Bronx River Alliance

 The mission of the Bronx River Alliance is to serve as a coordinated voice for the river and work in harmonious partnership to protect, improve and restore the Bronx River corridor and greenway so that they can be healthy ecological, recreational, educational and economic resources for the communities through which the river flows.

The Bronx River Alliance serves as a coordinated voice for the river and works in harmonious partnership to protect, improve and restore the Bronx River corridor so that it can be a healthy ecological, recreational, educational and economic resource for the communities through which the river flows. The Alliance works in close partnership with the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation to achieve these goals.

History

The Bronx River went from a flourishing and beautiful resource to a contaminated conduit for industrial and residential wastes two centuries ago. In 1974, a small band of community activists formed Bronx River Restoration and began the arduous process of cleaning up and restoring the river. Their effort gained strength and numbers in 1997, when Partnerships for Parks convened the Bronx River Working Group and brought together more than 60 community organizations, public agencies and businesses committed to reclaiming the river and improving access to it throughout the Bronx. Efforts to restore the Bronx River took a tremendous step forward in 2001 when the Bronx River Working Group created the Bronx River Alliance as a permanent 501(c)(3) organization to continue this work for the long term. Working closely with the New York City Parks Department, which provides substantial in-kind support, we are headquartered within the Parks Department’s facility on the Bronx River Parkway.