" Most New Yorkers would probably agree that Central Park is the city's most important to ask a real treasure whether you live on the west side or the east side up in Harlem way downtown subway right away. This is the place to get away from it -- wasn't always like this of course. This 800 plus acre attractive beautiful land today was once really nothing but rocky outcrop things in swampy land. Filled with indigenous shantytowns but back in the 1870s. Landscape architects Frederick law Olmstead and Gilbert -- devised. Green sport plan that was to change all of this it took. Twenty years to accomplish over ten million cart loads of soil from New Jersey plants and stones but before they were done they had created an amazing park that. Replicated perhaps the English countryside but still address the traffic needs of a big metropolis but providing access to horses and carriages separate from. Walkways for pedestrians. There's so many different aspects of the park that are. Absolutely shining today hundred some odd years after they were built we're standing on a hillside above the Bethesda terrace and we're gonna go down there now and learn a little bit more about what the Central Park conservancy has done in the last fifteen or twenty years to really make the park -- We're visiting with -- blast use the chief operating officer for the Central Park conservancy and we're at the Bethesda terrace one of the most outstanding elements architecturally of hope Cochran."

" Yeah absolutely Bob is is by far the most formal element in Central Park. Central Park obviously everybody knows about the rolling meadows in the pastoral nature in the woodlands. But because there's really the heart of the part Detroit kind of where the formality of the park comes together. And really meets the natural and you have the woodlands in the ramble on the other side right. Let's talk first about the job of the conservancy Central Park -- was kind of -- its lowest point in the late seventies early 80s in the Central Park conservancy. Which was found in 1980 really came with the mission of restoring rebuilding. And kind of bringing some management back in the Central Park -- over the last Camilla 25 years we've raised over 300 million dollars and probably restored about 75% of part 300 million let's talk about some of the work that's ongoing with. The bronze statuary here in front of the terrace we have over fifty monuments in the park in every monument we like to. Do maintenance every year -- elected to a conservation every year on them. I dug how many trees do you have to keep track in Central Park but we have 26000 trees and central parts and works it's a visit it. And we're walking on the mall as it's called which is the only straight. Wrote in the whole part that's right the only straight pathway and every other -- meanders through people to get lost but this one. Take your right to Bethesda terrace and it's been nicknamed the literary lock -- all the bronzes of literary address but the main thing is these incredible American else I think this is one of the greatest stands and when the last -- unfortunately. In the united states of American homes when was that Dutch elm disease first. Prevalent than in the states we really started seeing it show up in the thirties there was trouble in in the twenties and really decimated. You know mostly on throughout the country. So here in the park we're looking at one of the last surviving this great stance but are these trees were actually planted back in the 1918 hundred's many of these are almost third generation trees we keep planting the American elm. The Dutch elm disease in the elm bark -- really what destroys that we fortunately have a very good. -- care program that really looks out for the disease. And will receive the disease and take out the trees we have to -- we cut off infected branches grateful thanks for the tour will be back to look at some of the other restoration work going on in the park right Bob thanks."