NEW YORK CITY PARKS

Welcome to your park. This is a shared public space provided
for your enjoyment and recreation. We want you to have a fun
and safe time. Be courteous and respectful to others,
and please keep the park clean.

Park Rules Prohibit:

* Littering

* Barbecuing Except in Designated Areas

* Unleashed Dogs Except in Designated Areas

* Using Illegal Drugs or Alcohol

* Amplifying Sound, Except by Permit

* Feeding Birds or Squirrels

* Panhandling or Solicitation

* Entering the Park After It Is Closed

* Performing or Rallying, Except by Permit

* Engaging in Commercial Activity, Except by Permit

* Obstructing Entrances to the Park

* Rummaging Through Trash Receptacles

* ATV or Motorized dirt bikes

This Park Closes at Midnight

For more information, please call the City's citizen service center
at 311. You can also visit us on the web at www.nyc.gov/parks

City of New York
Parks & Recreation

Michael R. Bloomberg, Mayor
Adrian Benepe, Commissioner

# The Restoration of the Lake

The Central Park Conservancy is undertaking a comprehensive initiative to restore the shoreline and surrounding landscapes of the Lake. Located at the heart of the Park, the Lake is the largest of its five manmade, naturalistic water bodies, and the last to be restored in the course of the Conservancy's 26-year partnership with the City of New York.

This restoration will enhance both the ecological and scenic character of the Lake and surrounding landscapes. The intent is to renew the water body in a manner that recalls its picturesque origins while recognizing its increasing significance as wildlife habitat.

Reclaiming silted coves and increasing water depth by removing sediment will improve the water quality and long-term health of the Lake. Boulder placement and edge plantings will stabilize the shoreline and surrounding slopes. A greater variety of plantings will add visual interest as well as contribute to a more diverse wildlife habitat. Selective pruning will improve growing conditions for new plantings by enabling sunlight to penetrate the tree canopy. Paths and infrastructure will be rebuilt, and site furnishings replaced, to support the use and maintenance of the landscape.

Work on the Lake shoreline and surrounding landscapes will progress in phases during the next several years. Rather than drain the water body entirely (the process by which the Park's smaller lakes and ponds were restored), the Conservancy will periodically manipulate the water level to reconstruct the eroded shoreline and remove accumulated sediment that is concentrated along the Lake's margins, inlets, and coves. An outflow structure historically used to lower the Lake to its winter level for skating—and still used to avert flooding during heavy rainfall—provides the mechanism for drawing down the water.

A portable dam will facilitate the removal of some sediment from areas that cannot be accessed by lowering the water level.

Seasonal boating will continue throughout the restoration, and the Conservancy will carefully monitor water quality and temperature during periods when the Lake is lowered to ensure that fish and wildlife are not adversely affected. Work in the surrounding landscapes will be phased to minimize disruption to park users. Additional project signage at sites around the Lake will provide further information as the restoration progresses.

The Park's original boathouse at the turn of the century

Cherry Hill and Bow Bridge, late nineteenth century

View towards the Ramble from Bethesda Terrace, c.1890

The Restoration of the Lake is an initiative funded through the Conservancy's ongoing Campaign for Central Park. As of April 2007, leadership support to restore the Lake has been provided by:

The Bobolink Foundation, The Family of Andrea Bronfman, The Butler Conservation Fund, Inc., Richard Gilder and Lois Chiles, The Thomas G. and Sheila C. Labrecque Charitable Foundation, Leni and Peter May, Donald Pels and Wendy Keys, Mr. & Mrs. A.J.C. Smith, Angela and Wade Thompson, Mr. and Mrs. Wynant D. Vanderpoel III, Robert W. Wilson, The Women's Committee of the Central Park Conservancy, and The NYC Department of Parks & Recreation.

For further information, or to make a contribution to the Campaign, please call 212-310-6600 or visit the Conservancy's web site.

CENTRAL PARK
CONSERVANCY

www.centralparknyc.org

Thomas L. Kempner, Jr., Chairman
Douglas Blonsky, President
& Central Park Administrator

City of New York
Parks & Recreation
www.nyc.gov/parks

# The Restoration of the Lake

CENTRAL PARK
CONSERVANCY

www.centralparknyc.org

www.nyc.gov/parks

RAMBLE MAINTENANCE ADVISORY

# Crisis Management Intervention Program

This part of Azalea Pond landscape will be fenced and specially managed over the next three years to reverse the decline of the azaleas and red maples and to repair the forest floor. Intensive off-path trampling by people and dogs and bike riding through the landscape has killed the herbaceous plants on the ground plane and compacted the soil to such an extent that the existing trees and shrubs are severely stressed. The decline of the azaleas—for which the pond is named—has been hastened by the increasing amount of shade over the past decade. The management intervention program includes:

* **Rejuvenation pruning of the azaleas.**

Approximately 1/3 of the woody growth on each plant will be cut back to the root stalk. Although this may look drastic, it is a standard maintenance practice for this species and the only way to encourage new growth.

* **Soil Reconstruction.**

Because of the destructive effects of off-path trampling and bike riding, what little soil is left is compacted and unstructured. A hydraulic feeder—a machine that injects water into the soil mantle—will be used to gently decompact the soil. Wood chips will then be spread to add organic matter and protect the loosened soil from erosion. The site will be monitored closely to determine if additional work is needed.

* **Selective pruning of the existing tree canopy.**

In order to increase light levels into the Azalea Pond landscape, trees to the south will be selectively pruned during Winter 1997. Tree branches overhanging the pond will continue to serve as supports for the bird feeders.

You can help reclaim this area by respecting the fences and using the asphalt pathways. Keep dogs on leash at all times.