The New York City Department of Parks & Recreation and Brooklyn Botanic Garden today announced that they have contributed to the seed banking of ten percent of the world's wild plant species through participation in the worldwide Millennium Seed Bank project (MSB), based at the United Kingdom's Royal Botanic Garden, Kew (RBG). MSB officials announced the ten percent achievement-a major milestone for global biodiversity conservation efforts-early this morning at an event at Kew's Millennium Seed Bank facility in Wakehurst Place, England.

"Through our historic partnership with Brooklyn Botanic Garden and Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, we have identified and collected the seeds of 75 important and declining local plant species from the greater New York City area for safe storage and as a hedge against their possible loss from nature," said New York City Parks commissioner Adrian Benepe. "Today we are happy to announce the completion of our seed collection from the New York City region to contribute to MSB's achievement of collecting ten percent of wild plants worldwide."

Brooklyn Botanic Garden president Scot Medbury said, "Brooklyn Botanic Garden is proud to contribute its expertise in the native flora of the New York City metropolitan area, in partnership with the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation and Royal Botanic Garden, Kew, to this extraordinary effort. The progress made by the Millennium Seed Bank and its worldwide partners speaks to the great global movement to ensure the future of biodiversity in our rapidly urbanizing world. BBG will continue to comprehensively study the vegetation of New York City and its environs, deepening the understanding of the city's plant life and by extension providing a blueprint for conservation efforts."

In 2006, the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation-through its Greenbelt Native Plant Center (GNPC) on Staten Island-and Brooklyn Botanic Garden (BBG) were invited by RBG to join as local partners in its global effort to bank the seeds of the world's flora. The GNPC/BBG effort is distinguished by being the only urban partner of the worldwide Millennium Seed Bank partnership.

GNPC and BBG agreed to make conservation-quality seed collections of 75 locally important and declining species from the greater NYC area. These species have been collected from wild populations within the five boroughs and from neighboring counties, utilizing internationally accepted standards for capturing maximum genetic diversity. This fall, field experts from GNPC, with BBG's assistance, are collecting the last five of these species to send to the Millennium Seed Bank facility in England.

BBG scientists and GNPC staff selected local species from regionally rare plant associations and from plant communities whose ranges are contracting, largely due to urban and suburban development and the encroachment of nonnative invasive species. Selected plant communities include Oak-Tulip Tree Forest, Red Cedar Rocky Summit, Maritime Heathland, and Dwarf Pine Plains. Populations of the selected species were then located by using current and historical plant location data from BBG's New York Metropolitan Flora Project and by field scouting.

GNPC's and BBG's involvement in the Millennium Seed Bank has yielded several benefits that will also have a lasting positive impact on local and regional efforts to conserve native flora. The seed-banking facilities at the GNPC were renovated with funds provided by RBG/MSBP to meet international standards, allowing Parks to expand and enhance its ongoing efforts of the past decade to preserve local biodiversity by seed banking and propagating rare and declining plants in New York City. In addition to the MSB collections, the GNPC seed bank now contains more than 1,400 accessions from over 400 plant species from the five boroughs and the region. In addition, the new seed-storage facility has enabled GNPC to assist other regional efforts to collect and bank local seed. The GNPC is now in the process of formulating plans to organize itself as the Mid-Atlantic Regional Seed Bank-a seed repository for restoration and management projects throughout the region.

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Commissioner Benepe today joined Deputy Bronx Borough President Aurelia Greene, Council Member Maria del Carmen Arroyo, Council Member Helen Diane Foster, Assembly Member Vanessa Gibson, NYC Economic Development Corporation Tokumbo Shobowale and Parks Committee Chair of Community Board 4 D. Lee Ezell, to cut the ribbon on Mill Pond Park, a new 10-acre waterfront park created along the Harlem River. Students from The Performance School and Cardinal Hayes High School attended, and the Bronx-based dance group A Perfect Imperfection (which has been featured on the NBC show America's Got Talent) performed.

"Mill Pond Park is the first very significant City park to open on the Bronx bank of the Harlem River," said Commissioner Benepe. "We are thrilled to bring increased green space and new, state-of-the-art recreational amenities to this community at Mill Pond Park. The City is delivering on its promise to replace every inch of parkland displaced by the construction of the new Yankee Stadium in the South Bronx."

As part of the Yankee Stadium Redevelopment Project, the City invested $64 million in funds to transform this decayed industrial waterfront into a lush new ten-acre park featuring picnic & grass areas, overlooks with waterfront views, sixteen Deco Turf tennis courts, and an esplanade to unite the site (Deco Turf is the surface used on tennis courts at the world's most prestigious events including the Olympic Games and the U.S. Open). The park also rehabilitated a sea wall, four piers, and the river's edge. Other amenities include an outdoor classroom, two water runnels, children's spray showers, and a sand play area. Landscaped plantings line the ADA-accessible pathways throughout the park.

Parks will operate the sixteen tennis courts at Mill Pond Park during the outdoor tennis season, which runs from early April to late November. All courts are open to the public for the remainder of the 2009 outdoor season. Parks is currently reviewing responses to a Request for Proposal (RFP) for a concessionaire to install a bubble over 12 tennis courts, operate the enclosed tennis courts with option for other indoor sports during the winter season, and manage a year-round indoor/outdoor caf When a tennis concessionaire is selected, that vendor will manage and operate the tennis courts during the winter months, allowing the public to play on the courts year-round.

In December, Parks plans to unveil the newly-restored historic 25,800-square-foot Power House building in Mill Pond Park. Ultimately this LEED certified building will include a green roof with plantings visible from the nearby Major Deegan Expressway, space on the first floor for Parks Department operations, a cafoperated by a future concessionaire and a tennis locker room. The Parks Department will seek an operator to develop 12,900 square feet of space for public programming on the building's second floor. The public restrooms in the Power House are currently open to the public.

Upon petition in 1813, Robert Macomb was granted permission by the Legislature to erect a dam across the Harlem River from Bussing's Point in Manhattan to Devoe's Point in Westchester, making the Harlem River and Spuyten Duyvil Creek a large mill pond - or body of water used as a reservoir for a water-powered mill - to furnish power for milling purposes. Visitors can learn about the history of the site through signage that will be installed in the park over the coming months.

For more information about new parks associated with the Yankee Stadium Redevelopment Project, visit www.nyc.gov/parks.

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"It is always a thrill to see thousands of New Yorkers come enjoy our parks, especially during one of the most exciting and terror-ific holidays of the year," said Commissioner Adrian Benepe. "This year's Haunted Cruise Ship, which was put together by Recreation staff from across the city, is a spooktacular addition to the 2009 Pumpkin Festival. Parks is proud to offer a free, safe and family-friendly event for people of all ages to enjoy."

Among exciting activities at the festival were hay rides, face painting and a pumpkin patch with decorating stations. To celebrate the fall spirit, Greenmarket Vendors sold fresh, seasonal produce. Parks' Recreation staff organized this year's Haunted Cruise Ship, which featured one room designed by staff from each of the five boroughs. Also, Big Apple Circus, Laughing Pizza, and Kidrockers put on interactive performances for the whole family to enjoy.

New Yorkers got spooked at Parks' Haunted Cruise Ship. Staten Island Recreation cooked up in the haunted kitchen and Brooklyn Recreation staff played ghoulish games in the "wreck" room. Visitors monster mashed in Queens Recreation's ballroom and navigated through Manhattan Recreation's creepy cabin. Participants prepared for a scare in Bronx Recreation's prison!

This year's Scarecrow Contest was held at Central Park's Bethesda Fountain, where dozens of spooky scarecrows stood on display. The scarecrows were judged by New York Knick Larry Hughes and Commissioner Benepe. The judges awarded prizes to winners in four categories: elementary school, middle school, high school, and adults. Prizes included prize packs from the New York Knicks and Chelsea Piers; iPod accessories, and Parks hats. The winning scarecrow will be put on display for one month at the Arsenal Gallery in Central Park.

Event partners included the NY Post, Radio Disney, KISS FM, and Hot 97. The festival was sponsored by Camp Sunshine, Walt Disney Studio's A Christmas Carol, and Cabot Cheese.

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"From its bold architecture to its waterfront recreational amenities, Concrete Plant Park is a prime example of urban planning and adaptive re-use at its most innovative," said Commissioner Adrian Benepe. "The transformation of this former working concrete plant into a striking new park is a testament to the hard work and dedication of community activists working in partnership with government to reclaim the Bronx River and its waterfront."