Tribute in Light is a danger for migrating birds (Credit: NYC Audubon)
Tonight, Jeremy asked,
“I know it might sound strange, but tonight when I was a couple of blocks away it looked like thousands of birds flying in them. Did they add sparkles or something like that?”
As much as we love them, as beautiful and revered as the Tribute in Light are as part of our nation’s 9/11 commemoration rituals… Jeremy brings up an excellent point.
Those are not sparkles, but thousands of migrating birds — lost within the beams of light, blinding their direction off course.
The migration patterns of birds during this time has caused their advocates to call for major skyscrapers to turn off their lights in order to alleviate bird collision deaths during migration. The most famous example is the Chrysler and Empire State Building, have recently agreed to shut off their lights at night until the end of the migration season on November 1st. Yet, it hasn’t stopped the Tribute in Light from being cast every September 11th.
The NYC Audubon society has conducted studies in which their findings indicated that birds fly at lower altitudes at night, causing them to collide into well-lit or glass fronted high buildings.
The Tribute in Light causes another concern as the lights have been found to blind the birds. According to the group, “September is a peak month for many of the 200 or so species that head south over New York City. The majority of these fly during the night, and under certain conditions they can be placed at extreme risk. Birds can be strongly attracted to artificial lights, perhaps because some species use natural light-the stars, the moon-to navigate. When natural light is absent-during cloudy conditions, for example, or when the moon is new-artificial lights can have an amplified and sometimes deadly effect.”
If anything, it’s a good thing for our fine feathered friends that the tribute is only a night long event.
Lower Manhattan Vehicle and Pedestrian Restrictions
Tuesday, September 7, 2010 to Sunday, September 12, 2010
The City of New York has implemented the following street closures, parking rule changes and restrictions for vehicular and pedestrian traffic in preparation for the September 11 commemoration at Zuccotti Park (south of One Liberty Plaza at Liberty Street between Broadway and Church Street/Trinity Place).
The City’s advisory is as follows:
The commemoration for family members will take place on Saturday, September 11 from 6:30 AM to until late afternoon. Following a moment of silence at 8:46 AM, the names of the victims will be read with music as a backdrop throughout the program. There will be additional moments of silence at 9:03 AM, 9:59 AM and 10:28 AM. During the ceremony, families will be allowed to visit the WTC site.
The Tribute in Light, originating at the Battery Garage, will begin at sundown.
Given the limited vehicle and pedestrian access in the immediate area of Zuccotti Park and Lower Manhattan vicinity, we ask that you encourage your fellow residents, tenants, employees and outside guests to do the following in preparation:
Avoid scheduling deliveries on September 11 until after 5 PM.
Use public transportation whenever possible to stations outside the event area.
Minimize car-service pickups on September 11 until after 5 PM. Traffic along Broadway and West Street is expected to be heavy.
Below is the City’s outline for vehicle and pedestrian access information:
Zuccotti Park will be closed in part starting at 7 PM Tuesday, September 7. It will be completely closed on Saturday, September 11 and will reopen on Sunday, September 12. The Greenmarket in Zuccotti Park will be open on Tuesday, September 7 as scheduled. Vendors will not be allowed to operate in the park on Saturday, September 11.
The R train station at Cortlandt and Church streets will be closed the evening of Friday, September 10 and on Saturday, September 11.
Liberty Street between Broadway and Church Street/Trinity Place will be closed to vehicles, parking and traffic from 7 PM Tuesday, September 7 to 11:59 PM Saturday, September 11. Pedestrian access will be very limited. There will be no pedestrian access on Saturday, September 11. Liberty Street between Broadway and Nassau Street will be closed to parking from 12:01 AM to 5 PM on Saturday, September 11.
The Liberty Street Pedestrian Bridge will be closed from 12:01 AM to 11:59 PM on Saturday, September 11. To cross West Street, pedestrians will be directed to use the Vesey Street Pedestrian Bridge or go south to cross at street level at Albany and Carlisle streets.
Albany Street between Greenwich and West streets will be closed to vehicles, parking and traffic from 9 PM Friday, September 10 to 11:59 PM Saturday, September 11. Pedestrian access will be very limited.
Carlisle Street between Greenwich and West streets will be closed to vehicles, parking and traffic from 9 PM Friday, September 10 to 11:59 PM Saturday, September 11. The street will be open for pedestrians only.
Thames Street between Broadway and Greenwich Street will be closed to vehicles, parking and traffic from 9 PM Friday, September 10 to 11:59 PM Saturday, September 11. The street will be used for pedestrians only.
Cedar Street between Broadway and Church/Trinity Place will be closed to vehicles, parking and traffic from 12:01 AM Thursday, September 9 to 11:59 PM Saturday, September 11. Pedestrian access will be very limited. Cedar Street between Broadway and Nassau Street will be closed to parking from 12:01 AM to 5 PM on Saturday, September 11.
Church Street/Trinity Place between Battery Place and Dey Street will be closed to vehicles, parking and traffic from 12:01 AM to 5 PM Saturday, September 11. Traffic will be diverted to West Street. Pedestrian access will be very limited. Church Street between Chambers and Warren streets will be closed to parking.
Cortlandt Street between Broadway and Church Street will be closed to parking from 7 PM Tuesday, September 7 to 11:59 PM Saturday, September 11. It will be closed to all vehicles, parking and traffic from 12:01 AM to 5 PM on Saturday, September 11. Pedestrian access will be very limited.
Dey Street between Broadway and Church will be closed to vehicles, parking and traffic from 12:01 AM to 5 PM on Saturday, September 11. Pedestrian access will be open.
Fulton Street between Broadway and Church will be closed to parking from 12:01 AM to 5 PM on Saturday, September 11. Pedestrian and vehicle access will be open.
Barclay Street between Broadway and West Street will be closed to parking from 12:01 AM to 5 PM on Saturday, September 11. Pedestrian and vehicle access will be open.
Murray Street from West to Church streets, Greenwich Street from Chambers to Barclay streets, Â Park Place from West Broadway to Greenwich Street and West Broadway from Warren to Barclay streets will be closed to parking on Saturday, September 11. Pedestrian access will be open.
Warren Street between West Street and Broadway will remain open to vehicles, traffic and pedestrians on Saturday, September 11. However, no parking will be in effect.
No parking will be in effect on all closed street—including official permit parking. All cars parked illegally will be towed.
Note that West Street and Broadway will be the prime uptown and downtown traffic thoroughfares from 12:01 AM to 5 PM on Saturday, September 11. Please allow enough time for travel.
If you have questions, please call 311 or visit www.nyc.gov.
The September 11th Anniversary Rituals (Credit: Cleveland.com)
Every year, the thought of September 11th, leaves me a little stunned.
Stunned in the sense that I’m a little too reluctant to leave my apartment to deal with the deluge of news trucks parked in our neighborhood, the restrictions and the reading of the names. A little unwilling to be around a television from 8:45 AM for exactly 102 minutes. Every year, I expect the Red Cross to be around the corner handing out small facial tissue packages to wipe away public tears.
The Red Cross is long gone, but the ritual has remained.
Although I am for the reading of the all of the victim’s name catharsis for 9/11 families — it still stings a bit much for me to endure all the names. The air in our area can be a gloriously crisp autumn day, but the air is always heavy.
The visual cues of the news trucks, the bagpipes, and the sounds from the loudspeakers transport me to yesterday. It can be a bit overwhelming sometimes.
Which leads me to wonder…
The environment and landscape in which we have bred this kind of grieving is quickly changing. In a few years, we will no longer have the construction site or the former Deutsche Bank building as a reminder of the injustice and terror will be long gone. What will happen to the rituals? Should they continue as they have for the past 9 years? Or will they evolve?
I was surprised after reading some status’ on our Facebook page, that some of you share these same sentiments. Unsure if it’s right to escape the neighborhood or stay.
It’s definitely food for thought and would love to know yours as we approach the anniversary of 9/11.
Tribute in Light atop the Battery Garage on Morris Street.
The downtown skyline will soon be illuminated with the somber Tribute in Lights. Two giant beams of light cutting through the realization that we are upon the 9th anniversary of the terror attacks on the World Trade Center.
The Tribute in Light first came on six months after the attacks in 2002, and have been primarily funded by the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation (LMDC) who have provided the financial support of the iconic tribute.
Contrary to popular belief, the Tribute in Lights is not beaming at the World Trade Center site but are located six blocks south of Ground Zero, set atop the Battery Garage on Morris Street. During the first two years of the tribute, the lights were located on West Street where the Goldman Sachs building now stands.
The tribute is comprised of 88 4-foot tall searchlights set in 50 x 50 foot identical squares.
Although primarily subsidized by the LMDC, the project is also in conjunction with Con Edison. It is speculated that after the LMDC re-allocated funding earmarked for Con Edison, meant to subsidize Con Edison’s costs at the World Trade Center Site may play a role in compromising the future of the Tribute. As of today, it is if the Tribute will exist beyond the 10th anniversary of the World Trade Center attack in 2011.
This year, as the past few years, the tribute will begin at dusk on September 11th and end on dawn of September 12.
As we head into tomorrow’s 9th anniversary of the September 11th attacks, the New York Post has published a morbid map which argues the boundaries of Ground Zero can be determined by where human remains were discovered.
New York Post Human Remains Map of Ground Zero (Credit: NYPost.com)
The article was written in response to the proximity of the Park51 Islamic Community Center and whether or not the area is far enough from the site of the terror attacks in New York City.
According to the article, “The map was obtained by The Post from sources after the Fire Department did not respond to requests to review it. It shows that remains were found just 348 feet to the south of the mosque site at 45 Park Place, on top of the massive post-office building that stretches along Barclay Street, from Church Street to West Broadway.”
1,123 victims of the World Trade Center attacks have yet to be identified by remains. 21,812 remains have been found and catalogued at the Fresh Kills Landfill, yet a little more than half have been identified.
But the map is only a partial glimpse of the scope of the search for remains. The vast majority of the 21,812 remains were culled from debris sorted at the Fresh Kills Landfill. Of those remains, only 12,771 have been identified so far.
For more information on the statistics, read the original article here.
Imam Feisal Abdul Raif is leading the Ground Zero mosque building efforts
6:04PM UPDATE:
Park51 spokesperson confirms allegations made by Pastor Jones is false on Twitter.
“Official: It is untrue that Park51 is being moved. The project is moving ahead as planned. What is being reported in the media is false.”
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5:53PM UPDATE: According to the NYTimes:
“Mr. Jones claimed that Mr. Rauf “has agreed to move the location.†He added:
That cannot of course happen overnight, but he has agreed to do it…. The imam has agreed to move the mosque and we have agreed to cancel our event on Saturday. And on Saturday I will be flying up there to meet with him.”
Confirmation has not been received from Park51 spokespersons or the Imam himself. Story is still developing.
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We have just received word that Imam Feisal Abdul Raif has just indicated that he will move the Park51 Community Center away from its initial local at 45-51 Park Place. The location was located 2 blocks from the World Trade Center site.
In light of the nationwide call for Koran burning, Imam Feisal Abdul Raif had asked what it would take to stop the burning, and thus agreed he will be move the planned Islamic community center and mosque.
Pastor Jones made the announcement in front of nationwide media, but has not yet been confirmed by the Imam himself.
Battery Park City Annual Pet Parade (Credit: BPC Dogs)
If cupcakes alone were not enough to convince you to join the block party, perhaps a pet parade might have you lapping it up?
According to the BPC Dogs Group in our area, residents are invited to join the annual BPC Block Party PET PARADE!!
From their email:
Once again, BPC Dogs will co-host theannual BPC Pet Parade with Bobby of Le Pet Spa.
There will also be many other pet-related activities at the Block Party, including information tables for the CERT Animal Search and Rescue team, a sign-up sheet to become members of the BPC Dog Association, and information about a proposal for official off-leash hours in Historic Battery Park.
The fun starts with the Pet Parade in front of the main Block Party stage on the Esplanade Plaza (aka the volleyball court).
Please line up with your pet at 12:10 pm, for a parade starting at 12:20 pm. ALL pet owners (of dogs, cats, birds, hamsters, rats, lizards, etc.) should be near the stage by 12:10 pm at the latest.
The pet parade is a fun way to introduce yourself and your pet to the community. Â And if your pet does a special trick, show us. Our Pets are special members of our community so let’s meet them. (Note that, although the Block Party flyer describes the parade as a “Dog Parade”, all pets are welcome.)
