About Us

Vision

Restore Brower Park to its historical 1892 natural landscapes and reinvigorate Parks Commissioner George V. Brower’s vision–to preserve a human connection to the natural world in a rapidly urbanizing community by preserving a small bit of natural parkland for human enjoyment and exploration.

Mission

Friends of Brower Park is working to implement this vision for a 21st century sensibility through partnerships with the NYC Department of Parks, the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, the Brooklyn Children’s Museum, local schools and cultural organizations. In a time of human caused climate change, it is more important than ever to restore the park’s native plant infrastructure. The Friends of Brower Park provides authentic experiences and activities with the purpose of educating our community about the sensitive natural ecosystems that define the park and the economic, cultural, and health benefits this beautiful green space provides to the Crown Heights Community.

Friends of Brower Park through example and programmed activities will encourage and support sustainable living practices using contemporary themes of discovery and recreation to create a community of Citizen Naturalists, learners, and mentors who will actively engage in tree conservation, curatorial activities, and hands-on workshops in a collaborative learning environment to bring the natural world into focus through the arts, sciences, and technology. A critical aspect of this vision is to provide internship opportunities to local school children and young adults.

Friends of Brower Park is creating an alliance of Citizen Naturalists, learners, and mentors who will actively engage in tree conservation, curatorial activities, and hands-on workshops that will bring the natural world into focus through the arts, sciences, and technology. A critical aspect of this vision is to provide internship opportunities to local school children, young adults and senior adults.

What we do

Friends of Brower Park is a 501(c)3, not-for-profit conservancy. We partner with the NYC Parks Department, Brooklyn Botanic Gardens, Brooklyn Children’s Museum and the NYC Compost Project hosted at the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens. Brower Park opened in 1892 as a 4 acre treed parkland. Today it is  a 7 acre natural world oasis surrounded by an urban streetscape. Friends of Brower Park volunteers and community service high school and college groups help us care for the park’s green infrastructure and provide staffing for recreational and educational events. Join Friends of Brower Park to Volunteer and Stay Connected to make Brower Park the most beautifully sustainable park in Brooklyn. Friends of Brower Park participated in Earth Week and the Eco Fair at the Brooklyn Children’s Museum. We have brought Summer Stage and Movie Nights for the community to enjoy on warm summer evenings and have planted over 4000 daffodils that crown the park in yellow gold in early spring. We are building mulch rings, to surround our trees to allow microorganisms and worms to nurture and aerate the soil and to protect their roots from winter’s chills. In the spring of 2014 Friends of Brower Park in partnership with the NYC Parks Department planted a Monarch Butterfly Garden.

Throughout the summer and fall volunteers watered and weeded the garden every weekend and welcomed visitors with brochures and information about saving the Monarch Butterfly. The Monarch Butterfly Garden has been certified by Monarch Watch as a Monarch Waystation. The initiative to restore Milkweed and other native plants to the park was in response to the news that the Monarch Butterfly had lost 90% of its population. In two days of hard labor over 200 volunteers reclaimed an eroded area of the park and planted native Milkweed and other nectar plants to host and nourish, respectively Monarch Butterflies. Volunteers gave tours of the native plants and the wildlife in our garden and the park. In the fall we harvested seeds to expand the native plants throughout the park and the community. We partnered with the  NYC Compost Project hosted at the Brooklyn Botanical Garden and volunteers raked leaves into our new compost bins. Volunteer to help Friends of Brower Park restore the park to ecological good health and learn about how to practice a sustainable lifestyle. This June we will be partnering with the NYC Compost Project to offer a workshop on composting with Red Worms.

In the future we will be expanding our native plant gardens, caring for our trees and designing programming where art, science, and technology intersect with the Natural World. The friends of FOBP believe that our community can practice sustainability, create beauty, and most importantly be fascinated by and learn about the natural world through actively engaging in the restoration of Brower Park’s native habitats.

Partnerships and Supporters

Brooklyn Children's Museum

PS 289 The George V. Brower School

Crown Heights North Association

mosaic church logo

NYC Parks

City Parks Foundation, Partnership for Parks