There are active beavers, 35 species of fish and mating coyote pairs in the woods along The Bronx River.”

Michelle Luebke, Director Environmental Stewardship, The Bronx River Alliance

Where is The Bronx River?

The river originates roughly 24 miles north of New York City in Westchester County at what is now the Kensico Damn. It runs south from the Dam through the counties of Westchester and the Bronx before it eventually empties into the East River.

Views from My River Visit

Just north of The New York Botanical Gardens, the river flows through the Bronx River Forest and the Thain Family Forest. My husband I made this Forest area our entry point to explore the river. We had a little trouble finding the entry point, but once we did all it took was a simple walk down a set of steps (pictured below) to escape the noisy city and enter the shaded calm of the forest and river.

As I said in the Jamaica Bay and Harlem River episodes, I didn’t feel like I was in New York City when I visited this section of the river. After glancing at a few of the pics I snapped on our visit, I think you’ll agree that it doesn’t feel like an urban river.

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Who You’ll Meet in this Episode

• Michelle Luebke: Michelle is the Director of Environmental Stewardship at The Bronx River Alliance. She holds advanced degrees from the University of Georgia in Geography and Conservation Ecology & Sustainable Development, and from New York University in Environmental Conservation Education. 
• Lesley Topping: Lesley is an independent New York-based filmmaker, editor and film producer. Lesley has edited award-winning films for the Cousteau Society, CBS, PBS, and A&E, and worked on many feature films. She also produces multimedia content for businesses and not for profits.
• Stephen DeVillo: Stephen is a native New Yorker, a vocational historian, an experienced historical tour guide of New York City,  and author of the book, The Bronx River in History & Folklore.

Resources for this Episode

• The documentary film by Lesley Topping: “A River Returns: A History of the Bronx River”
• Bronx River Alliance : The organization works in partnership with the New York City Department of Parks & Recreations and volunteers from New York City to protect, improve and restore the river and surrounding areas. If you’re interested in volunteering, send an email to: volunteer@bronxriver.org
• Flotilla: This is the annual canoeing and kayaking event mentioned in the episode. This year it will be held on May 9th. I’ll be there. I hope you will, too.
• Kensico Dam: The source of The Bronx River.
• Jonas Bronk: The immigrant after whom the river is named.
• West Farms: West Farms is a residential Bronx neighborhood. And, as Stephen Devillo tells us in this episode, it is the oldest existing European settlement on the river.
• The book by Stephen DeVillo: The Bronx River in History and Folklore
• Bronx Zoo
• Greenway: A bike and pedestrian path that runs along 19 miles of the river. The goal is to extend the length to 23 miles.