City Park New Orleans

City Park sustained $43 million dollars in damages from
Hurricane Katrina. Our staffing level has gone from 260
to just over 30. We just don't have the funds or the staff
to do many of the things we used to do (e.g., pick up trash
and debris). Volunteers are essential for the recovery of
the Park and for the Park to take its place in the cultural
and recreational rebirth of New Orleans.

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City Park has experienced serious damage from Hurricane
Katrina. Our grounds, trees, infrastructure, records,
computers, plantings, and facilities all require
significant cleanup and repair. Because of the damage
to the Park and the area, City Park is unable to
generate revenue.

We are excited to announce City Park’s newest Volunteer
Opportunity: Super Saturdays.

One Saturday each month– usually the first Saturday each
month– volunteers are invited to meet at the tennis center
parking lot (across from the Peristyle) at 9:00 a.m. Work
assignments and tools will be handed out at that time and
volunteers will work until 12:00 noon.

Work may include pruning, raking, cutting grass, picking up
trash, and planting. Please dress appropriately for the
season and bring your own garden gloves along with any food
and drink you wish to consume. Since we don’t know how many
volunteers will show up each week, please bring yard tools
if you have them. No chainsaws!

The work of volunteers is always appreciated and even more
so today as the park’s staff has been reduced drastically
in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. We simply can’t
maintain the park without your help!

Super Saturday Dates for 2006: (9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon each
day)

Saturday, October 7
Saturday, November 4
Saturday, December 2

If you are coming with a group of volunteers on a particular
Saturday, please email John Hopper at jhopper@nocp.org and
tell him how many volunteers will be coming with your group.

Individual Volunteer Opportunities–Weekdays:
Botanical Garden– Volunteers are welcome Monday-Friday between
9:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. Tasks will include propagating plants
for the garden and for plant sales, planting,
weeding, trimming/pruning/deadheading, and removing
christmas lights.

Rest of the Park– Given our depleted staff we are not in the
position to instruct and supply tools to individual volunteers
during the week. That said, there is work for you to do. In
the past we seldom if ever asked volunteers to pick up trash
in the park. Post-Katrina all that has changed as we simply
don’t have the staff or equipment to pick up and remove trash.
So, if you are willing and have some time during the week,
feel free to bring some trash bags and fill them up. If you
can haul them away, great. If not, please leave the tied-up
trash bags along the side of a roadway.

Group Volunteer Opportunities– Weekdays:
If you have a group of 20 or more volunteers who want to
volunteer during the week, please email John Hopper at
jhopper@nocp.org.

Adopt a Section of the Park:
Many groups, organizations and companies have adopted a
section of the park and maintain it throughout the year.
Adopting a section of the park constitutes a committment
of funds and often a commitment of volunteers. If you
would like to adopt a section of the park, please email
John Hopper at jhopper@nocp.org.

If our volunteer schedule doesn't work for you, please consider
volunteering with the Katrina Krewe (http://www.cleanno.org/).

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About Us-Who We Are:
Once the site of Allard Plantation facing Bayou St. John, City
Park’s 1,300 acres offer visitors a sample of the city’s riches
both in fine art and natural splendor. City Park is home of the
New Orleans Museum of Art and the largest collection of mature
live oaks in the world. Trees in the oldest grove are over
600 years old.

Today’s City Park is distinguished by its large menu of
recreational activities and its natural beauty. City Park has a
special place in the hearts of generations of New Orleanians and
is a must visit for visitors to the city. A popular place to picnic,
play a favorite sport, wander through its gardens or take a boat
ride, the park hosts 11 million visitors each year. It is located
in the heart of the city and is the largest recreation area for
the entire metropolitan area.

At 1,300 acres, City Park is one of the largest urban parks in the
country. The first parcel of land was aquired in 1854, making it
one of the country's oldest parks.

The land occupied by City Park is owned by the City of New Orleans.

City Park is a non-budgeted state agency of the Department
of Culture, Recreation and Tourism operated by the non-profit
City Park Improvement Association (CPIA).

CPIA was established in 1891 to provide for the improvement of
City Park. The Louisiana Legislature placed City Park under the
control of CPIA in 1896 and invested it with the authority to
operate and develop the park.