The Bronx River is one of New York City’s hidden gems. Once frequented by the Mohegan Tribe, the river was known for being a beautiful and lively place for fishing, boating and other recreational activities. In the 1600s, the land was bought by European traders, leading to the river’s misuse as years progressed. By the 1900s, the river was so polluted by industrial city life that it was referred to as an open sewer. 

Scarsdale, a city in Westchester County, was greatly affected by the pollution of the river in the early 1900s. After years of complaints from residents, active community member Fredrick Van Wyck took on the challenge of clearing the Scarsdale air. He eventually identified an unnatural change in river structure 100 years prior as the root of current sewer issues. This gave the local government the motivation necessary to support the construction of a better sewer system.

For the last 50 years, organizations like the Bronx River Alliance have been working to reverse the years of damage done to the river.  The Alliance is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to act as the river’s voice. According to their website, the Alliance’s goal is to ultimately protect and restore the Bronx River, creating a healthy space for all communities. The staff hosts an array of educational and hands-on events to clean up and restore the river to its previous state. 

“I also want to underscore that actions like planting, cleaning and maintaining can be art themselves or generate material for artwork.” Matthew López-Jensen, professor of Art and Action on the Bronx River class

The Art and Action on the Bronx River class at Fordham Rose Hill, in collaboration with the Center for Community Engaged Learning, works with the Bronx River Alliance to help the nonprofit’s cause while exercising student creativity. Last semester, students in the class created art from 3,000 bottle caps they collected from Starlight Park, a public park in the Bronx located along the river, and donated it back to the Alliance. Every semester, the class paddles along the river while learning about the Indigenous roots of the river from Rodrick Bell, the Alliance’s recreation coordinator. 

“I want students to see how creativity can play (and has played) a part in promoting, improving and protecting a landscape,” Matthew López-Jensen, the professor of the class, said. “I also want to underscore that actions like planting, cleaning and maintaining can be art themselves or generate material for artwork.” 

López-Jensen added that he wants students to leave with a basic awareness of environmental nonprofits as possible career pathways regardless of what their major is.

In 2013, the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) gained the funding to build Starlight Park along the Bronx River. With the help of the Alliance, the Bronx community, local partners, and city, state, and federal officials, NYSDOT raised enough money to finally complete the second phase of the park over the last decade. Phase two is set to be completed this summer and includes a 0.67-mile greenway segment and the completion of nearly two miles of off-street trails. NYSDOT has also created three new access points to the park, a new bike lane, a new small park with seating that offers a view of the river and a new pedestrian bridge across the river.

Kenneth Tang, Gabelli School of Business at Lincoln Center ’24 and president-elect of Lincoln Center’s Environmental Club, said the club hopes to conduct future lectures and events to learn about and increase awareness of the river.

“With the Bronx being far, unfortunately it is an area our club does not normally explore,” he said.

The Bronx River Alliance arranged events for each day, kicking off the week with a “Pitch in to pick up” event to clean up Starlight Park.

The club hopes for future lectures and events to learn about and increase awareness of the river.

Last year, NYSDOT initiated a project to rehabilitate the entrance ramp to the Cross Bronx Expressway. The project led to the demolition of the ramp structure in 2021, which damaged the aesthetics of the river and made it hard for people to access and navigate the freeway. The Alliance has alerted multiple organizations and office members, which prompted many investigations to be opened into the issue, but nothing has been resolved yet. 

For Earth Week, which was April 18 through 22, the Bronx River Alliance arranged events for each day, kicking off the week with a “Pitch in to pick up” event to clean up Starlight Park. On Tuesday, the Alliance hosted a virtual “Flutter By!” event on how and why it is important to protect pollinators. The week peaked with tree planting in the Bronx River Forest followed by an open house where attendees were given the chance to paddle, learn about environmentalism, compost and repair their bikes.