BROOKLYN QUEENS LAND TRUST

Cause Area

  • Community
  • Environment
  • Hunger

Location

30 3RD AVE APT 842BROOKLYN, NY 11217 United States
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Organization Information

Mission Statement

The mission of the Brooklyn Queens Land Trust (BQLT) is to: Ensure the conservation and preservation of open space in perpetuity, for the benefit of the general public, Act as a steward of the open space properties that BQLT owns, and Establish a community of gardeners in Brooklyn and Queens to: Educate and inspire people of all ages to become successful and environmentally responsible gardeners, Support community involvement in community gardening, neighborhood beautification, and open space enhancement through activities and programs, and Promote the interests of community gardens.

Description

The history of BQLT starts with former NYC Mayor Giuliani who, in 1999, planned to auction off 112 community gardens.
Hundreds of community gardeners spent years organizing, demonstrating, and filing lawsuits to save their gardens from development.
With the auction looming, then Attorney General Eliot Spitzer joined the gardeners’ lawsuit and stopped the auction. TPL invested in physical improvements to make the gardens safer and more inviting, and then organized local land trusts to take care of the gardens.

In 2004, the Brooklyn Queens Land Trust (BQLT) was incorporated to manage 34 gardens--29 in Brooklyn and five in Queens--with a plan to eventually own those gardens. BQLT is now a 501 c(3) non-profit organization comprising a 14-member Board of Directors, staff, and 600+ volunteer gardeners. BQLT has a grassroots structure where the gardens are the members and garden representatives act on behalf of their gardens in an official capacity (either on the BQLT board or as voting members).

BQLT is now the owner of 35 community gardens and the lease-holder of one additional garden. BQLT-owned gardens cannot be sold or developed and are permanently saved as open spaces. Located in 20 different neighborhoods through Brooklyn and Queens, BQLT gardens provide opportunities for diverse groups of people to meet and work together cooperatively.

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