Community Corner

A Look Back at the Top Prospect Park Stories of 2011

It has been a year of bike lane wars, multiple pedestrians getting hit by bikers, a poodle drowning, goose battles, off-beat sports, tree barbecuing, concerts and crime in Prospect Park.

Prospect Park, Brooklyn’s celebrated greenspace with 585 acres, has made headlines many times this year from concerts, to comas, to crime.

As the New Year approaches, Patch took a look back into its archives to share the most memorable stories of 2011 with its readers.

 

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Prospect Park West Bike Lane 

The Prospect Park West bike lane, installed by the DOT, .

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Neighbors for Better Bike Lanes and Seniors for Safety, two groups of residents opposing the two-way, parking-protected bike lane on Prospect Park West, .

After , .

 

Bikers Versus Pedestrians in Prospect Park

The most recent accident, , sparked a huge , DOT k and the media discovered that . The NYPD also stepped up in .

 

Poodle Drowns in Icy Lake

A on January morning after chasing a bird onto the frozen, snow-covered lake. The to protect dogs, and people, from the lake, which is . 

 

Geese Versus Border Collies

In an effort to avoid a repeat of the goose gassings of 2010, officials to scare the geese away. But in Prospect Park this year, despite the best efforts of park officials to keep the population down. 

 

The Geese Protectors 

A group of 40 or so animal activists, formed the “” to keep an eye on the park’s geese from the hours of 1 a.m. to 5 a.m., when the park is legally closed to the public. The Goose Watch continued until the city’s kill contract with the Department of Agriculture ran out in July.

 

Baby Birds Abound

 weren't the only baby birds we caught a glimpse of this year. There were also and plenty of . Follow the links for lots of cute photos.

 

Ranger Catches Perv

Andrew Marsala, an Urban Park Ranger in Prospect Park, chased and apprehended 53-year-old Glen Perouza, a Queens man who was caught masturbating near the Third Street Playground. It was later discovered that Perouza was carrying a bag of marijuana and a loaded gun. At first the ranger was applauded, but then . 

 

Opera in the Park

Remember Chase Taylor? If you don’t, he is the tenor we met singing in the park one day, check out and .

 

Listening to Sufjan Stevens in the Park

Ever find yourself outside of a Celebrate Brooklyn concert? , and the concert, although we couldn’t see it, we absolutely HEARD it and it rocked.

 

Purse Snatcher Caught

Three teengers allegedly punched a pregnant woman in the face for her cell phone and snatched a 60-year-old woman's purse in on Monday, .

 

Trees Barbecued With the Burgers

Trees throughout the park are getting burned by people throwing coals against them and some apparently . And despite warning signs, it's an on holiday weekends.

 

Winter Jam Comes to Brooklyn

After decades in Manhattan, , snowshoeing, snowboarding, and plenty of hot chocolate to Prospect Park.

 

Disk Golf and Cricket 

There's tennis and horseback riding sure, but Prospect Park also hosts some off-beat sports, including and .


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