LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION congratulating the Brooklyn Queens Land Trust
(BQLT) as it celebrates the transfer of deed of 32 gardens from the
Trust for Public Land to BQLT at its Annual Meeting on March 31, 2012

WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body that the quality and
character of life of the citizens of the State of New York are greatly
enriched by the availability of parks, gardens, and recreational facili-
ties within our communities; and
WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern and in full accord with its long-
standing traditions, this Legislative Body is justly proud to commend
and congratulate the Brooklyn Queens Land Trust (BQLT) as it celebrates
the transfer of deed of 32 gardens from the Trust for Public Land to
BQLT at its Annual Meeting on Saturday, March 31, 2012; and
WHEREAS, On Thursday, December 22, 2011, the Trust for Public Land
transferred the deeds of 32 community gardens to the Brooklyn Queens
Land Trust; this transfer of ownership of 32 gardens, which cover nearly
three acres of land, made the Brooklyn Queens Land Trust the largest
community garden land trust in the United States; and
WHEREAS, Land trusts in New York State have protected 973,807 acres,
an eighty-eight percent increase since 2005; it is, therefore, signif-
icant to note that, based on agreements with New York State and New York
City officials, Brooklyn and Queens Gardens, so long as they are proper-
ly maintained and remain open spaces for public use, will be protected
in perpetuity; and
WHEREAS, Prior to taking over the 32 gardens, incorporated in 2004,
the Brooklyn Queens Land Trust, a seven-year-old non-profit grassroots
organization of volunteer land stewards formed by the Trust for Public
Lands (TPL) and headquartered in Bedford-Stuyvesant, was already manag-
ing New York City community gardens comprising 3.4 acres of conserved
land; and
WHEREAS, BQLT is dedicated to working on behalf of the interests of
community gardens; its gardens are protected as open space in perpetui-
ty; its Board of Directors is comprised of a majority of garden members
and, each of its gardens has an autonomous garden group which has a
garden representative and alternate with voting rights in BQLT; and
WHEREAS, Ninety percent of BQLT's gardens are engaged in urban agri-
culture where gardeners grow vegetables, herbs, and fruits for them-
selves and share them with their neighbors and the community; BQLT
gardeners are growing a full range of produce from A-Z, arugula to
zucchini, and even exotic fruit such as pineapple and watermelons, and
all types of herbs; and
WHEREAS, This Legislative Body is pleased to have this opportunity to
commend the members and supporters of the Brooklyn Queens Land Trust,
past and present, for their enduring efforts and for working tirelessly
to enhance and protect our environment and the beauty of our
surroundings; and
WHEREAS, It is incumbent upon this Legislative Body and all citizens
to understand and appreciate that we are all stewards of our environment
and to recognize and applaud individuals and organizations, such as the
Brooklyn Queens Land Trust, who work assiduously to protect our natural
surroundings for the benefit of present and future generations of New
Yorkers; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
commend and congratulate the Brooklyn Queens Land Trust (BQLT) as it
celebrates the transfer of deed of 32 gardens from the Trust for Public
Land to BQLT at its Annual Meeting on March 31, 2012; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be tran-
smitted to the Brooklyn Queens Land Trust.