Often when we ask for improved access to Newtown Creek, we are met with the response, “Why do you want access to that?”
The polluted and industrial nature of Newtown Creek often limits the thinking and planning about what sorts of activities belong there.
In the words of NYC’s own Comprehensive Waterfront Plan, the old one from 1992, we believe that the “historical concept of “public trust,” which establishes that certain waterfront benefits are held in trust for all the people, is fundamental …for public access and recreational use of the water’s edge.”
On Newtown Creek, the waterway is our Main St., and therefore all of our boaters are the “eyes on the street”, our own form of natural surveillance.
From the tugboat captains, we know when and where the bridges will open; from our canoe trip captains we get detailed reports on what lives in the intertidal zone.
A fully active Newtown Creek, teaming with a diverse array of skilled boat handlers, is ultimately in the best interest of Newtown Creek’s economy and ecosystem.