extended due to our advocacy, too). Find out how here.

JOIN US NEXT SATURDAY IN STATEN ISLAND TO GET GROWING
Calling all current and future Staten Island community gardeners! The NYC Compost Project andGreenThumb have partnered to host the Staten Island Garden Get Together, a forum for garden-supporting organizations. 596 Acres will share about how to find vacant lots in your life and transform them into community green spaces. Meet everyone! Saturday, February 25 from 10:30am to 2pm at the Snug Harbor Cultural Center and Botanical Garden, 1000 Richmond Terrace, Building P lobby. Event information here. Facebook event here. RSVP here.

We’re hiring a web developer to build an organizing map
596 Acres is looking for a Python and Django full-stack developer to help create a new website based on our Living Lots framework for a new location! Details here. Apply by February 28.

NEWS FROM THE ORGANIZING ACRES
Far Rockaway, Queens – Allison and Travis are working on signing a contract with the NYC Department of Sanitation to transform a vacant public lot at Nameoke Street and Augustina Avenue into a community composting site, in partnership with the NYC Composting Project at the Queens Botanical Garden. Vacant lots can become community-led organic waste transformation spots when residents plan for the future of our land! Stay tuned for updates by plugging in with Allison: (718) 749-8830, afionaj@gmail.com or Travis: t.andersoncap@gmail.com, (646) 662-0585 and signing up to Organize here:http://livinglotsnyc.org/lot/4155340070/

Bedstuy, Brooklyn – Amber wants to to transform a vacant public lot at 910 Madison Street at Howard Ave into community garden, building on the efforts of a crew of neighbors from last summer. Join her in collecting signatures (print this petition) and building a campaign for public access to this former Head Start playspace! Contact amberslittleangelsnyc@gmail.com, (718) 200-2493, and sign up to Organize here: https://livinglotsnyc.org/lot/59072/

OUR LOTS WITH ACCESS
Harlem, Manhattan – Mandela Community Gardeners are fighting to keep their North American Wildflower meadow at 265 W 126 St near Frederick Douglass from vanishing. Neighbors transformed a vacant lot here into this resource in 2014 with our help. Now the city wants to give the land to private developers. Please sign the petition to save the garden here! Watch a video about it here. Unite with them next Thursday, February 23 at 6:30pm as they organize to save all NYC community gardens on public land that are in jeopardy! Harlem Flophouse, 242 West 123rd Street between Frederick Douglass and Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Blvds

Bedstuy, Brooklyn – Patchen Community Square, on Patchen and Putnam, is hosting their first garden meeting of the year! Join them on Wednesday, March 1 at 7pm in the basement of L’Antagoniste restaurant, 238 Malcolm X Blvd on the corner of Hancock Street. Please come on time because the meeting with be brief and you don’t want to miss it. More information here.

COLLABORATORS
Harlem, Manhattan – The New York City Community Garden Coalition is hosting their February general meeting tonight, Thursday February 16 from 6:30pm to 8:30pm at the Fortune Society, 625 West 140th Street. GreenThumb Director Bill LoSasso will be there to answer your questions. More information here.

Belmont, Bronx – This Saturday, February 18, the NYC Compost Project is hosting two workshops at the New York Botanical Garden, 2900 Southern Boulevard: Crazy for Composting at 11am and Food: From Ground to Table and Back at 1:30pm. The NYC Compost Project works to rebuild NYC’s soils by providing New Yorkers with the knowledge, skills, and opportunities we need to produce and use compost locally. Event information and RSVP here.

Soundview, Bronx – Late winter is the best time of year to prune your fruit trees! Next Saturday, February 25 from 11am to 1:30pm at Adlai E. Stevenson High School, 1980 Lafayette Avenue, GreenThumb is hosting a free workshop where you can learn why fruit trees need annual pruning for the best production and practice techniques for different kinds of trees. RSVP here.

JOBS AND OPPORTUNITIES
Applications are open for the 2017 GreenThumb Youth Leadership Council. High schoolers 14 to 21 years old and college students volunteer in GreenThumb community gardens at least twice a month from May to July 2017, accumulating at least 20 service hours. More information here.

GREEN FOR YOUR GREEN
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.