A few years ago, a local advocacy group called Friends of Mosholu Parkway sought to “protect, promote, and beautify” Mosholu Parkway, the tree-lined thoroughfare stretching from Van Cortlandt Park to the Bronx River that includes many open community spaces. The group made the effort to establish itself, but unfortunately never achieved the level of notoriety it had hoped for.

In recent months, a similar group has emerged in the community, with the same goals to help protect and beautify public green spaces in the Bronx. The group, Friends of Mosholu Parkland, was formed in the most grassroots way possible.

A group of locals who regularly frequented Mosholu Parkway began consistently sitting together on the “circle of friends” benches at East 204th Street on East Mosholu Parkway South. They would discuss everything from current events to the demographic and landscape changes occurring within the park itself.

As a result, an informal union started to form into a formal organization.

Friends of Mosholu Parkland was met almost immediately with support from Community Board 7 and other local community members. The group even received a $1,200 grant for brochures, t-shirts, and plants.

According to Elizabeth Quaranta, one of the group’s founding members, the Friends’ main goal is to “advocate for better land management that ultimately will increase the value of the community, bring in tourism, increase business and mixed income housing, and a better, healthier quality of life.”

The group’s most urgent concern is the erosion that is occurring throughout the parkway. The erosion is caused by insufficient vegetation, Quaranta says, which ultimately causes the soil to be negatively affected by wind and water. However, misuse of the land by those who frequent the park is also to blame for this problem.

Since its inception, the group has engaged a few local projects to help. In 2012, Friends worked, in cooperation with the parks department, to restore the soil in the “circle of friends” garden. They are still mulching, replanting, and tending to the garden, and feel very optimistic about its future.

Friends of Mosholu Parkland also worked with the parks department to insert three 1929 World’s Fair benches on East 205th Street and Lisbon Place earlier this month. They also planted two Yoshino trees in that area near the end of 2012 as a first step in establishing a more substantial garden there.

The group is also hoping to plant a row of shrubs along parts of the sidewalk to help combat the excessive crabgrass on the fringes of the parkway. The shrubbery will also help to deter dogs and humans from littering in the space.

Friends also works with Americana Homestay, an exchange program that Quaranta runs for international students looking to volunteer and become part of a New York community.

They are encouraging any and all members of the community to volunteer with them on projects and help to improve quality of life for all local residents.

Editor’s note: For more information about Friends of Mosholu Parkland or to find out how to volunteer on new projects, visit Mosholuparkland.wix.com or contact Elizabeth Quaranta at (347) 371-3085 or mosholuparkland@gmail.com.