A RIVER RUNS THROUGH IT
Canoe outings offered in the Bronx
NEW YORK Our canoes startled a great blue heron standing along the bank of the river. Awkwardly, the giant bird flapped its wings, struggling to gain height, until it reached cruising altitude and majestically soared over the treetops and out of view. An awesome sight — all the more so because it was in the Bronx.
With hundreds of hectares of parkland, including the New York Botanical Garden and the Bronx Zoo, the Bronx is New York’s greenest borough. And a river runs through it — the Bronx River, a 37- kilometre freshwater stream that starts in Westchester County, meanders through the city for about 13 km, then empties into the East River.
My wife, Carol, and I were among 20 paddlers participating in a canoe and kayak trip sponsored by the Bronx River Alliance. We gathered at the Shoelace Park Boat Launch, a short walk from the 219th St. subway station, on a gorgeously clear and cool Saturday morning in May. In our group were people from nearby Westchester and from as far away as Italy. Leading us were Josue Garcia, 26, a recreation specialist, and Elizabeth ( Alex) Severino, 25, an education intern for the Alliance.
Alex and Josue instructed us on paddling techniques and proper use of life vests, explaining that we would paddle downriver about six km to the Mitsubishi River Walk near the entrance of the Bronx Zoo, an easy two- hour trip. Then we put our canoes and kayaks — supplied as part of the tour — into the murky waters and got on our way. Alex’s canoe took the lead, while Josue stayed in the rear of our flotilla as the sweep.
The tree- lined, slowly flowing river meandered at the beginning as it passed through the neighbourhoods along Bronx Blvd., to our left. Soon the roar of traffic from the Bronx River Parkway on our right gave way to the calls of red- winged blackbirds, cardinals and blue jays. We were leaving the built- up area in our wake and heading into the
New York Botanical Garden.
Like many rivers in American cities, the Bronx River was neglected and used as little more than a trash dump. By the end of the 19th century, it was heavily polluted from industrial waste.
Since 2001 the Bronx River Alliance, working closely with the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation and other groups, has educated thousands about the value of the river, planted trees along the banks, provided outdoor classrooms for students and cleared the river of tons of debris and waste.
Mussels and oysters have been introduced into the stream to help filter out pollution, and this year a fish ladder was opened at 180th St. that will allow herring to migrate up the river for the first time in decades. Even eels have made a comeback.
The Alliance offers trips on the
Bronx portion of the river; an estuary paddle along the lower, more industrial portion of the river; and a full- river run of about 13 km.
The upper river run requires one portage inside the botanical garden. Alex explained that we would have to exit the river on the left bank and portage around a waterfall. Each canoe was equipped with a set of attachable wheels. It took teamwork, but we got wheels on all of the canoes and pushed them like wheelbarrows around the falls.
The river widens considerably as it flows beside the Bronx Zoo. We saw Canada geese, that blue heron and lots of songbirds. Alex told us to be on the lookout for two beavers that live in these waters, but they were too shy to show themselves.
At this point, our canoe trip ended, and one by one we beached on the bank.