Friends of City Hall Park’s
“Tree Days in CHP”
April 22 - 30
tree art exhibition tree planting walking tours tree care Arbor day Ceremony volunteer events chalk art forest
Friends of City Hall Park’s “Tree Days in CHP” celebrates and cultivates our park’s fragile, valuable trees and brings attention to the increasing importance of all NYC’s urban forest as we deal with climate change.
Friends of City Hall Park’s
“Tree Days in City Hall Park”
tree art exhibition tree planting tree care walking tours Arbor day Ceremony volunteer gardening & clean ups chalk art forest.
Friends of City Hall Park’s “Tree Days in CHP” celebrates and cultivates our park’s fragile, valuable trees and brings attention to the increasing importance of all NYC’s urban forest as we deal with climate change.
FCHP joins with city-wide advocates on behalf of our trees & parks…
• https://ForestforAll.nyc/nyc-Urban-Forest-agenda/
• https://secure.NY4P.org/a/%201-Percent-for-Parks-petition
Trees offer us shady places to relax, play, gather, and connect with the natural world, while also producing oxygen, filtering out gaseous and particulate air pollution, absorbing ground water, impeding wind, deflecting noise and reducing urban heat. Our groves are habitats for squirrels, pollinators, year-round and migrating birds. The lower Manhattan urban forest remains a center of homeland for the Lenape nation. Trees increase private and public property values. Trees are memories and feelings.
The challenges to our CHP trees and all urban trees are severe weather, air pollution, urban heat island effect, lack of adequate sunlight, development, limited growing space, poor soil, poor irrigation, competition from invasive species, pests, diseases, and vandalism. They need our help.
City Hall Park, linked to stands in lower Manhattan, contains buckeyes, cedars, weeping and flowering cherries, crabapples, dogwoods, elms, gingko trees, hollies, horse chestnuts, lindens, London planes, magnolias, maples, oaks, pines, redbuds, spruces, sweetgums, hawthorns, tupelo, catalpa, juneberries, and a plum tree.
“Tree Days” Program
Sidewalk Chalk Art Forest
4/22 Tues 4/23 Weds 4/26 Saturday 9am – 1pm
Draw trees on sides of CHP’s paths. Draw realistic, decorative or abstract entire trees or groves, branches or leaves, or write text messages about trees. A crowd-sourced collaborative artwork and public policy issue expression. Non-toxic sidewalk chalk provided at Welcome Tables. All ages and drawing skill levels.
April 22 Tuesday EARTH DAY
9am - 1pm Airtable & community volunteer spring gardening
Join Airtable’s staff volunteer team and Friends of CHP for tree care workshop, planting & clean up + Sidewalk Chalk Art Forest.
5 – 7pm Opening reception / community gathering
“Celebrating City Hall Park Trees” One Art Space 23 Warren Street
Tree art gallery group exhibition, book talks & craft activities. April 22 Tuesday – April 27 Sunday noon – 8pm. For activities schedule & info: KarlssonGail@gmail.com
Gail Karlsson – curator, photo prints from new book Meeting Trees in City Hall Park
Barbara Dahl – drawings of leaves from new book Trees of City Hall Park
Joe Baker – Lenapehoking Stump pen & ink drawing
Albert Zylyftari – CHP canopy watercolor by CHP street artist
Skip Blumberg – CHP canopy photographs
George Vellonakis – signed CHP architectural design print
Adele Rahte – trees collage
Mary Zehngutt – artwork inspired by new research in tree communication
William Zehngutt – urban parks trees oil paintings
Joan Farrenkopf – artistic tribute to ginko trees
April 23 Wednesday
9am – 1pm Mediaocean & community volunteer spring gardening
Join Mediaocean’s energetic staff volunteer team and Friends of CHP for tree care workshop, planting & clean up + Sidewalk Chalk Art Forest.
April 25 Friday ARBOR DAY
8am Squirrel Walk & Talk
Join squirrel expert, Ron Sosenko, “The Squirrel Whistler,” for an informational talk about these wild residents, their habits, their habitat, and an opportunity to get to know Ron’s bushy-tailed friends one-on-one (with close-up photo opportunities). Whether you think squirrels are loveable reminders of the natural world or another urban pest, CHP has been the habitat for the small indigenous mammals since before first human habitation of this forest. We all dwell in the squirrels’ home turf. It’s in our interest to get to know the critters.
10 am Introduction to Trees & Birds in CHP
Friend of CHP, nature writer, photographer, & bird watcher Gail Karlsson leads an Arbor Day walk through City Hall Park to point out important trees (and their identifying spring characteristics) featured in her new book Meeting Trees in City Hall Park, while looking out for resident robins and crows, as well as migrating birds heading north for spring breeding. Bring your binoculars or long-lens camera.
Noon Forester’s Tour
Parks Department Urban Park Ranger leads an edifying one-hour spring-time walk through our local forest surrounding City Hall, identifying species and estimating ages.
2pm This Land according to Lenape
Walk along with Lenape Center guides Joe Baker, Executive Director/Co-founder, and Hadrien Coumans, Deputy Director/Co-founder, who point out nearby forest, terrain and wildlife habitat features before 1625, including Lenape habitation right here and in the context of the greater Lenapehoking region, as well as provide spiritual aspects of our precious land. The original forest was used in harmony by the first people for thousands of years, before European brutal colonization and forced relocation of all Lenapes. This land and all Lenapehoking actively remain Lenape nation’s homeland.
4pm CHP Arbor Day Ceremony – Celebrating City Hall Park Trees!
Bringing attention to the increasing importance of CHP’s fragile, valuable trees and all NYC’s urban forest as we deal with climate change.
Welcome and remarks Joe Baker Executive, Director/Cofounder Lenape Center, Co-editor/writer Lenape: An Anthology
Arbor Day Civic Ceremony Invited speakers: Councilmember Krishnan Shekar (Parks Committee Chair), District One Councilmember Chris Marte, Parks Dept Manhattan Commissioner Tricia Shimamura.
5pm Named Trees Walk
Identifying the named trees in and near City Hall Park:
1-4. Four Shawanameen’shee indigenous Juneberry trees, planted by DPR and volunteers, donated by FCHP, acknowledging the trees’ meaning and importance to the Lenape, Arbor Day 2025.
5. The Freedom Tree “with the vision of universal freedom” 1973.
6. Canadian Burr Oak “Gift of Canada to New York City” on Arbor Day 1967.
7. Largest (oldest?) veteran tree in CHP! (photo left). Please suggest a name!
8. WTC Memorial Grove “trees that survived the September 11, 2001 attacks.”
9. Offspring of the Survivor Tree, “a gift from the people of Oklahoma City…to symbolize our common bond, resiliency, and renewal,” September 10, 2006.
April 26 Saturday “It’s My Park”
9am – 1pm FCHP & CHPC’s It’s My Park Day
Annual Partnership for Parks-sponsored spring green-up, celebrating belated Earth Day. Collaborating with City Hall Park Conservancy, including tree care workshop, Sidewalk Chalk Art Forest, flower planting, kids’ activities, music, as well as cleanup throughout CHP. More: info@CHPC/NYC.org
April 29 Tuesday
9am - 1pm Adore Me & community volunteer spring gardening
Join Adore Me’s community service team and Friends of CHP for tree care, weeding, mulching & clean up + Sidewalk Chalk Art Forest.
April 30 Wednesday
9am – 1pm Community volunteer spring gardening
Sponsored by City Parks Foundation & FCHP. Join corporate volunteer community service team and Friends of CHP for tree care, weeding, mulching & clean up + Sidewalk Chalk Art Forest.
Walking Tour Guides & Artists
Ron Sosenko Squirrel Walk & Talk Therapeutic plants & herbs company founder & owner, “The Squirrel Whistler.” https://newyork.forumdaily.com/en/povelitel-nyu-jorkskix-belok-kak-potomok-immigrantov-iz-ukrainy-stal-zvezdoj-goroda/
Gail Karlsson Introduction to Trees & Birds in CHP, Celebrating CHP Trees curator & artwork Environmental lawyer, nature writer, photographer, bird watcher, blogger. Author/photographer of Meeting Trees in City Hall Park (2025) & A Birds’ Guide to the Battery and NY Harbor (2023), Creator of The Battery’s Bird Banners, on display since June 2022. https://www.thebattery.org/programs/birdbanners/ https://gailkarlssonbirdsnyc.blogspot.com/
Joe Baker This Land according to Lenape, Arbor Day Welcome, Celebrating CHP Trees Lenape Center Executive Director & Co-founder, artist, curator, writer, educator. https://lenape.center/about-us https://hvfarmhub.org/conversation-with-joe-baker/
Hadrien Coumans This Land according to Lenape Lenape Center Deputy Director & Co-founder, healer, educator, public speaker. https://lenape.center/about-us https://hadrien.org/
Urban Park Ranger Forester’s Tour https://www.nycgovparks.org/programs/rangers
Skip Blumberg Named Trees Walk, Arbor Day Civic Ceremony, Celebrating CHP Trees Founder 1995, Friends of City Hall Park, producer “Tree Days,” internationally-recognized TV producer, artist, filmmaker. http://www.SkipBlumberg.com
Barbara Dahl Celebrating CHP Trees Born in the Northwoods of Minnesota, world traveler & lay climatologist, with a career rooted in agriculture. Author & artist, Trees of Carroll Park and Trees of City Hall Park.
Albert Zylyftari Celebrating CHP Trees Albanian-American street artist of original & limited-edition lower Manhattan pen & ink and watercolors landscapes. Al fresco exhibition most days on NE Plaza south City Hall fence.
George Vellonakis Celebrating CHP Trees Landscape Architect, Designer City Hall Park 1999 renovation and many other DPR parks, educator, public speaker, preservationist. https://www.bhsusa.com/real-estate-agent/george-vellonakis
Joan Farrenkopf Celebrating CHP Trees Globally active artist who creates nature-themed performances, public installations, placemaking and community engagement projects. joanfarrenkopf.com
Adele Rahte Celebrating CHP Trees City landscape collage artist. Instagram @adelerahte
Mary Zehngut Celebrating CHP Trees Painter and ceramicist. maryzehngut.com
William Zehngut Celebrating CHP Trees En plein air city landscape painter. williamzehngutstudio.com