University Woods to Host Summer Camp

University Woods, three-acres of hilly woodland near Bronx Community College, used to be known as the city’s worst park. It fact, it held that title for three years in a row. Think drug activity, prostitution, and lots and lots of trash.

Recently, however, a small group local residents, Friends of the Woods, have helped turn things around. This July they're even holding a summer camp inside the park – something that would have unthinkable a few years ago.

The three-week camp was created in partnership with the Horticulture Society of NY, the Harlem River Ecology Center, and the Central Park Conservancy, among others. It’s being funded with a grant from the New York City Environment fund.

From the application form:

Nature Explorers Camp is designed for rising sixth, seventh, eighth and ninth graders with a focus on a variety of environmental topics approached via field explorations and hands-on activities. Located at University Woods, campers cover topics such as insects, habitats, water, life sciences, plant life, tree identification, and wildlife care. In addition, they learn the importance of community stewardship, gain leadership skills, and improve their self-esteem.

The camp, which is free, will be held Monday to Friday, from July 6 – 24. For more information, or to obtain an application form, call Brandy Cochrane, Friends of the Woods' founder (pictured above inside the park), at (718) 228-9309 or e-mail crow@uniwoods.com. The application deadline is June 25.



Unseasonal file photos by Alma Watkins

This weekend...

Looking for something to do this weekend? Want to stay in Bronx? Then visit BoogieDowner for a list of local goings on.

The big news, unless you hate parks, is that It's My Park! Day is being held this Saturday. In the west Bronx, there's events at University Woods, Williamsbridge Oval, Mount Hope Playground, and more. See here for a complete list.

At the University Woods event, volunteers will be asked to carve pumpkins and make scare crows in preparation for the park's Halloween event - "Ghost Stories at The Woods." Conditions inside the park, once named the city's worst three years running, have improved markedly in recent times. There's an active "Friends of The Woods" group, and earlier this year the park received $500,000 for improvements. Next Wednesday, at a scoping meeting, local residents can have their say on where the money should go.

A Brighter Future for University Woods?

The Times' has a story in Saturday's paper about the resurgence of University Woods, a three-acre park in University Heights that routinely been named the city's worst.

As we reported on this blog last month, Friends of the Woods, a group run by local residents, no longer sees the need to organize clean-ups; instead they give tours. In August, the group are putting on a block party in the park. Tomorrow morning there's a planning session in a local church. All are welcome.

Despite this activity, University Woods' future is far from secure. As the Daily News reported last year, community leaders would like to see the land developed and condos built.

The photo above was taken last summer by Alma Watkins, a Mount Hope-based photographer and a regular contributor to the Mount Hope Monitor.

Block Party Planning Session II

A second planning session for Friends of the Woods' August 30th block party is taking place 11:30 am this Saturday at University Heights Presbyterian Church (2617 University Ave.).

The session seeks to give local residents an opportunity to discuss what they would like to see at the party and to voice their concerns over the possible destruction of University Woods.

University Woods has become the site of an on-going debate between the local community board, who want the land developed, and a number of local residents who have been working to clean up the park and preserve it as a usable public space.

University Woods, near BCC, is often derided as New York City's worst park; though it has seen marked improvements from organized community clean-ups by Friends of the Woods.

For information about this Saturday, call (718) 295-1220 or 718-228-9309, e-mail thewoods@inbox.com, or visit www.uniwoods.com

Block Party Planning Session

On Aug. 30, a block party - billed as the first ever in the neighborhood - is being held on Cedar Avenue, between Fordham Road and the Hall of Fame Terrace (opposite University Woods).

A planning session for the event will take place at 11 a.m. this Saturday, at University Heights Presbyterian Church (2617 University Ave.), with the idea of giving local residents an opportunity to discuss what they'd like to see at the party and in their neighborhood at large.

The planning session and the party are being organized by the church and by Brandy Cochrane, founder of Friends of the Woods. (Sponsors include Hands On New York). University Woods, near BCC, is often derided as New York City's worst park, but Cochrane tells me that conditions have improved markedly in recent months, to the extent that she's now organizing park tours instead of clean-ups. Still, that might not save the Woods - the local community board wants to see the land developed.

For information about this Saturday, call (718) 295-1220 or 718-228-9309, or
e-mail thewoods@inbox.com.