Sheep Meadow

Sheep Meadow. . , In 1979, the Sheep Meadow, like the rest of Central Park, was in a chronic state of decay following decades of neglect and mismanagement by a fiscally challenged New York City. After a year of restoration, the meadow was green and healthy, and as well-maintained as it is today. That groundbreaking transformation , and the beginning of the unprecedented revitalization and management of Central Park , was in large part due to four visionaries who called on private citizens to help save it. Together they founded the Central Park Conservancy, the first public-private partnership for an urban park, which is now replicated throughout the world., Today, Conservancy members , private individuals, foundations, and corporations , fund the staff that manages and maintains the Park's landscapes and structures, contributing 75 percent of the Park's annual operating budget. To ensure that your future visit will be as memorable and enjoyable as it is today, become a member of the Conservancy by visiting centralparknyc.org/join., [Caption:] , The Central Park Conservancy Founders (from left to right): , Richard Gilder, activist, philanthropist, and founding Trustee; Betsy Barlow Rogers, urban planner, first Central Park Administrator and President of the Central Park Conservancy; Gordon Davis, former NYC Parks Commissioner appointed by Mayor Edward I. Koch; and Bill Beinecke, first Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Central Park Conservancy.