Day: July 24, 2026

An endangered Kemp’s ridley sea turtle returned to the Atlantic Ocean outside the New York Aquarium July 24. 

The post Endangered Kemp’s ridley sea turtle returned to the Atlantic Ocean appeared first on Brooklyn Eagle.

The 50-year-old TLC driver had just picked up a fare from NYCHA’s Whitman Houses on North Portland Avenue near Auburn Place in Fort Greene just after 4 a.m. when he got into a fender-bender with a white Sprinter van, police said.

THE CITY’S BUREAU of Coastal Resilience will expand from six to 75 staff members, thanks to a $43.2 million commitment.

The post Major expansion of Coastal Resilience Bureau underway appeared first on Brooklyn Eagle.

Make a splash with the Gowanus Dredgers!

The Gowanus Canal will become a hub of celebration for Brooklyn this City of Water Day.

The regional holiday, taking place this Saturday, celebrates the importance of New York and New Jersey’s waterways and harbors, bringing communities together to connect with the waterfront.

“We forget as New Yorkers, at least sometimes I do, that we’re on an island,” said Jinean Robinson, executive director of the RETI Center based in Red Hook. “City of Water Day allows a community focus and call to come out to the water. I think all of us, the [Gowanus] Dredgers, RETI [Center], we’re doing this work every day, but it really calls the community to come and to enjoy it… it just bridges the gap.”

The RETI Center and Gowanus Dredgers are spearheading the day’s celebrations at the Gowanus Dredgers Boathouse, calling together “two neighborhoods. One harbor.” Though the organizations are two distinct entities, partnering for the day felt natural due to their shared missions. 

“We’re very much aligned,” Robinson said. “We’re working on the same waterfront, in essence… At the RETI Center we do education, workforce training and these projects, and the Dredgers are really bringing that community point and that access, and giving people actual experience on the waterfront. It very much feels like it’s complementary.”

Sophie Fenwick, one of the organization’s featured Brooklyn-based monthly artists, kicks off the day with a photo exhibit and film screening featuring scenes of the canal. Her film is accompanied by a performance from musician Leslie Braver.

As a strong supporter of the local arts, integrating the performances into the Boathouse’s City of Water Day celebrations was routine to them, according to Dredger’s captain Celeste LeCompte. 

“Having art and music and other creative things brings down people who may not really be interested in the environment and the water parts of this, but then they get that as an incidental,” said LeCompte. “That’s something that’s really important to how, I think a lot of our work at the Dredgers happens.” 

Later in the afternoon, the RETI Center is presenting on water quality and the history of the Gowanus and Red Hook waterfront. Alongside providing a day of fun activities, City of Water Day also aims to educate New Yorkers about caring for our local water.

“Just seeing people breathe and take in their water, it underscores it,” Robinson said. “It’s one thing to read about it. It’s one thing to watch a documentary about it, but it’s another thing to be in it, to be involved in it, and it creates more of a long-term stewardship.”

“The canal is such a rich local resource from an education and a creative perspective,” Corinne Brenner, board member of the Gowanus Dredgers, added. “You know, no matter what you’re interested in… there’s something there for you to hook into.”

Following the presentation, the Gowanus Dredgers are hosting a “community paddle and cleanup” at the canal, open to all ages and skill levels. Residue picked up from the canal will be repurposed for the community, according to Dredgers board member Erica Eliason.

“Obviously that is beneficial for the canal, but this trash in particular will be used for an art exhibit that is going on a mini-golf site here in Gowanus,” Eliason said. “It’s a special trash pickup.”

The day will close off with a musical showing from Brooklyn native psychedelic artist Herb Lore.

City of Water Day is not the only time New Yorkers can support the city’s water conservation efforts. With the canal, even something as simple as educating yourself on combined sewer overflow (CSO) can make a difference, according to Eliason.

“Just changing your behaviors when it’s raining, not taking a shower then, not flushing the toilet because that will be discharged into the canal,” Eliason said. “I think that is something that, an individual person, if they know more about how that works, that’s a behavior they can change.” 

Year-round, the Dredgers and RETI Center offer volunteer opportunities for anyone who is interested to get involved and support their efforts. 

The Gowanus Canal, despite its reputation for pollution, also tells a story of transformation that Dredgers board members hope is recognized with the celebration.

“People might have a lot of preconceived notions about what’s going on with the canal, or have sort of a vague sense that it’s polluted, but they don’t quite know what’s going on,” Brenner said. “Having events like this is also a really great way to introduce people to the facts of what’s happening and that there’s progress being made.”

“I think one of the great things about the Dredgers is trying to, together, imagine a different future and what is it that we want for this canal and our neighborhoods, and realizing that, together, we actually have a lot of power to try and make that happen.” said Brenner.