| Type | Non-Profit |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1995 |
| Headquarters | New York, NY, USA |
| Key people | Bette Midler, Founder |
| Website | www.nyrp.org |
New York Restoration Project, a non-profit organization, is the private partner in Mayor Bloomberg's MillionTreesNYC campaign to plant one million new trees in New York City by 2017.[1]
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On July 7, 1995, renowned entertainer Bette Midler founded the nonprofit New York Restoration Project (NYRP), with the goal of revitalizing neglected neighborhood parks in economically disadvantaged neighborhoods of New York City. These include Highbridge Park, Fort Washington Park, and Fort Tryon Park in upper Manhattan and Roberto Clemente State Park and Bridge Park in the Bronx.
In 1999, the city planned to auction 114 community gardens for commercial development. Midler and NYRP Founding President, Joseph Pupello led a coalition of greening organizations to save them. NYRP worked closely with the City of New York and took ownership of sixty of the most under-served gardens in New York City's most economically challenged communities. That was the beginning of the New York Garden Trust, the largest community garden land trust in the United States.
Today, Midler and her organization works with local volunteers and community groups to ensure that these gardens are kept safe, clean and vibrant.
The New York City Department of Parks and Recreation initiated in 1995 a partnership with the NYRP to assist with cleaning and maintaining Fort Tryon Park that is located in the Washington Heights, Manhattan section of the New York City. Today, it is visited by thousands of tourists and residents annually as it is a few miles away from Central Park.