Angel Hernandez is the Director of Government Relations at the New York Botanical Garden.

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2024 SOMOS Conference
San Juan, Puerto Rico
November 8, 2024 – Day of Service

For the past three years NYBG has partnered with CRES (Coalición de Restauración Ecosistemas Santurcinos), a Puerto Rico-based organization that works towards the restoration and conservation of ecosystems on the shores of the Santurce community, as well as other parts of the island. It is a small group of environmentalists who’ve become some of the prime caretakers of a local skate park and community garden called Parque de Patinetas de Punta Las Marías. Since 2014 CRES has partnered with other local environmental groups to educate Puerto Ricans about natural conservation and community composting. Their operation on the island aligns well with NYBG’s mission in the Bronx community, especially of local efforts by our Bronx Green-Up team, who for over 35 years have been working with local stakeholders to help revitalize and conserve urban green spaces throughout the borough. With so much in common, it occurred to NYBG Government and Community Relations staff that some type of connection with this local Puerto Rican environmentalist group must be made.

The connection was made at the annual SOMOS conference in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Sponsored by the New York State Assembly/Senate Puerto Rican and Hispanic Task Force, the conference focuses on raising Latino awareness and advocates social consciousness on public policy, but also supports Puerto Rican communities through philanthropic and volunteer work.

Each day of the conference has a specific theme, and Fridays are reserved for a day of service at a local site to perform volunteer work. It was in November 2022 that NYBG staff identified the CRES site and thought it was the most fitting to participate in. Activities of the day involved cleaning the skate park and removing trash from the community garden, reconstruction of skate ramp and decorative painting, labeling plants and trees, planting mangroves and creating barriers along the shore to prevent erosion, and green garden duties such as transplanting and preparing compost for reuse.

The following year NYBG deemed the day of service with CRES as an opportunity to not only expand its mission of environmental conservation beyond the mainland U.S., but also serve residents from low-income communities that generally reflect those of the Bronx. Enjoying longstanding partnership with friends in government, NYBG secured another special partnership with the office of NYC Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, along with the BLAC (Black, Latinos, and Asian Caucus), to provide sponsorship funding and extra manual assistance with our work with CRES. At the end of the second day of service, Speaker Adams was so pleased that she vowed to sponsor another year of support.

Then, on Friday, November 8 of this year we spent our third day of service at the park, this time planting over 100 trees throughout the property and digging out more trenches to divert flood water away from the site. The day of service was joined by over 13 New York City and state elected officials, including our very own district State Senator Gustavo Rivera, who mastered the trench cutting duties of the day.

The NYBG partnership with CRES and the NYC Council Speaker’s office demonstrates our ability as an institution to export the great urban conservation work we do in the Bronx, but beyond our borders and the world abroad. We thank our partners in this special trifecta in Puerto Rico for the unique opportunity.