Riverside Park Launches Pilot Program To Improve Lawns On The UWS

UPPER WEST SIDE, NY — The Riverside Park Conservancy is looking to improve its lawns through a new program aimed at bringing more greenery to the Upper West Side.

The Conservancy is embarking on the initiative to reclaim areas in Riverside Park that have turned from green grass to dirt patches over the past 20 years.

The plan is to begin the pilot program in an area between 108th and 112th Streets, with a goal to take the best practices from the initial effort and apply them throughout Riverside Park.

The Conservancy says its biggest challenge when it comes to improving the lawns is that "there is no irrigation system, or any nearby water source for most of Riverside Park's lawns. That means we need to dedicate staff to move water to these sites using watering trucks."

Additionally, in a handful of areas that will be used as pilot lawns, the Conservancy will put up signs to keep off the grass.

"We cannot succeed without your cooperation," Daniel R. Garodnick, the President and CEO of the Riverside Park Conservancy, wrote in an email.

The lawn pilot program does not have an official launch date, but the Conservancy knows it will cost $14,250 for a single year to run properly.

The Conservancy sent out an email Thursday explaining the program and also providing a link to donate.

You can find out more about the Riverside Park Conservancy on the website.