Solar One staff at Dana Discovery Center in Central park offered the following activities:

• A Scavenger Hunt – participants went on a hunt for natural elements that make Central Park an ideal place for birds.
• Button Making – Participants learned about their favorite bird, what it eats and where it lives. Then they made a button to share with friends .
• Create a city habitat - Participants used elements from nature to create an urban oasis for migratory birds. Or took tips from nature to help develop a more hospitable habitat for our resident birds.
• Participants received a handout about bird habitats and native plants and why they are important

Solar One and Stuyvesant Cove Park were glad to participate in Celebrate Urban Birds Day 2007. Stuyvesant Cove park is a unique privately managed New York City park. The managing organization for Stuyvesant Cove Park is Solar One, a not for profit Green Energy, Arts, and Education organization. Stuyvesant Cove was opened in 2003 as a 2-acre active and passive recreation park. Walking and running paths meander through on the park’s esplanade, and a bike path is designated on the western side of the park which is part of the NYC Greenway. One feature that makes this park unique in New York City, is that it is completely comprised of native plants. Trees, shrubs, grasses, and perennials that are all native to the North East and that have evolved in this area over a  period of time. These plants have coevolved with the resident and migratory birds in this area and therefore provide excellent food, shelter, and nesting sites for birds. Stuyvesant Cove has been designated by The Nation Wildlife Federation as a Wildlife Habitat, due to our selective planting of native and food bearing plants for wildlife sustainability.

Solar One’s mission is to educate urban residents on the importance of green energy and how they can live more sustainability here in NYC. Solar One has recently developed a native plant tour series called Stuyvesant Strolls, which will be held once a month throughout the summer. These evening tours will focus on plants that are of seasonal interest each month. This program is a great way to make community members aware of the park, and to hopefully get them involved in volunteering.  Another program launched this spring is our Stuyvesant Cove “Park Class”. This class will be a nice compliment to the other classes currently offered by the education department at Solar One such as Green building 101, and Estuary education. This class was designed for students K – 12^th grade, and focuses on the importance of green space, who lives in the park, what happens to water in the park, and observations on how people are using it. 

To learn more about Solar One visit: http://www.solar1.org/