Smiling Hogshead Ranch
Smiling Hogshead Ranch (SHR) is a community garden located in Long Island City in New York City. It was originally a guerilla garden on the abandoned tracks for the Degnon Terminal tracks, a spur off the Montauk Cutoff. Originally formed in 2011[1] by Gil Lopez,[2] It is located on Skillman Avenue.[3]
History
[edit]The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) has not used the Montauk Cutoff since its freight operations ended and the replacement of its diesel fleet—between 1989[4][5] and the late 1990s.[6]: 1 [7]
In 2011, Gil Lopez and four friends discovered the Cutoff, deciding to start a community garden on the abandoned tracks due to its size, lack of fence or signage. The group originally began farming at night to avoid discovery by the MTA [8] but in 2014[9] entered into a agreement with the MTA to lease the space for gardening when it became clear the farm deterred sex workers and homeless encampments on the tracks.[8]
In 2015, the MTA put out a Request For Expressions of Interest (RFEI) for the adaptive reuse of the Montauk Cutoff in a similar vein as the High Line.[8] Garden organizers, community members and activists formed the Cutoff Coalition to put together a proposal that continues using the cutoff for the community.[10] The group's proposal, known as the Dutch Kills Loop, was the leading proposal of the space.[8] It proposed a 1.4 mile circuit of public walkways to link bridges, and park spaces to a restored Dutch Kills inlet and featured environmental restoration, public access, and connection to waterways.[11]
Operations
[edit]Smiling Hogshead Ranch operates as an urban farm collective that cultivates various crops, maintains a compost operation that includes windrows, an apiary, feral cat colony, and an amphitheater. Volunteers often work with students from around the five boroughs as they visit the SHR on educational field trips.[8] The cultivation of the land utilizes safe growing practices for reclaiming industrial land high in heavy metals.[12] It receives help from the New York City Park Department's GreenThumb program.[8]
Unlike other community gardens in New York City, the garden is not fenced in, allowing it to act as public commons for the community. However, the garden is subject to crop theft, vandalism, truant students, and drug users that volunteers must contend with.[8] The group believes that reclaiming the commons is vital to urban infrastructure, allowing the community to organize and actively manage the land.[13]
References
[edit]- ^ Feldman, Adam (13 August 2021). "Smiling Hogshead Ranch - Attractions in Long Island City, New York". Time Out New York. Retrieved 2024-04-11.
- ^ Trapasso, Clare (12 November 2013). "Guerrilla garden on abandoned Long Island City train tracks to go legit". Retrieved 2024-04-11.
- ^ "Smiling Hogshead Ranch". www.idealist.org. Retrieved 2024-04-11.
- ^ Stadler, Derek. "The History of Long Island City: Details of its Short-Lived Days as Both an Incorporated Municipality and the Major Western Terminus of the Long Island Rail Road". derekstadler.wordpress.com. Archived from the original on October 7, 2021. Retrieved June 16, 2022.
- ^ Trapasso, Clare (November 12, 2013). "Guerilla Garden on abandoned Long Island City train tracks to go legit". New York Daily News. Retrieved June 16, 2022.
- ^ Parry, Bill (2015). "MTA offers old railway bridge" (PDF). TimesLedger. Vol. 3, no. 39. pp. 1, 42.
- ^ Frederick, Tamatha (October 30, 2018). "The Abandoned Tracks of the Montauk Cutoff at Sunnyside Yard in New York City". untappedcities.com. Retrieved June 16, 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f g Lovitz, Trevor (January 19, 2022). "Smiling Hogshead Ranch". Hunter Urban Review. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
- ^ Evelly, Jeanmarie (September 5, 2014). "Community Farm on MTA-Owned Land Inks Deal to Officially Use Space". DNAinfo New York. Retrieved 2024-04-20.
- ^ Kensinger, Nathan (2015-12-03). "In Long Island City, a Community Seeks to Reclaim an Urban Wilderness". Curbed NY. Retrieved 2024-04-20.
- ^ "Dutch Kills Loop Presentation" (PDF). 2021. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
- ^ Robertson, Mariana Mogilevich, Lesser Gonzalez Alvarez, Avery (2022-07-21). "Remediation as Grassroots Biorepair: Smiling Hogshead Ranch". Urban Omnibus. Retrieved 2024-04-20.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Stein, Melody (2023-11-01). "A new generation of community gardeners have big goals for cultivating the concrete jungle". The Architect’s Newspaper. Retrieved 2024-04-20.