Volume 10, Issue 1 Fall 2010

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READY, SET, GO TO THE FAIR The 8th Annual MY DOG LOVES CENTRAL PARK COUNTRY FAIR

October 16, 2010 The Naumburg Bandshell mid-Park at 72nd Street 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Of course, your dogs have their treats all set—in your pockets! But what about your treats? The Central Barker has made a survey of all of the places in Central Park where you can have a bite to eat with your dog.

FerraraWhere: Columbus Circle at West 59th St.Hours: Open 7 days, 7:00 am to 9:00 pmFare: Hot dogs prepared on site; bagels; packaged breakfast food; salads; sand-wiches; desserts. Water and other beveragesSeating: A few café tables and nearby park benches

Ballfields CaféWhere: Heckscher Ballfields at West 64th StreetHours: 7 days a week (Mon-Fri 11:00 am to 8:00 pm; Sat/Sun 10:00 am to 8:00 pmFare: Meals prepared on site including hot dogs, hamburgers, turkey burgers, sand-wiches, salads, nachos, desserts. “Rookie Menu” for kids. Water and other beveragesSeating: You can sit at any table with your on-leash dog.

Wollman GrillWhere: Terrace above Wollman Rink, Fifth Avenue at East 62nd-63rd StreetsHours: Wed-Sun 11:30 am to 5:30 pm

weather permitting Fare: Burgers, hotdogs chicken grilled on site; snacks, fresh fruit, soups and saladsSeating: You can sit at metal picnic tables with your on-leash dog

Le Pain QuotidianWhere: North side of Sheep Meadow at West 69th StreetHours: 7 days, 7:00 am to 9:00 pmFare: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner prepared on site plus take-out picnic lunches. Water and other beveragesSeating: You can sit at tables on the front terrace with your on-leash dog. (No dogs are allowed inside or in the outside area where dinners are served.)

Knish ‘NoshWhere: East side of Conservatory Water, East 74th StreetHours: 7 days a week 7:30 am to 9:00 pm weather permittingFare: Snacks, hot dogs, knishes, ice cream. Water and other beveragesSeating: You can sit at tables on the terrace with your on-leash dog (Knish ‘Nosh also runs the small “snack shack” at the southern end of Conserva-tory Water, where you can buy snacks, ice cream, and beverages.)

Knish ‘Nosh North Where: Harlem Meer (the North Park at West 110th Street) Hours: 9:30 am to 5:30 pm weather permittingFare: Snacks, ice cream, knishes. Water and other beverages. Loeb BoathouseWhere: Northeastern tip of The Lake at East 75th StreetHours: 7 days a week 8:00 am to 6:00 pmFare: Hot dogs, hamburgers, sandwiches, salads prepared on site. Water and other beverages.Seating: You can sit at metal tables on the north terrace with your on-leash dog. (No dogs are allowed in the Boathouse or in the Boathouse restaurant on the lake itself.) Public FareWhere: Delacorte Theater at West 81st StHours: During the show season, 7 days a week 8:00 am to 8:00 pm. Closed Sept 5 to early May 2011.Fare: Sandwiches (breakfast and other-wise), soups, salads, desserts. Water and other beveragesSeating: You can sit on the Delacorte benches. n

Susan BuckleyPresident, Central Park PAWS

A L e t t e r f r o m t h e Pres ident

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Everyone has stories about experiences shared together with their dogs in Central Park: humorous, poignant and profound stories of friendship, adventure, fulfillment and loss. These are the stories that the Dog Tales Oral History Project plans to capture. At the 2010 Country Fair, PAWS volunteers will be on hand to record these stories. Interviewers will facilitate the process in order to ensure that the essence of each unique story is recorded.

These “dog tales” will be edited, transcribed and archived so that both audio and written versions can become part of the history of Central Park in perpetuity. The Conservancy hopes to make them available in various ways for serious historians as well as all of those who share a passion for life experienced with their canine companions in the world’s greatest park! Project Director Mia Nitchun urges, “Come prepared to share your experi-ences so that you, too, can be remem-bered as a vital contributor to the history of Central Park.” n

Tell Your Central Park Dog Story

Eats & Treats with Fido & Friends

Central Park PAWS began—eleven years ago—as an Advisory Group to the Conservancy, similar to other groups such as the Woodlands Advisory Group, which meet regularly to discuss relevant issues. After ten years, however, PAWS had evolved into something different. We sponsor events: the annual MY DOG LOVES CENTRAL PARK COUNTRY FAIR, attended by thousands, and the monthly Bagel Barks. We have newsletters, a Web site, a database of thousands of names. In short, we had become far more proactive than the typical Advisory Group.

Taking all of this into consideration in conversations with the Conservancy, we realized that changes were in order. I am delighted to report that the Conservancy has invited Central Park PAWS to become an official Program of the Central Park Conservancy. This is an honor for all of us in the dog community, as it shows the importance the Conservancy accords to its relationship with us.

As a Program, PAWS still maintains its central mission: to foster an ongoing dialogue among the dog community, the Conservancy staff, and other user groups. At the same time, PAWS’ initiatives receive stronger support than ever. All of us on the PAWS Steering Committee look forward to another decade of successful collaboration between the dog community and the Central Park Conservancy, working together to protect and enjoy our beloved Park!

READY, SET, GO TO THE FAIR continued from front cover DOG TALES

Off-leash When and Where

Not sure about the official off-leash rules? At www.centralparkpaws.org, go to Park Guide and

click on the link to off-leash rules. Or go to www.nycgovparks.org/sub_about/rules_and_regulations/rr_1-04.html and read Section i,

Failure to Control Animals.

Dog Tales

entral Park PAWS proudly presents its 8th Annual MY DOG LOVES CENTRAL PARK COUNTRY FAIR on October 16 from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. After a hiatus of a year due to last year’s storm damage, the Fair will take place in a new location: the Naumburg Bandshell, mid-Park at 72nd Street. Once again the highlight of the Fair will be the Best in Park Dog Show. PAWS invites any and all Central Park dogs to compete in three preliminary competitions leading up to a final round in which celebrity judges choose the 2010 Best in Park dog. In addition to allowing contestants to demonstrate that they are good Park citizens, the competition is designed to be engaging and fun for four-legged and two-legged participants alike. New this year will be a Children’s ring, which will feature activities for children and dogs focused on learning safe interaction and an interactive “Let’s Go to the Vet” experience. Back by popular acclaim: the Try Your Agility Ability course and the A-Mazing Maze. This year’s Fair is proud to present Dog Tales, an oral history project to record dog owners’ Central Park dog stories. PAWS vice-president Mia Nitchun explains that Dog Tales was inspired by StoryCorps, the ongoing oral history project featured on National Public Radio. Nitchun says, “We urge you all to share your unique stories so we can create an archive of the amazing world that is the Central Park dog community!” OnStage at the Bandshell will feature demon-strations such as “Teach Your Old (or Not-So-Old) Dog New Tricks” with outstanding New York dog trainers, music, and contests such as the ever- popular costume contest “Look Your Best in Central Park.” Fairgoers will be able to have the dogs micro-chipped thanks to the Mayor’s Alliance for NYCs Animals and can try to pass the AKC Canine Good Citizen test with their Park pups. And as always there will be giveaways and goodies from Fair sponsors. “A great way to be part of the Fair is to volunteer,” says PAWS Volunteer Coordinator Pat Santelli. “We need your help and you’ll have a great time. (Plus you get a PAWS hat!)” To keep up with Fair events and to volunteer, go to www.centralparkpaws.org. n

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Volunteer at the Fair!

Sign up at www.centralparkpaws.org/

volunteers/register.php

On August 6th the Central Park PAWS community bid a very fond farewell to Melanie Alfonso, our liaison to the Central Park Conservancy for the past five years. At the same time, PAWS enthusiastically welcomed Caroline Greenleaf as the new liaison and program director. Melanie—now Melanie Cohen—has crossed Central Park West to become manager of educational programming at the American Museum of Natural History. Over the past five years she has played a pivotal role in the growth of Central Park PAWS. In thanking the PAWS Steering Committee, Melanie said, “On a professional level, it has been incredible to collaborate with all of you on so many projects from Bagel Barks to PAWS becoming an official program of the Conservancy. On a personal note, it was always amazing to me that PAWS fosters such a close-knit community of friendships and support, and I thank you for welcoming me into

that community with open arms.” The dog community extends that same welcome to Caroline Greenleaf. Caroline has recently become the Conservancy’s Community Relations Manager as well as the Program Manager for Central Park PAWS. As a dog owner (actually, she says that it is she who is owned—by Brussels Griffons Zoe and Willa) has been part of the Central Park PAWS Steering Committee for several years. She came to the Conservancy after eight years at The Juilliard School as Director of Health and Counseling Services and instructor in the Law for Performing Artists course for graduate students. An attorney by training,

Caroline was a corporate counsel and had a private practice in Maine before moving to New York. PAWS president Susan Buckley notes “Central Park PAWS and the entire Park dog community owe an enormous debt of gratitude to Melanie. She was our indefatigable champion and our invaluable guide for five years. Without her help, loyalty, and level-headed wisdom, we would not be where we are today. At the same time, we are thrilled that Caroline will be our champion and guide in the future. A dog owner who adores and values the Park, she brings a wealth of experience and imagination to this collaboration.” n

Central Park PAWS, a program of the Central Park Conservancy, represents the thousands of dog owners who enjoy the Park every day. The mission of Central Park PAWS is to foster and maintain a dialogue between dog owners and the Park. The group provides a forum to address issues relating to dogs, dog owners, and other park users and to increase awareness of the privileges and responsibilities of dog ownership in the Park.

The Central BarkerThe Arsenal, Central Park830 Fifth AvenueNew York, NY 10065

Credits:Newsletter Director: Joan FisherEditor: Susan BuckleyWriters: Claudia Boynton, Susan Buckley Creative Director: Barbara Lee ChapmanPhotos: Joan Fisher, Steven Fromewick

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A FArEWEll AND A WElComE

Melanie and Caroline

“WHY CAN’T mY DoG…” swim in the water bodies of Central Park? A typical occurrence: When informed by a PAWS representative that his dog ought not to be swimming in the water bythe Bow Bridge, one dog owner responded that the boats and paddles cause more of a disturbance than the dogs do. After speaking with Tina Nelson, Soil, Water and Ecology Lab Coordinator for the Central Park Conservancy, here is what we learned: When a dog heads into the water, it not only wreaks havoc on the muddy bottom disturbing whatever wildlife might be burrowing, like turtles, but it also disturbs the carefully planted shorelines. Shorelineplants are important for a variety of reasons. Native species provide a long period of beautiful bloom in the Park’s ponds, lakes, and streams. They also prevent shoreline erosion. These plants are a critical food source for wildlife and beneficial insects, and they serve as aquatic filters that clean and absorb nitrogen and toxins from the water. Protecting the shoreline plants is an essential part of the Park’s conservation efforts. The water bodies are home to fish, turtles, frogs and myriad insects. The water bodies are not only a home but a refuge. To the wide variety of waterfowl and other birds that use the water bodies, dogs are a predator. Swimming or splashing dogs put birds on alert and amps up the tension in that area. The boats, on the other hand, are not perceived by the wildlife as a threat and are a minor disturbance to the wildlife. How can YOU help? Follow the rules yourself. And when you see fellow dog own-ers breaking the rules, explain the reasons why dogs are not allowed in certain areas or must always be on-leash in other areas. By understanding the real and valid reasons for Park rules, you can be part of the solution rather than part of the problem! n