Isham Park is 98 years old today September 28, 2010

Today is the anniversary of the original celebration of the gift of Isham Park to New York City.  The park is 98 years old today, Tuesday, September 28, 2010.

View from Isham Park to the Hudson River and the New Jersey Palisades in 1913
Credit: Archives of the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation 

Julia Isham Taylor was the generous donor of the first of what turned into a series of parcels of land by Isham family members in honor of her father, William Bradley Isham, who died in 1909.  Mr. Isham had owned and occupied the northern Manhattan land since 1864.

A New York Times article, dated March 24, 1912, describes one fact all but unknown today: that the gift of Isham Park preceded the city's purchase of Inwood Hill Park.  In fact, news of the gifts of land for Isham Park helped to inspire support for the purchase of the land that became Inwood Hill Park.

According to Parks Commissioner Stover, as quoted in The New York Times on the day of the Civic Celebration in 1912, the gift of Isham Park was the first gift of private land for the purpose of a public park in Manhattan. This fact and much of the historic information gathered on Isham Park can be credited to Gail Addiss who is a founding member of the group "Volunteers for Isham Park," formed in June 2009.

The Volunteers are dedicated to the history and physical improvement of Isham Park, in conjunction with the Partnerships for Parks, the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, the City Parks Foundation, and existing Isham Park volunteer groups, such as Bruce Reynolds Memorial Garden, and independent gardeners.  

In addition to our other parks related activities, the members of Volunteers for Isham Park are beginning to collect funds and plan to hold a centennial celebration of the Gift of Isham Park on September 28, 2012.  Please watch for related events over the next two years.  If interested in becoming a member of the Volunteers or in making a tax deductible donation to "Volunteers for Isham Park," please contact us at: volunteersforishampark@gmail.com.

Black Rat Snake seen in PTW Margin Garden is harmless and good for rodent control

This morning at about 8:15am, as I passed the margin garden on Park Terrace West, I saw a three to four foot long black snake fully extended among the plants. The snake looked healthy.  After informing the other Volunteers about the siting, Steve sent a link to a photo of a Black Rat Snake http://www.esf.edu/pubprog/images/snakes/blackrat.jpg

Also here is a link to a fact sheet about such snakes:
http://nationalzoo.si.edu/Animals/ReptilesAmphibians/Facts/FactSheets/Blackratsnake.cfm

They are non-venomous and good for rodent control. 
So we hope no one tries to do away with it, as we benefit from its assistance with controlling rats and mice.

Read this week's "Manhattan Times" article about tree damages and removals in Bruce's Garden, Isham Park, Inwood

To read local news reporting about the tree damages and removals described earlier this blog, see the following:
 
Manhattan Times interview/article on pages 8 and 10 of this week's paper issue:
August 18th-24, 2010, vol. 11, No. 33, "Community" section, heading: "Inwood," title:

Wind from July Bronx tornado costs Inwood's Bruce's Garden 11 trees

or go to the e-version: http://www.manhattantimesnews.com/2010/wind-from-july-bronx-tornado-costs-inwoods-bruces-garden-11-trees.html

Photograph of the removal of trees in Bruce's Garden

Tree removal in Bruce's Garden

This photograph shows how tall the Norway Maples (an invasive species) had become.  As they lost branches over the past year, they became more and more unstable.  Finally the wind that came over the top of the hill and the building to the north of them hit them a bit too
hard.

More removals are expected in Bruce's Garden & some history of recent tree removals

The work begun removing the trees in Bruce's Garden that had been damaged by strong winds on the afternoon of Sunday July 25th is to continue in the next few weeks.  The next removals will include the tree with the hollow core shown in the photograph posted in this blog on August 3rd.

The trees to be removed are mostly on the extreme northern end of Bruce's Garden along the fence bordering the driveway behind the Northeastern Academy.  Access to this area is difficult for the heavy equipment needed by the Forestry Department and the trees to be removed are not stable, as at least one is dead, in addition to the one with the rotten core.

A tall ivy -covered stump will also probably be removed as it is also probably rotten and could fall.

The destabilization of the trees began last summer when a large elm tree just to the west of the garden succombed to Dutch elm disease (DED) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dutch_elm_disease is a fungal disease of elm trees which is spread by the elm bark beetle.

Once the elm tree was removed and its stump ground, the winds from the west during many storms hit the remaining trees with far greater force causing damages to occur.  A large limb was torn from one of the removed trees the week before the Fourth of July, nearly a year after the elm went down but only three weeks before the violent winds from the north caused the more extreme tree damages.

Isham Park visitors and area residents should be aware that Dutch elm disease also has resulted in the death of several other smaller trees in the park that were recently removed, notably two in the southwestern corner at the top of the large hillside area (and near to the same) where the Volunteers for Isham Park mulched on their June 19th 2010 work day (see June 21st blog post).

At center, dead elm at south end of park above
Park Terrace West (since removed)

Please let us know if you see other elms that appear to be dying.  Given the drought this summer, many trees appear to be weakened and their leaves are turning brown.  But if you let us know we will get the Forestry department to investigate and take action. 

Big sky over Bruce Reynolds Memorial Garden in Isham Park

Now that the damaged tall trees near the pavilion in Bruce Reynolds Memorial Garden have been removed, there is open sky above the garden.  The photographs included here were taken this morning.  The images are included as an attempt to show this new open sky condition for the garden which has been very shaded or forested for many years. 

View of the sky from the front gate of the garden

After the tree work has been completed and the stumps removed, work will begin to stabilize and establish the garden and its memorials for visitors once again.

Looking east into Bruce Reynolds Memorial Garden

Looking northeast into the garden

Storm damage and tree removals in Bruce Reynolds Memorial Garden in Isham Park

2010 garden sign ripped out by strong winds

Most New Yorkers are aware that on Sunday afternoon, July 25th, a tornado violently touched down in the Riverdale section of New York.  However, many are not aware that the same storm did major tree damage in the Bruce Reynolds Memorial Garden in Isham Park.

As the result of the damage done to the tallest trees in Bruce's Garden, many are being removed.  This is because they were deemed by the Department of Parks and Recreation's Forestry Department to be so damaged that they were unstable.

Detail of rot revealed by lost limb

The loss of a large limb on one tree near the driveway of the Northeastern Academy revealed that the tree was rotting and had a hollow core. This damage is still visible, as the tree has not yet been removed.

The photographs included here were taken on the evening of the 25th of July.  We hope that they make everyone aware how critical the work being done is for the safety of all who enter the garden.

Loss of massive limbs left trees unstable