Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource "Voices That Must Be Heard" Articles Description An account of the resource The Independent Press Association (IPA) translates articles from the ethnic press (when necessary) and distributes them via web and fax newsletter to mainstream and ethnic press, government offices, nonprofits, and interested individuals. Voices That Must be Heard was designed by the Independent Press Association staff in New York City in response to the horrifying events of September 11. After Sept. 11th, Voices focused on the South Asian, Arab and Middle Eastern communities in New York. Since February 2002, the project has expanded, selecting articles from the broad range of ethnic and community newspapers throughout the city. Here, the Archive has preserved the Voices collection from its inception until November 2002. VTMBH Article VTMBH Article: Edition 43 VTMBH Article: Article Order 2 VTMBH Article: Title Clean-up of Bronx River still a long haul VTMBH Article: Author Robert Waddell VTMBH Article: Publication Siempre VTMBH Article: Original Language Spanish VTMBH Article: Translator VTMBH Article: Section news VTMBH Article: Blurb Since the mid-90s, community activists, private citizens and students have cleared garbage and waste from the Bronx River. These eco-activists believe that its their responsibility as citizens to correct the damage done by polluters, industry and sewage plants. VTMBH Article: Keywords VTMBH Article: Body Since the mid-1990s, theres been an ecological and social battle to clean-up the Bronx River. Community activists, private citizens and students vigorously cleaned out garbage and waste from the river that spans six miles from the city to upstate New York. They believe it is their responsibility to preserve this natural resource before government or polluters will step-in and clean the ecological damage that has already been done. These eco-activists believe that its their responsibility as citizens to correct the damage done by polluters, industry and sewage plants. Theres great potential for economic growth, said Janis Astor del Valle, project director of A.C.T.I.O.N., which works with The Point CDC and Casita Maria. We need to beautify our communities. We need to invest more time and money and energy into preserving our community. Most of the clean-up efforts originated from Hunts Point where sewage treatment plants and water treatment plants exist along the river. The clean-up effort has recovered car parts, used diapers and dead animals during this process. Astor del Valle said that the land surrounding the river had great potential for creating gardens, a park, a pier, ferry service and a youth recreation center. In the long run, the clean-up would revitalize the area, preserve the natural landscape and conserve water life in the river. We need people to be accountable, said Astor del Valle, speaking of individuals and industries that pollute and refuse to admit any wrongdoing. The river and surrounding land has great potential for renovation. Hunts Point has had a bad reputation of garbage and prostitution. We can change that, Valle said. To be sure, the complete clean-up of the Bronx River is far from complete. And activists, whove worked hard, face an uphill battle as pollution continues to build. However, the Point CDC has spearheaded the clean-up with a vigorous campaign of education and action directed at the problem. The clean-up has restored and preserved some of the rivers natural beauty. Fishermen can now catch fiddler crabs, bluefish and striped bass. And as a recent New York Times article reported, marine biologists discovered the presence of the naked goby and the seaboard goby, two species never before detected in the Bronx River. In spite of the rivers natural beauty, the Times reported that the scene was less than pristine. …Just upstream from the crabs, wrote Seth Kugel in an article headlined Hoping Urbanites Will Venture Where Crabs and Killifish Thrive, a grapple hoisted hulks of twisted metal from the yard of Bronx Metals Recycling onto a barge. Soundview Park Homes, a public housing project, loomed behind fences. And the banks were littered with bottles and other trash. Later in the article, Dr. Joseph Rachlin, a professor and director of the Laboratory for Marine and Estuarine Research at Lehman College, said, Most people think that the Bronx River is a sterile river, and its not. Its a very diverse and abundant river. In 1998, The Point CDC, Youth Ministries for Peace and Justice and Sustainable South Bronx, along with more than 60 other groups, began cleaning up the river and the surrounding lands. Cleaning the rivers, said Majora Carter, one of the activists, its a continuing process. The Point at first got a $10,000 grant from Partnership for Parks to begin the massive clean-up effort and start developing the surrounding park area. Above the Bronx Zoo, said Carter, its respected as a river. Lower than that its been industrialized. At best it was neglected, at worst it was abused… [We asked ourselves] Why are we being dumped on all of the time? If anyone is going to clean-up our environment, its going to have to come from us. Another idea in the clean-up effort is getting the community to understand that the river belongs to the people who live in the community. Hector Rivera, another activist, said that the river clean-up was a way for the Bronx community to reclaim a natural resource. Its all about cleaning up and creating open spaces for our kids, said Rivera. Were making proactive steps. This is how development should happenpeople should be held accountable. And community people, their vision, their needs need to be taken into account. VTMBH Article: Line Breaks 1 VTMBH Article: Date 2002-12-02 VTMBH Article: Thumb VTMBH Article: Article File VTMBH Article: Hit Count 124 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Clean-up of Bronx River still a long haul 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. unknown Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. article Original Name The original name of this item. Since the mid-90s, community activists, private citizens and students have cleared garbage and waste Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-12-02