On-line Golf Passes currently on sale

The Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy announces that seasonal golf passes are now available for sale online at www.bfloparks.org.  Golf passes will be honored at all three (3) Buffalo Olmsted Golf courses, which include Cazenovia Park, Delaware Park, and South Park.  Please read instructions for special requirements when purchasing online.  Beginning on Sunday, March 25, 2012, BOPC golf season passes will be on sale at all 3 golf courses on special sales days.  These dates for these special sales dates are detailed below:

Date	Time	Location
Sunday, March 25, 2012	10:00am - 2:00pm	All 3 Courses
Sunday, April 1, 2012	10:00am - 2:00pm	All 3 Courses
Saturday, April 7, 2012	10:00am - 2:00pm	All 3 Courses
Saturday, April 14, 2012	10:00am - 2:00pm	All 3 Courses
Saturday, April 28, 2012	7:00am - 7:00pm	All 3 Courses

Additional golf course information for  2012

Golfers wishing to secure their passes must bring proper identification (valid driver’s license), a headshot photograph no larger than 1”x 1”, and payment in the form of cash, checks, or credit card (MasterCard or Visa only).  The 2012 Olmsted Golf Season starts on Saturday, April 28^th (weather permitting).  For detailed pricing structure please visit www.bfloparks.org or www.bfloparks.blogspot.com

Snow Golf Tournament at Flurrious! (Jan.21, 2012)

Delaware Park Meadows Golf Course

FLURRIOUS! SNOW GOLF TOURNAMENT

Saturday, January 21, 2012    10:00AM – 2:00PM

Cost:  $5 per golfer - $10 per team

TO SIGN-UP, Contact Dave Hoover @ 838-1249, x19 or email: dave@bfloparks.org

Snow Golf Rules:  “HAVE FUN!!”

• Game Play
•  4 hole course
• Hole distances will be 110 yards to 220 yards 
• Golfers will play two rounds for an 8 hole total score
• Two player teams using “Best Ball” format to earn one score per hole. (Max. 8 strokes per hole)
• Teams will be paired for honor scoring.

Regular Play

• Only 4 clubs allowed per team.  (Steel shaft recommended due to cold temperatures).  If using a putter as one of your clubs, any shaft is okay.  BOPC Golf will provide a selection of clubs for those who do not wish to use their own.
• Color platform tennis balls (provided by BOPC Golf) will be used.  If lost a $2 replacement fee must be paid for your team to continue. 
• Mark your own ball in an identifiable manner.  Play your own ball.
• Players may create/build a “Tee” (out of snow) on the tee box only.
• Winter rules are in effect.  You may lift, clean and place ball back down.  Ball must be placed within 1 foot of original lie no closer to the hole.

Greens Play

• Poles with flag identifies each green / hole.
• NO Grooving or Trenching of snow to form ball channel is allowed. 
• Holes themselves will be 32” in diameter marked by a hula-hoop. 

Ties

• Final score tie-breaker will be closest to the pin shoot-out once all teams have completed the last hole.
• Each team will select one player.
• All selected players will hit at the same time & closest to the hole wins the tie.

All other standard PGA golfing regulations apply.

In case of any Disagreements, ALL decisions by the BOPC Golf are final.

Tree Lighting Ceremony at MLK Park this Saturday (Dec.3rd, 2011)

On Saturday, December 3rd, the Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy and Assemblywoman Crystal Peoples-Stokes will be holding the first annual Community Tree Lighting Ceremony in Martin Luther King, Jr. Park. All members of the community are invited to attend the lighting festivities.  An 13 ft tall Colorado Spruce has been donated to the Conservancy by Schichtel's Nursery for the lighting. The tree is located near the statue of Dr. King in the park. In addition to the tree lighting, the event will include a performance by local choir group, "Men in White" as well as a candlelight vigil led by members of True Bethel and Walls Memorial AME Zion Church. The event begins at 3:00pm.

CSX Tree Planting at Cazenovia Park (11.5.11)

From the initial announcement:

The City of Buffalo and the Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy is proud to announce a community tree-planting in the City of Buffalo’s Cazenovia Park on November 5th from 9:00am to 12:00 Noon. The planting of 30 trees is made possible by a grant from the CSX Corporation secured by the Alliance for Community Trees (ACTrees). The donation is valued at $10,000 and will pay for the cost of the trees and their maintenance.

The event was a terrific success. The team was able to plant the trees very efficiently and quickly, replacing more of the trees lost in the October Surprise Storm 5 years ago.

We have another tree planting event coming this week, stay tuned to this blog and our Twitter feed (http://www.twitter.com/bfloparks).

Here are a few of the pictures; for the rest of them, please see the album on our Facebook page.

Cazenovia Park Community Tree-Planting

The City of Buffalo and the Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy is proud to announce a community tree-planting in the City of Buffalo’s Cazenovia Park on November 5th from 9:00am to 12:00 Noon. The planting of 30 trees is made possible by a grant from the CSX Corporation secured by the Alliance for Community Trees (ACTrees). The donation is valued at $10,000 and will pay for the cost of the trees and their maintenance. “This tree-planting comes 5 years after the October Surprise Storm which damaged about 90% of all the trees in the City of Buffalo” said Thomas Herrera-Mishler, president and CEO of the Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy. “This donation means a lot and will help to replenish Buffalo’s urban forest.” added Mayor Byron W. Brown. In addition to damaging 90% of the city’s trees, the October Surprise Storm resulted in 10% of the trees in the Olmsted Park System being lost outright. Additionally, another 5% have been extremely stressed and have shown a decline in health since.

“The Alliance for Community Trees is pleased to be able to help direct these funds to the Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy for urban park tree planting. ACTrees is a national partner with CSX on its Trees for Tracks campaign, which has a goal of planting 21,000 trees--one for every mile of track in the CSX railway system” said Leland Milstein of ACTrees.

At its peak the Buffalo Olmsted Parks system (the nation’s first) boasted 42,000 trees. Currently that number is down to only 15,000, including the 3,000 that have been planted since the October Surprise Storm. Over the years, disease, over maturity, insects, and severe weather conditions have all taken their toll on the parks’ trees.

For those interested in volunteering, please contact Steven Nagowski by e-mailing volunteer@bfloparks.org or by calling (716) 835-1300 ext 15.

The Alliance for Community Trees (ACTrees) is dedicated to improving the environment where 80% of Americans live-cities, towns and metropolitan areas. Together, local ACT member organizations have planted 15 million trees with help from 10.7 million volunteer hours nationwide. http://actrees.org/site/about-us/mission/ .

CSX Corporation, together with its subsidiaries based in Jacksonville, Fla., is one of the nation's leading transportation suppliers. The company’s rail and intermodal businesses provide rail-based transportation services including traditional rail service and the transport of intermodal containers and trailers. Overall, the CSX Transportation network encompasses about 21,000 route miles of track in 23 states, the District of Columbia and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. More than two-thirds of Americans live within CSX’s service territory, accounting for about three-quarters of the nation’s consumption.

Operation Red Carpet (October 8, 2011)

Today, Monday, October 3, 2011 the Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy held a joint press conference with County Executive Chris Collins to announce Operation Red Carpet. Operation Red Carpet is the large-scale planting project that will result in over 1,000 chrysanthemums in high-profile gardens throughout the Olmsted Parks system. This massive planting project is meant to "roll out the red carpet” for the National Trust for Historic Preservation Conference and the board meeting for the National Association of Olmsted Parks (NAOP) coming to Buffalo in October. Both County Executive Chris Collins and  president and CEO of the Conservancy Thomas Herrera-Mishler participated in the first planting of the red mums today. To participate in the planting of the "red carpet" on October 8, 2011 please contact Steven Nagowski at volunteer@bfloparks.com or call at (716) 838-1249 ext. 15.

Fall Clean-Up of Hoyt Lake (9.24.11)

This past Saturday, September 24th, over 60 volunteers from the Western New York community helped to clean up Hoyt Lake in Delaware Park.  The clean-up was organized through Buffalo Niagara Riverkeeper and captained by employees of the Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy.  Volunteers from Canisius College, Villa Maria College, and the general public showed their civic pride by beautifying one of Buffalo's marquee water features.  Below are just a few of the photos from the clean-up.  For more about the Buffalo Olmsted Parks please visit our website (www.bfloparks.org) or our facebook page (www.facebook.com/bfloparks).  For more on the Buffalo Niagara Riverkeeper please visit their website, www.bnriverkeeper.org.

Buffalo Chamber Players Support the Olmsted Parks!

The Buffalo Chamber Players will be pledging 20% of ticket sales from their June 8th concert, "Dead Elvis and other American masterworks," to the Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy.  Please read below for additional information on the Buffalo Chamber Players and their June 8th Concert!

BUFFALO CHAMBER PLAYERS PRESENT “DEAD ELVIS”: AN ALL-AMERICAN PROGRAM

Buffalo, NY – On Wednesday, June 8, 2011, special guest BPO associate conductor Matthew Kraemer will lead the Buffalo Chamber Players as they conclude their 2010-2011 concert season. The innovative program explores the unique and diverse canon of American music, featuring works by Michael Daugherty, George Rochberg and Aaron Copland. 20% of ticket sales from the concert will benefit the Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy.

“Dead Elvis” will open the program. Written by Grammy award-winner Michael Daugherty, the piece is purposely scored for the same instrumentation as Stravinsky’s “The Soldier’s Tale.”  The Faustian scenario, in which a soldier sells his violin and soul to the devil, is recast around the iconic American performer. Playing the role of Elvis will be bassoonist Glenn Einschlag—dressed in the composer-requested 1970s Las Vegas Elvis jumpsuit.

Written in 1967, George Rochberg’s “Music for the Magic Theater” is a powerful work highlighting the composer’s break from serialism,  the dominant art-music movement of the time. Upon the death of his teenage son in 1964, Rochberg (1918-2005) abandoned serialism, concluding that it "was empty of expressive emotion and ... inadequate to express [his] grief.”

The title of the works refers to Herman Hesse’s novel “Steppenwolf.” In the novel, the Magic Theater is a place where past and present coexist. The piece quotes heavily from a variety of composers, including Beethoven, Miles Davis, Mahler, Mozart and Varèse. The Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra premiered an orchestrated version of the work in 1969, under the baton of Melvin Strauss.

The final piece in the program will be the quintessential American composer Aaron Copland’s Pulitzer Prize-winning “Appalachian Spring.” Commissioned by choreographer and dancer Martha Graham in 1944, it quickly became an audience favorite. Often heard in its orchestrated version, the Chamber Players will present the work in its original chamber version for 12 players.

The Buffalo Chamber Players is a critically acclaimed ensemble presenting innovative chamber music programs performed by the region’s finest musicians. Formed in 2007 by BPO violist Janz Castelo, the Players’ mission is to challenge and redefine the public’s perception of chamber music and to promote the city of Buffalo as an inspiring place to live, work and play.

The concert takes place at Buffalo Seminary, 205 Bidwell Parkway at 7:30 PM, and is open to the public. Tickets are $15/$5 for students, and available at buffalochamberplayers.org and at the door.

************

WHAT: “Dead Elvis”: All-American Music

WHO: Buffalo Chamber Players

WHEN: Wednesday, June 8, 2011, 7:30 PM

WHERE: Buffalo Seminary, 205 Bidwell Parkway

TIX: $15/$5 students, at buffalochamberplayers.org and at the door

INFO: buffalochamberplayers.org

LABATT USA TO COVER VANDALISM COSTS FOR DELAWARE PARK

LABATT USA TO COVER VANDALISM COSTS FOR DELAWARE PARK

Generous community response gives the parks a lift

Buffalo, New York – Imagine if someone took a spray can to one of Van Gogh’s masterpieces. That’s essentially what happened in Delaware Park earlier this week when vandals, attempted to ruin one of the most cherished treasures in the region. About 100 teenagers and young adults created thousands of dollars in damages, leaving the park in disrepair just before its busiest season.

According to Thomas Herrera-Mishler, CEO of Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy, the damage to the parks quieted his otherwise hard-working and enthusiastic staff. “We were all very discouraged,” said Herrera-Mishler. “We get a lot done on a very tight budget and to have someone maliciously vandalize it – was shocking and sad.”

But a quick and compassionate response from numerous small donors, HSBC Bank and Labatt USA provided a boost to morale. Within hours of news reports at local media outlets, donations began pouring in $10 at a time.

Then came the phone call from Labatt USA.  “They asked how much it would take to repair the damage in Delaware Park. We gave them the total and an hour later they offered to cover the cost in full,” said Herrera-Mishler. “The most effective way to counteract the vandals is to remove the graffiti, fix the playground and repair the fountain. To do it quickly and with the help of our community, only diminishes the vandals’ negative impact on us.”

Donations will go toward quickly restoring the damage and to implement additional security measures to help prevent future attacks.  Specialized and expensive formulas are required to remove and prevent graffiti on the parks’ historic buildings and these donations will allow the Conservancy to move fast to restore the Marcy Casino and Delaware Park Rose Gardens before this coming weekend’s weddings.

 “Without the money in-hand, we wouldn’t be able to immediately make the repairs,” said Herrera-Mishler. “There will be many brides and grooms toasting Labatt for their generosity.”

Additional vandalism occurred at Day’s Park, Cazenovia Park and Martin Luther King, Jr. Park. If you would like to make a one-time $10 donation, please text the word “parks” to 20222 on cell phones* or visit Olmsted’s website at www.bfloparks.org

About Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy

The Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy is a not-for-profit, independent, community

organization that promotes, preserves, restores, enhances, and ensures maintenance of Frederick Law Olmsted-designed parks and parkways in the Greater Buffalo area now and for future generations. In 2008, the Conservancy released its Plan for the 21st

Century, a blueprint for the management and restoration of the entire park system.

Listed on the National and State Register of Historic Places, the Olmsted system in

Buffalo is the first of its kind in the nation designed by America’s greatest landscape

architect. The major Olmsted Parks in Buffalo are Cazenovia, Delaware, Front, Martin

Luther King, Jr., Riverside and South Parks. 

Visit www.BFLOParks.org for more details.

* Your phone bill will show a $10 charge or will be deducted from your prepaid account. Standard message or data rates may apply.  Privacy policy.

Birding Walk in Riverside Park 5.28.11

The Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy, Buffalo Audubon Society, and Medaille College announce a FREE introductory bird watching walk to the public at Riverside Park on Saturday, May 28^th, 2011.  Bird watching (oftentimes referred to as birding) is the observation and study of birds through looking at (telescopes and binoculars) and listening for bird songs and calls.  This introductory bird watching walk at Riverside Park will help the general public learn about the birds of Buffalo and the Niagara River and gain an introduction to binoculars, guide books, and field marks.

Buffalo Audubon naturalists and volunteers will be on hand to help first-time birders join the fastest growing recreational pastime in the United States.  Those who are interested in attending are asked to meet in the parking lot on Hotaling Drive in Riverside Park (enter across from Roesch Avenue) at 10am Saturday, May 28^th.

This free introductory walk is the beginning of a partnership between the Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy, Buffalo Audubon Society, and Medaille College, for the purpose of building community involvement and training students on how to teach environmental education.  The walk is free, but participants are asked to pre-register by calling Sal Sciandra at 716-838-1249 x33 or sal@bfloparks.org

Who: Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy, Audubon Society, and Medaille College

When: Saturday, May 9^th, 2011

Time: 10:00am-Noon

What: A FREE introductory birding walk at Riverside Park.  Those who attend will receive training in how to use bird watching equipment, identify common bird species and more.

Contact: Sal Sciandra 716-838-1249 ext 33 or sal@bfloparks.org

Improvements to South Park Golf House

With golf season underway, the Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy is proud to announce that the South Park golf house has recently gone through some noticeable improvements.  The men’s restroom, the women’s restroom, the locker room, the storeroom area, along with the main room have all been repaired and repainted.

Women's Bathroom, After

•Holes in ceiling & walls patched

•New paint on ceiling, walls, floor, bathroom stalls

 Men's Bathroom, Before

Men's Bathroom, After

•Holes in ceiling & walls patched

•New paint on ceiling, walls, floor, bathroom stalls

Storeroom Area, Before

Storeroom Area, After

• New drywall installed, painted, door repaired

South Park Main Room, After

• Walls, floor, fireplace painted

• Kitchen area repaired

Golf Courses will open this Saturday, April 30th

After a long Buffalo winter and rainy April, Buffalo’s Olmsted Parks are anxiously awaiting the beginning of the 2011 Golf Season.  This Saturday, April 30^th at 7:00am, all three Olmsted Golf Courses (Cazenovia, Delaware, and South Park) will officially open to the public. Both Cazenovia & South Park courses are 9-hole courses, while Delaware is an 18-hole course.  Prices range depending on city residency, senior & youth status, and weekday versus weekend play.  Golf Passes are currently available for purchase at the Olmsted golf houses as well as online at the conservancy website. To obtain a season pass golfers must bring proper identification (valid driver’s license), a head-shot photograph no larger than 1” x 1”, and payment in the form of cash, check or credit card (MasterCard or Visa only).  For a detailed pricing structure please visit www.bfloparks.org.

Delaware Park Golf Course

South Park Golf Course

Cazenovia Park Golf Course

All Star Band 4.7.11

This past Thursday the “All Star Band” kicked off 2 encore performances at the Music at the Marcy Concert Series in Delaware Park. “All Star Band” will perform one last time this Thursday April 14^th at the Marcy Casino. Come out and enjoy your last chance for the final performance of the series!

The “All Star Band” features Wade Hawkins (Keys), Kenny Hawkins (guitar), Flute Johnson (Drums), Rodney Appleby (Bass guitar) and John Miller (Technician).

The members of the "All Star Band" have played with many reputable artists that include but aren't limited to Rick James, Teddy Riley, Mary Jane Girls, Process & the Doo Rags, N'Dambi, Shirley Ceaser, LeVert, Blue Magic, Mickey Howard, Stephanie Mills, Shanice Wilson, Lenny Williams, and Shawnee Mac. With a broad range of influences including Jeff Labro, Herbie Hancock, Eddie Van Halen, Steve Vie, Marcus Miller, Stanley Clark, Billy Cob Ham, Michael Jackson, Charlie Wilson, Earth Wind and Fire, Stevie Wonder, Chaka Khan, Rick James, the "All Star Band" certainly lives up to their name and is sure to make these encore performances at the Marcy Casino unforgettable!

Music at the Marcy is an all-ages concert series of musical acts performing in the historic Marcy Casino (199 Lincoln Parkway) in Delaware Park. Admission is FREE for members of the Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy, $5 for general public, and $3 for college students with valid college ID. Proceeds from the series go to benefit the Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy.

For more information please visit www.bfloparks.org or call 716-838-1249 ext 23. 

Community Watch: Riverside Park Vandalized!

     Earlier last week, Riverside Park sustained a significant amount of criminal damage. Vandals destroyed the stone work on a park entrance sign on Crowley Avenue along with a stone park bench. Recently planted trees were also torn out of the ground and a Port-a-potty was also flipped over and broken. Several bleachers were damaged and flipped over along with a large sign used by the football league. The vandals also left graffiti all across the park. Anyone with information regarding the vandalism of the park is asked to contact the police.

     Riverside Park is a shared asset that benefits the Riverside community and the City of Buffalo at large. The park is a popular place for sports and recreation in the area. In recent years the Conservancy has enhanced the football field with a grant from the National Football League and the Buffalo Bills. It is up to the community who patronizes and benefit from the park to see that Riverside is maintained as a kid-friendly place free from crime and destruction. Those with information regarding the vandalism are asked to contact the Buffalo City Police tip line, (716)847-2255, and or the Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy, (716)838-1249.

Encore performances of "Music at the Marcy" April 7th & 14th

Due to popular demand, 2 encore performances have been added to the Music at the Marcy Concert Series in Delaware Park. These two additional performance dates will feature Buffalo’s own “All Star Band” and are slated for Thursday April 7th & 14th.

The members of the “All Star Band” have played with many reputable artists that include but aren’t limited to Rick James, Teddy Riley, Mary Jane Girls, Process & the Doo Rags, N'Dambi, Shirley Ceaser, LeVert, Blue Magic, Mickey Howard, Stephanie Mills, Shanice Wilson, Lenny Williams, and Shawnee Mac. With a broad range of influences including Jeff Labro, Herbie Hancock, Eddie Van Halen, Steve Vie, Marcus Miller, Stanley Clark, Billy Cob Ham, Michael Jackson, Charlie Wilson, Earth Wind and Fire, Stevie Wonder, Chaka Khan, Rick James, the “All Star Band” certainly lives up to their name and is sure to make these encore performances at the Marcy Casino unforgettable!

The “All Star Band” features Wade Hawkins (Keys), Kenny Hawkins (guitar), Flute Johnson (Drums), Rodney Appleby (Bass guitar) and John Miller (Technician).

Music at the Marcy is an all-ages concert series of musical acts performing in the historic Marcy Casino (199 Lincoln Parkway) in Delaware Park. Admission is FREE for members of the Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy, $5 for general public, and $3 for college students with valid college ID. Proceeds from the series go to benefit the Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy.

For more information please visit www.bfloparks.org or call 716-838-1249 ext 23.