Poll: BPC Residents Are Happiest
One third of Lower Manhattan's population, including nearly half of Battery Park City residents, are new to the area since Sept. 11, 2001. And people living in Battery Park City are the happiest to be Downtown, according to new poll results commissioned by Friends of Community Board 1.

Ninety percent of Battery Park City residents said they have positive feelings about where they live, up from 74 percent last year. Of that group, 40 percent rated the quality of life Downtown as "excellent" and 50 percent called it "good."

No other Downtown neighborhood in the district drew such high marks, with only 69 percent of people living east of Broadway saying their quality of life was good or excellent.

For Tribecans, that number was 79 percent.

In Tribeca and the South Street Seaport/Civic Center neighborhood, about one-third of respondents said they moved Downtown after the attacks.

The poll, commissioned to gauge the quality of life in the district, surveyed residents' concerns ranging from fear of terrorism to frustration with construction and with the number of government vehicles in the area.

The telephone poll, conducted by Blum and Weprin Associates over two days in April, surveyed about 800 residents south of Canal Street in the Community Board 1 district.

Green Thumbs Wanted
The Battery Park City Parks Conservancy is seeking volunteers to work alongside the Conservancy's horticulturists in maintaining BPC gardens. Volunteers, who must be at least 18, meet every Wednesday through late October from 8 a.m. to noon. Call 212-267-9700 ext. 364.

Teen Program Sets Sail
Free sailing lessons open to New York City teens begin this month. Students will learn to sail J-24 sailboats based at the North Cove marina in Battery Park City. The Omega Teen Sailing Program, sponsored by the New York Harbor Sailing Foundation, begins June 28 with classes starting each week through September. A $100 refundable registration fee is required. To register, email Wayne Turett at wturett@turettarch.com.

A Rockin' Record Sale
Records, CDs and rock 'n' roll collectables will be on sale at bargain-bin prices everyday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. from June 5-13 at the Archive of Contemporary Music, 54 White St. Among the 20,000 items on sale, most for around $3, are signed records, rare rock posters and new CDs donated from record companies. The sale is a fundraiser for the Archive, which collects and preserves copies of all recordings released in America since 1950.

Restaurant Week
Summer Restaurant Week will take place June 21 to 25 and June 28 to July 2. Two hundred restaurants throughout the city will offer three-course prix fixe lunch menus for $20.12 and/or dinners for $30.12, showing their support the city's Olympic bid. For a list of participating restaurants, go to www.nycvisit.com or send a self-addressed stamped envelope to: Restaurant Week, 810 Seventh Ave., 3rd Fl., New York, NY 10019.

Bird Watching by Boat
This summer, New York City Audubon is hosting free harbor heron- watching boat trips to nearby islands. Audubon educators and naturalists will be on board the water taxi and participants are likely to see black-crowned night herons, snowy egrets and glossy ibis at North and South Brother Islands and Mill Rock.

Trips this month include morning excursions beginning at 9 a.m. on June 5, 13, 19 and 27. Evening trips, beginning at 7:30 p.m., are set for June 12, 20 and 26. All tours are two hours and leave from Pier 11, one half-block south of Wall Street on the East River. For reservations, call 212-691-7483.

Ameruso vs. Wils
Community Board 1 chair Madelyn Wils will be opposed by fellow Tribecan Marc Ameruso in the board's election of officers, to be held June 15. Ameruso, who works in the film industry, said he wants to institute several reforms on the board. He also said that "checks and balances" are needed on issues involving Downtown boards on which Wils also sits. Ameruso was Wils's only opponent in the last board election. He received two votes.

Asthma Walk June 6
A walkathon to raise money for asthma research and treatment for needy New York City children is set for June 6 in Battery Park.

Registration opens at 9 a.m. and the walk begins at 10 a.m. Participants can register by calling 212-889-3370 or online at www.alany.org.

Flea Market at IPN
A flea market fundraiser for the Independence Plaza Tenant Association will take place June 5 and 6 in the Community Room at 310 Greenwich St., from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Donations will be accepted on the days of the sale. Call 212-619-4729 for information.