"SAVE US! SAVE OUR PARK!" is what our endangered East River Park trees would say because the Mayor plans to cut them down.
We will gather on the Winter Solstice, to stand as trees, sharing their message, rebelling for our park, our community, and our survival. Evergreen trees have long been associated with the Winter Solstice, a day that marks the return of the light. Standing as trees we will shine our light on the darkness that is the East Side Coastal Resiliency Project.
Mayor de Blasio's East Side Coastal Resiliency Project for the East River Park is supposed to protect the neighborhood from flooding, but it will also mean that 981 mature trees, some as old as 80 years, will be cut down. It also means a loss of biodiversity, including 82 bird species, 96 insect species, and over 200 plant species all displaced. And thousands of residents, many of whom live in New York City Housing Authority housing, will be negatively affected by this $1.4 billion plan that will result in at least three years of construction next to their homes and the loss of access to green space.