Bette Dewing

Not only in a dangerously hot summer

I could just cry, and indeed I did, when the hearty little plant that had sprung up this past spring in the otherwise bare tree pit outside my window was suddenly gone, yanked up by workers who were exchanging bark shavings there for some sort of soil. “Where there’s no vision…”

This column is also about crucial heat wave needs and, of course, about the death of Andy Griffith, so don’t tune out because you agree with a gardener neighbor that I shouldn’t mourn a plant that was “just a weed”—no matter that its seed chose to make its home in this otherwise arid tree pit and proceeded to add life and good cheer to the concrete streetscape. Doggone it, it was alive and thriving and deserved a long life!

“And it survived many obstacles—like nearby auto fumes,” was Robert Nicholas’ empathic response. Ellie Sankey also understood this loss; “Even a blade of grass is precious.” So did Jose Temprano, who prefers unmanicured lawns, which include weedy-type greenery.
Ah, response, it can so make or break a day, or a life, or a culture—and the tactless kind is better than no response. Wouldn’t you vote for anyone who made communications skills learning a cradle-to-grave top priority?

Nowadays, the conflict-resolution kind of communication should take center stage, and any cussin’ would be according to Sheriff Andy Taylor of Mayberry’s rule book. “Doggone it” is okay.

Wouldn’t you vote for anyone who wants nice guys like Andy to finish first and foremost—and again be role-modeled in media that so shape customs and views?

But this brutally hot summer is not a hot media topic, especially things like East 79th Street Neighborhood Association tree expert Christine Donavan’s urgent concern to “Water those street trees!”

And when an elected official’s aide at the July meeting offers “free air conditioners for the qualified,” this advocacy columnist could kick herself for not saying, “Very good, but some abodes lack adequate wiring, and air conditioners are costly to run. What’s needed most are able-bodied citizens looking out for—looking after—the many vulnerable ones, especially, but not only, in this dangerously hot summer !”

Andy, Aunt Bea and Opie would undoubtedly say, “And that’s what community and good neighbors are all about!”

dewingbetter@aol.com

Karen Becker & Anya Auerback in a scene from Birders: The Central Park Effect.

HBO launched a documentary on Monday that explores a unique facet of New York City personality: the bird-watching community of Central Park. Birders: The Central Park Effect, directed by New York nature lover Jeffrey Kimball, chronicles four seasons in the lives of both the birders and the wild birds they admire year-round in the oasis of nature surrounded by an urban metropolis. Kimball recently talked with Our Town to discuss the film and his passion for birds.

If you missed the debut, you can catch one of the upcoming screenings on HBO this month: July 19 (5 p.m.), 21 (10 a.m., 5:20 p.m.), 24 (11:30 a.m., midnight) and 29 (2 p.m.).

What is Birders about?
The film is about Central Park as a wildlife refuge both for wildlife and for people who have found a refuge in the natural setting of Central Park. It’s about looking at nature in an urban environment in a different way; nature surrounds us wherever we are. Ultimately, it’s about the people: tough-as-nails New Yorkers who want to have a connection with nature.

Can you explain the “Central Park Effect”?
It’s a not-very-well-known ornithological term: whenever you have a relatively pristine piece of nature—a relatively sizeable piece of green—in the middle of a vast sea of concrete and buildings and bridges, it’s going to be a magnet for all of the birds in the area. You end up with a lot more birds per acre in Central Park than you would in some other places, like New Jersey, where there are more trees and water all around. That makes Central Park a great spot for birding. I meant the title to have a double meaning, referring to both the park’s effect on birds and on people.

What made you decide to make a documentary about birds and birders? Are birds a particular interest of yours?
I actually am a birder, but I’m not like a lot of the people in the film, who have been birders all their lives. I grew up in the suburbs of California with a creek in my backyard; I went camping, on hikes. When I moved to New York City in my twenties, I found myself visiting natural parks, photographing wildlife, and I started noticing the birds and identifying them. I had heard Central Park was good for birds, but I didn’t quite believe it until I gave it a shot. It was Central Park that took me from being a very casual lover of nature and a very, very casual birder to a more serious birder.

You talked to some very diverse people who all share a common love of birds. Do any of them have careers that relate to birding?
Most birders do not have any kind of professional life in birds, even though they would love it. One woman is a painter, though; a professional artist who specializes in birds. Other than that, very few people’s careers relate to birding. Some of those people in the park I’ve known for close to 10 years, but I don’t even know what a lot of them do outside the park. It’s not really what’s discussed in the park; what gets discussed is birds. Also, a lot of birders don’t have a lot of money; once you’ve bought a pair of binoculars for $100, you’re pretty much good to go. You can get on the A train and go to Central Park and look at birds.

In the film, one of the birders noted the irony that Central Park is man-made—a “toy environment.” Is there a social commentary here about how we define nature?
It’s true that it is a kind of fake nature. It’s completely man-made, human-made; the water can be turned off with a spigot, the lakes aren’t very deep. But then again, is it really a fake nature? Because when a bird lands there and takes shelter in a tree there, finds water to drink and worms to eat, isn’t that real to them? We’re in this 21st-century idea of what nature is—We have manipulated almost every corner of the Earth, but in the park, the trees are still real, the bugs are real, the birds are real. Urban habitats turn out to be perfectly valid habitats for nature.

In the rolling credits at the end of the film, you listed all of the species of birds that appear in the film, even before your own name. Why?
I wanted to give the audience the impression of how many species of birds were really in that film; there are 117 species in the film. HBO bought it as a finished film and requested one change: that the names of the birds go first in the end credits, instead of after the names of the humans. I was thrilled, I had thought I was getting away with something by putting them in at all.
The Central Park Conservancy, the people who take care of Central Park—they do a good job of keeping parts of the park hospitable to birds. They actively encourage it as a habitat for wildlife.

The film is split into parts based on the seasons, starting and ending with spring. Do I sense symbolism there?
I think there is some symbolism there, but it wasn’t necessarily my intention. I tried to start with strength and end with strength, and in the birding world, spring is the best season. It’s when all the birds come back, when the birds have their most colorful plumage, when they sing; it’s the most glorious season of the year to go birding.

You and the kids may be dyed-in-the-wool urbanites, but come summer, that doesn’t mean that you don’t crave cooling ocean breezes and sand between your toes, yearn for the chance to break out binoculars (you just have to find them first) and gaze up at the stars, and desperately want to set up a tent somewhere other than your coop’s living room. Here’s how you can get out of your walk-up and into the New York City “wilderness” as soon as the weather warms.

CAMPING

COOLEST CAMPING FOR KIDS
Fridays and Saturdays in July and August, families can join the Urban Park Rangers (nycgovparks.org) for an overnight camping experience in New York City. The night includes a cookout and other evening activities like stargazing, nocturnal walks, orienteering, nature crafts, campfires, fishing and bird-watching. The program is free, but registration is required and campers are chosen by a lottery system. Participating locations include:
Van Cortlandt Park | Bronx
Marine Park | Brooklyn
Central Park | Manhattan
Alley Pond Park | Queens
High Rock Park | Staten Island

MOST MAGICAL STARGAZING
The city that never sleeps is not the ideal venue for aspiring astronomers, but there are still a couple of places that offer the least light pollution—perfect for spotting shooting stars.
Floyd Bennett Field | Gateway National Recreation Center | Brooklyn
nps.gov/gate
Great Kills Park | Staten Island
nycgovparks.org

BEST PLACE TO SNOOZE WITH ANIMALS
Family Overnight Safari | Bronx Zoo
This popular family event books up early and features a picnic dinner, hands-on animal experiences, scavenger hunts, games, sing-alongs, guided walks and a sea lion wake-up call. wcs.org

NATURE

BEST FOR BIRD-WATCHING
Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, Gateway National Recreation Area | Queens
Look for long-legged waders like egrets, herons and ibises; shorebirds like sandpipers and plovers; and a variety of songbirds such as olive-sided flycatchers and blue grosbeaks at this bird sanctuary—one of the largest in the northeastern United States. nyharborparks.org

MOST MAGNIFICENT TREE
Magnolia Tree Earth Center | Brooklyn
The 40-foot Magnolia grandiflora at this nature center was declared a living landmark in 1970 and is an excellent way to teach your kids about the importance of trees (and sadly, their rarity) in urban landscapes. nycgovparks.org

PERFECT RAINY DAY ACTIVITY IN CENTRAL PARK
Charles A. Dana Discovery Center Central Park | Manhattan
The kids had their heart set on exploring Central Park, but it’s raining cats and dogs. Now what? Dash between the raindrops to the Charles A. Dana Discovery Center for a perfect (not to mention, dry) view of the 11-acre Harlem Meer and learn all about the wildlife found there, including great egrets, cormorants and bullfrogs. centralparknyc.org

BEST NATURE CENTER IN DISGUISE
The Henry Luce Nature Observatory at Belvedere Castle, Central Park | Manhattan
From this vantage point, you can view migrating hawks and monarch butterflies, turtles sunning themselves on pond rocks and birds flitting about the Ramble. Plus, there’s plenty to see inside the Woodlands and Water Discovery Room. centralparknyc.org

OLDIE BUT A GOODIE
Alley Pond Environmental Center, Alley Pond Park | Queens
Tucked inside the 635-acre Alley Pond Park, this nature center—which opened in the ’70s— was one of the city’s first of its kind. Its Animal Room lets kids get up close and personal with the likes of Bernie the Corn Snake, Loke the Prairie Dog and Henry the Ring-Necked Dove. It boasts a myriad of family programs, including nature walks on the Alley Pond Nature Trail, nature photography classes, animal care training and stargazing workshops. alleypond.com

GREAT FOR BAT-WATCHING
Bats abound in the city, but during the day they stay tucked away, hanging upside down and hiding from predators. The best time to see them is in the summertime at dusk, especially on humid evenings. Here’s where to go to catch a glimpse of these furry, flying creatures:
The Gerritsen Creek Nature Trail
Marine Park | Brooklyn
nycgovparks.org
The Great Hill, Central Park | Manhattan
centralparknyc.org
Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, Gateway National Recreational Area | Queens
nps.gov/gate
Spring Pond, Blue Heron Park | Staten Island
nycgovparks.org

THE BEST OF BOTANICAL GARDENS
New York Botanical Garden | Bronx
Oh, the many reasons to visit this massive, gorgeous garden this summer: the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory, the country’s largest Victorian glasshouse; the Everett Children’s Adventure Garden featuring a boulder maze, hedge maze, a natural wetland and Discovery Center; and the Ruth Rea Howell Family Garden—where kids can dig, plant and grow in one of the many hands-on gardening activities on offer. nybg.org

Brooklyn Botanic Garden | Brooklyn
This oasis is home to the country’s longest operating children’s garden (it opened in 1914), and its 52 acres are the perfect size to explore with young ones. Go in June, when the Cranford Rose Garden’s blooms are at their most magnificent. bbg.org

Queens Botanical Garden | Queens
The Bee Garden houses plants and trees that attract bees or flavor honey—if nothing else, it provides an ample opportunity to have that proverbial talk with your kids (wink, nudge). The shady Woodland Garden, with its woodchip-covered walking trails and streams, will make the whole fam forget that you’re actually smack dab in the middle of Flushing. queensbotanical.org

Snug Harbor Cultural Center and Botanical Garden | Staten Island
Children will love the Connie Gretz Secret Garden, a charming space inspired by the 1911 children’s classic of the same name featuring a turreted castle and a hedge maze leading to its very own secret, brick-walled garden of dogwoods, roses, and other blooming trees and flowers. snug-harbor.org

MOST ECLECTIC COMMUNITY GARDEN
Liz Christy Garden, Lower East Side | Manhattan
Located on the northeast corner of Bowery and Houston Streets, the city’s oldest community garden houses: a pond home to fish and red-eared slider turtles, a wildflower habitat, wooden furniture perfect for afternoon storytime, a grape arbor, a grove of weeping birch trees, fruit trees, a dawn redwood, vegetable gardens, berries, herbs and hundreds of flowers. After racking up 20 hours volunteering, your family is granted a key. lizchristygarden.us

We doubt that anyone thinks of New York City as a summer camp mecca—but by most standards, it really is. Consider all the children’s activity centers and enrichment programs that the city is blessed with—some go on hiatus and some slow down in the summertime, offering the same programming but less of it, but many others take what they do best and build wonderful day camps around their core offerings.

Academic

Keep your kiddo’s mind fresh this August with the academic day camp offered by Drake Bennett Summer Schools. Divided into two sessions and housed at The Epiphany School, 1st-6th graders can brush up with lessons in literacy, math and science, while chess and drama pepper the afternoon hours. Or join Mathnasium for their Summer Re-Boot Camp. Specifically for 2nd-8th graders, this half-day camp is filled with math-centric games and activities.

Language

Set your kid on the fast track to becoming bilingual. Collina Italiana is offering Italian Summer in the City Camp, which includes Italian-infused music, theater, movies, cartoons and museum outings. Children as young as 3 can start learning “bonjour” and “merci” at the French Institute Alliance Française, where culture and language will be taught through stories and workshops.

The Language Workshop for Children is a great tool to get your child speaking like a native. Offering summer camps in Spanish, French and Mandarin Chinese, immersion activities include costume days, arts and crafts, baking and birthday celebrations.

Media

Future video game creators will love the options in Summer Media Camp through the Museum of the Moving Image, where campers get to flex their software muscles learning animation, live action video and more. Or send your wannabe MTV VJ to New York Film Academy’s one-week Music Video Camp, designed for kids with little or no knowledge (but a passion) for the industry. And let’s not forget about summer camp at Take Two Film Academy, which will show your budding director the ins and outs of production, acting and editing. Each student gets to keep an online and DVD copy of their final product to show off to friends and family!

Nature

Wonder about wildlife? Kids ages 8-12 can get friendly with hyenas and lions at the Bronx Zoo’s Animal Kingdom Camp, where they will observe creatures up close and learn how to best protect an animal’s habitat. Taking full advantage of Prospect Park, the Park Explorers’ Camp Explorers program is ideal for the elementary school set. Be prepared to get a little dirty as this camp takes a hands-on approach to Mother Nature—think sprinklers, hill rolling and a host of field trips. And regardless of where you live, an awesome camp adventure awaits with NYC Parks Experience Summer Camp. With locations in every borough, this über-affordable camp provides structured hiking, swimming and sports.

Science

Inquisitive young minds will love the American Museum of Natural History’s Fossils and DNA Camp, where they can explore the evolutionary timeline. If your elementary school-aged child is more into constructing and electronic, the range of camp choices at Launch Math will give him or her the chance to build rockets and robots or design video games.

Budding scientists can use the city as their laboratory with the SciTech Kids Summer Camp. In Central Park, campers build solar ovens, learn about gravity thanks to the thrills of Victorian Gardens and make a few insect friends.

Visit newyorkfamily.com for even more day camp options.

I’ve a long view from my living room of Central Park treetops to Harlem. Falcons glide on wind currents at my windows. Right now, fat leafy treetops look like bridal bouquets. Winters, I stare at naked branches edged with snow—and posed like dancers. Mornings, I smile as sunrises slowly color my white living room with intensifying pink light. When gray clouds settle down on distant trees, I photograph what look like mountains touching the sky.

A few years ago, on the advice of my former editor Victoria Wilson at Knopf, I hired a man to paint my floors a transparent white that reflects the white sky, making guests feel they’re walking on sky. Truly I’m blessed.

Sometimes I think, oh, I could move away, but then I start dreaming about the view in my big, drafty old casement windows.

I love walking the park. I immediately start breathing deeply. The air is suddenly so fresh and plants and trees make my lungs feel like I’m consuming something sweet and clean and good.

The background music in the park knocks me out. I always drop $1 or $5 into a hat or a guitar case. One fiddler stopped playing Cajun music to tell me in a rush that he’d retired at 45, made his own violin and taught himself to play. He made the violin backwards—so he bows with the wrong hand—but he’s such a happy man.

I love the saxophone player whose tearful echoes under a bridge accompany my route to the waterfalls. He plays “… It’s no good unless he loves you all the way…” He bobs his head to thank me for my $5. I thank him. His background score makes my two-mile walk a fantasy.

I see a cardinal and turtles on a rock at the lake in front of the Plaza. I love the fat raccoon—a big star. Today he peers from a hole in a tree 20-feet high while crowds photograph his adorable face. It’s his best angle—his ungainly body and short legs hidden inside the tree trunk.

I head to the waterfall at the west side of the lake. The road is landscaped like an expensive estate. I marvel at the placement of trees, bushes and vines. It feels like money. A black bicyclist and I stare at the waterfall in holy silence. Then he says, “I’ve been riding to this spot every day for 10 years.” He watched them build the splashing waterfall and points out a pipe, barely visible between two soaked rocks.

The waterfall’s a miracle. The children playing in the first falling leaves are miracles. Not driving to my former country house for two hours in order to breathe clean, fresh air is the best miracle. Sometimes I think I live in the luckiest spot—a shared rent-stabilized apartment with acres of Central Park and big sky as décor. Life can be a bitch, but a rent-stabilized apartment overlooking the park is joy. n

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Susan Braudy is the author and journalist whose last book, Family Circle: The Boudins and the Aristocracy of the Left, was nominated for a Pulitzer by publisher Alfred Knopf.