What kinds of nature do we have New York City’s forests and in New York City? wetlands support an abundance of plants and animals: Forests 10,500 acres species of 2,100 plants and trees species of native bees 200 + that pollinate our nature Van Cortlandt Park, the Bronx Wetlands 5,400 acres Go Wild. species of Help us make New York City rare animals a healthier and more vibrant 180 place to live. 350 species of birds Support the Natural Areas Conservancy. Mott Basin, Queens naturalareasnyc.org Grasslands 4,800 acres Natural areas make New York [email protected] City healthier each year: 212 360 3356 Natural Areas Conservancy 1234 Fifth Avenue New York, New York 10029 Conference House Park, Staten Island @naturalareasnyc Open Water 76,000 acres This brochure was generously supported by the Altman Foundation and REI. Cleaner air: Cleaner water: 1,300 tons of 1.9 billion gallons of stormwater pollutants cleaned runoff kept out of the city’s sewers from the air and kept and waterways out of your lungs The New York City Harbor 10 tons 100,000,000 gallons What we know: We work across New York City New York City has to restore forests and Progressive planning in the 1800s more nature than you led to creation of an “emerald wetlands. think. necklace” of parks in the Bronx, including Van Cortlandt Park Planting native trees and shrubs, to make our What we believe: and Pelham Bay Park. Today forests healthier. the returning beavers, coyotes, Over 10,000 years ago the New York City’s nature alewife, and eel are evidence of glaciers receded, ending the the resurging health of the Bronx Ice Age and depositing rocky is for everyone. River, New York City’s only fresh- debris across what is now water river. Queens. The glacial legacy is evident today in the borough’s dramatic topography, rich soil, and abundance of natural areas. The Natural Areas Conservancy is a champion of New York City’s more than 20,000 acres Though few spaces are left of forests and wetlands for the benefit and undeveloped in Manhattan, Protecting our city’s coastline by enhancing salt Inwood Hill Park’s trees offer marshes and wetlands. enjoyment of all. a glimpse into the past as the last historic forest in New York City. Our team of scientists and experts promote The remaining natural areas in nature’s diversity and resilience across the five Manhattan are uniquely positioned boroughs, working in close partnership with the where New England meets the City of New York. Mid-Atlantic, and along important bird migration routes. Our work makes the city a healthier and more vibrant place to live and thrive. Researching our city’s ecosystems. Staten Island is the most remote and rural island of New York City’s urban archipelago, and also the most complex in natural ecology. At the northern edge of the Mid-Atlantic, it is a rare location where southern U.S. tree species, including tupelo and sweetbay magnolias, are part of the native plant repertoire. Engaging New Yorkers as volunteers and through Before it was developed, the entire public programming. borough of Brooklyn was a giant floodplain divided by many creeks. Though little open space was set aside in Brooklyn’s rapid expansion, Natural Areas in NYC Parks (forests, wetlands, and grasslands) today some vestiges of its former life as a large wetland remain, National Parks Service including Marine Park’s maritime forest and the remnants of Jamaica Other NYC Parks Bay’s tributary creeks. 0–5 acres 5–13 acres 13–26 acres.