A respected New York City corporate attorney, Dyan Gershman’s legal practice focuses on a wide range of corporate and commercial matters, including mergers and acquisitions, for both US and international clients. Maintaining a strong civic presence, Dyan Gershman is a member and supporter of the Central Park Conservancy, which helps maintain Central Park and also coordinates public classes and programs.
Since early 2020, the impact of the coronavirus pandemic and social distancing has been profoundly felt in Central Park, which is one of the nation’s premier green spaces. One impact has been an unusual abundance of wildlife, ranging from raccoons to squirrels, across the 843-acre park. This has to do with many visitors staying away, as well as commercial activities such as busking, snack vending, and guided pedicab tours coming to a halt.
Since mid-March, picnics and team sports have been replaced by solo walks, with lone visitors taking in the beauty of crabapple and cherry blossoms, as well as the annual spring bird migration. The 200 species of birds that inhabit and build nests in trees such as red maples and magnolias include blue-gray gnatcatchers and yellow pine warblers.
While crowds have diminished, the value of what Central Park has to offer has only increased. As the CEO of the Central Park Conservancy described it, the park is, more than ever, “fulfilling its original purpose” of providing a place of sanctuary and respite for city dwellers living with the stress of social isolation.
