MillionTreesNYC, PwC New York and NY Knicks Team Up to Plant 1500 Trees in Jamaica Bay Park

MillionTreesNYC and PwC New York teamed up with the New York Knicks on Thursday, April 10 to plant 1,500 trees and 200 shrubs in Jamaica Bay Park in Queens. Attendees included NYC Parks First Deputy Commissioner Liam Kavanagh, Knicks legends Walt "Clyde" Frazier and Anthony Mason, Liberty legend Kym Hampton, the Knicks City Dancers, Partner and PwC New York Market Youth Education Leader Mitch Roschelle, students from PS 161 -The Arthur Ashe School, and more than 120 volunteers from PwC, the Knicks, and NYC Parks.

As part of the "Trees for Threes" program, PwC New York will donate one tree for every three-pointer made during the Knicks' home games in conjunction with the MillionTreesNYC planting program. Through 39 home games, the Knicks have connected on 369 three-pointers. PwC New York more than tripled that number, planting 1,500 trees and 200 shrubs.

"The Knicks and PwC understand the importance of adding trees to NYC's ecosystem and how valuable care and stewardship is to the health of young trees on the streets and in our parks," said NYC Parks First Deputy Commissioner Liam Kavanagh. "We are so happy to be a part of their "Trees for Threes" program and will be watching all their home games and rooting for three-pointers!"

"PwC has a long-standing commitment to improving the communities where we live and work," said Brendan Dougher, Managing Partner of the PwC New York Metro Market. "Trees for Threes is an important part of our environmental and sustainability efforts in New York, and we're pleased that this year the program is helping to revitalize an area that was so devastated by Superstorm Sandy. We're especially excited to have students from P.S. 161, who are part of PwC's Earn Your Future financial literacy program, join us in planting today as a part of this effort that contributes to better a better future for us all."

Jamaica Bay Park sits on Jamaica Bay, one of New York City's most extraordinary natural resources which is an18,000-acre wetland estuary surrounded by the Rockaway Peninsula to the South, Brooklyn to the West, and Queens to the East. Comprising an area almost equal to that of Manhattan, the bay consists of numerous islands, a labyrinth of waterways, meadowlands, and two freshwater ponds. The wetlands provide a unique environment for both wildlife preservation and urban recreation. Enclosed by the Rockaway Peninsula and protected from the Atlantic Ocean, the region currently hosts over 325 species of birds, 50 species of butterflies, and 100 species of finfish. A favorite stop for migratory waterfowl, the area is an integral part of the larger, regional ecosystem. Today's planting helped restore an area severely damaged by Hurricane Sandy.

MillionTreesNYC, a cornerstone of the PlaNYC initiative with a vision to establish a healthier, more sustainable New York City, is a public-private partnership between the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation and Bette Midler's New York Restoration Project, through which one million trees will be planted and cared for throughout the five boroughs by 2015. As part of MillionTreesNYC, Parks is reforesting hundreds of acres of parkland into new, ecologically healthy, multi-story forests, while also adding new street trees to neighborhoods in need. Trees cool temperatures, capture storm water runoff, clean the air, and are a vital part of New York City's ecosystem. For more information visit www.milliontreesnyc.org.

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Photo Credit: Malcolm Pinckney