STATEN ISLAND — If the weather gets bad enough this winter, you can explore the landfill-turned-park while strapped to a pair of snowshoes.
Tompkinsville artist Tattfoo Tan has teamed up with Fresh Kills Park to host a free snowshoe tour around one of the trails inside the under-construction park after the next blizzard hits New York City.
"Every winter we’re all cooped up in our little cabin — tiny house, tiny apartment in New York — but we still have the great outdoors," said Tan. "We have Fresh Kills Park and they never run programs in the winter and I’d thought it’d be a great idea."
People can sign up by email for the event and organizers will send out a notice after the next blizzard stops and the streets are clear for the snowshoeing, Tan said.
Tan already has snowshoes for people to use, but they can bring their own or rent a pair elsewhere if they want a better fit. Fresh Kills will run a shuttle from the St. George Ferry Terminal to help people get to the park.
The trail inside the park usually takes 20 to 30 minutes to walk, but Tan expects it to take between an hour to an hour-and-a-half when strapped to snowshoes.
"It's like putting on webbed feet," he said. "Your foot is bigger than what it usually is. You have to get used to it."
The tour will only happen after a blizzard, not just a mere snowfall, because snowshoeing works best in powdery condition and it helps soften the blow if people fall, Tan said.
The 2,039-acre Fresh Kills Parks is opening in sections, with only three currently open to the public and the entire site set to open in 2025. The park does open additional portions for special events, including their annual Discovery Day events.
The snowshoeing trek is part of the New Earth Resiliency Training Module (NERTM) series of workshops, tours and more started by Tan to highlight climate change and teach ways to live greener.
Tan has held several NERTM events in Fresh Kills Park including basket weaving, meditation walks, group bike rides and more.
He said the latest tour will give people a chance to view Fresh Kills in a different light and give them a good workout.
"It’s a new perspective. When the snow covers, it’s all white, the landscape's different," he said.
"It’s a very cardiovascular activity, it's like running on the beach."
