LaGuardia Corner Gardens
News
LaGuardia Corner Gardens is on land owned by the NYC Dept. of Transportation. The land is subject to development. For several years LCG’s members have sought to transfer the land to the NYC Dept. of Parks, which would make the garden permanent. NYU has blocked the transfer. NYU is in the process of developing a master development plan for the year 2031, which includes the supermarket site adjacent to the garden. While there appears to be no plan for development that would impact the garden, LCG’s members will continue to monitor the situation as it develops. Please support LCG by emailing or writing to your NYC Council Member.
In the News
NYU Proposals
“How Much of N.Y.U. Superblock to Landmark is Issue,” The Villager, July 2 - 8, 2008
“Strip Show and Tell -- N.Y.U. Exposed,” The Villager, June 23 - 29, 2008
“N.Y.U. Zeros in On Tower, Plinth, ‘Zipper’,” The Villager, April 23 - 29, 2008
“Nip N.Y.U. Growth,” Letters to the Editor, The Villager, Feb. 20 - 26, 2008
“N.Y.U. Goes Gonzo on Its Superblock in New Ideas,” The Villager, Feb. 6 - 12, 2008
“NYU Throws Community a Landmark Bone; Supports Designating Pei’s Towers,” The New York Observer, Feb. 11, 2008
2008
“N.Y.U. Offers an Accord On Growth,” NYT, Jan. 30, 2008
“N.Y.U Agrees to new Planning Principles from B.P. Taskforce,” The Villager, Jan. 30 - Feb. 5, 2008
2007
“N.Y.U. President Wants Less Conflict, More Conversation ,” The Villager, May 2 - 8, 2007
“With Door Open to Neighbhors, N.Y.U. Shapes Plans for Growth,” NYT, July 2, 2007
“N.Y.U. Eyes Superblock for Super-sizing Plan,” The Villager, Dec. 12 - 18, 2007
2004
“Strip Poker on Superblocks; Does N.Y.U. Hold the Cards,” The Villager, June 23 - 29, 2004
“Strip Show and Tell -- N.Y.U. Exposed,” The Villager, June 23 -29, 2004
“Sparks Fly Over Strips at Parks Committee Meeting,” The Villager, Oct. 13 - 19, 2004
“It’s Time for N.Y.U. to Stop Blocking Superblocks Transfer,” The Villager, Oct. 13 - 19, 2004
“The Townsfolk Rebel Against Omnipotent NYU, Again,” The Villager, Oct. 20 - 26, 2004
Articles and Listings
American Community Garden Association
“Secret Gardens,” The Morning News, Oct. 24, 2007
“Whodunnit Dept. Bird Nap,” The New Yorker, July 9, 2007
State Attorney General’s Office
An agreement between the Mayor of New York and the NYS Attorney General was signed in 2002. It provides a review process for community gardens. The agreement sunsets in 2010. What will protect the gardens then?
The NYC Council Committee on Parks has held hearings on this matter and has introduced a resolution to protect the City’s community gardens.
NYC Council
NYC Council Resolution 1033-2007, introduced to protect community gardens. Please email the sponsors of the Resolution to show your support.
Awards
Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation
Mollie Parness Dress Up Your Neighborhood
In Remembrance
In April 2007 the garden planted the Love and Peace rose in honor and remembrance of Auxiliary Police Officers Nicholas Pekearo and Eugene Marshalik of the Sixth Precinct, who died while in pursuit of the killer of Alfredo Romero Morales.
Participants in LCG’s Children’s Program
PS 41 - The Greenwich Village School
Research
In the summer of 2007 the garden participated in field research conducted by a graduate student at Columbia University for her masters thesis in Conservation Biology. Kristy King hypothesized that gardens with increased plant structural complexity (more trees and shrubs as opposed to just vegetable crops) would have more beneficial insects and, in turn, fewer pests.
The project identified over fifty species of parasitoid wasps from one summer of collection in twenty Manhattan community gardens. Counter to the original hypothesis, plant structural diversity did not correlate with the diversity or abundance of pests or beneficial insects. Laboratory and statistical analyses revealed that pest abundance is associated with the diversity of food crops grown in each garden, and that beneficial wasp diversity correlates with that pest abundance, as well as the number of trees within a meter radius around each garden.
Community gardeners need not scale back food production in order to decrease the population of pests. Parasitoid wasps that feed on pests are capable of "tracking" pest populations across a large and urbanized landscape. Increasing the number of street trees around each garden may facilitate the movement of beneficial insects throughout the urban matrix, so this may be one way for gardeners to manage for healthy insect populations within their gardens. Perhaps the large-scale tree planting initiative that is a part of Plan NYC 2030 will enhance the diversity of beneficial insects in community gardens, while also increasing air quality and reducing the urban heat island effect in New York City.
Bird Sightings
Black and White Warbler
Cardinal (nesting pair)
Catbird
Common Yellowthroat
Downy Woodpecker
Finch
Mockingbird
Morning Dove
Robin
Rubythroated Hummingbird
Silky Hybrid Rooster
Starling
Some Useful Sites
Citizens Committee for New York
Council on the Environment of NYC
Neighborhood Open Space Coalition
NYC Community Gardens Coaltion
NYC Dept. of Parks & Recreation