This year’s 2012 Harlem River Festival will be on the land and in the water. Plans include a week of events centering on the Bronx’ own New York State Park: Roberto Clemente State Park, which has docks providing access onto the water.
“These events aim to be a celebration of the Harlem River Greenway,” says Chauncy Young, Coordinator for the Harlem River Working Group. “When completed, the Greenway will include parks, bike and pedestrian paths and entirely new waterfront spaces for Bronx residents to enjoy. This will become the last interconnected link to the Putnam Trail, the South Bronx Greenway, the Randall’s Island connector, the soon to be newly opened Highbridge and its connection to Manhattan, and the east-west Greenway through the large strips of parkland in the northern Bronx.”
This is the third annual public event organized by the Harlem River Working Group (HRWG), a group of community organizations, governmental agencies and other commercial stakeholders, focused on improving environmental quality and access to and along the Harlem River — from the Randall’s Island to the Hudson River in Bronx County, New York City. Formed in 2009, we have met monthly to organize and develop goals to ensure that a green corridor is established along as much of the length of the Harlem as possible, with habitat buffer, bike and walking path greenways and river access points.
“It is important that people experience the wonder of the waterfront. Then they will fight for their right to have clean water and greater access in a linear greenway,” stated Karen Argenti, BCEQ Board Member. “The sooner we get the Greenway connected, the more people will come to own the waterway, and the cleaner our water will be!”
