You can spot delightful birds in winter if you know where to look! Our latest blog post highlights 5 species to look for, and which natural areas you can find them: bit.ly/48yrtRx Ready to get out there? Join @nycbirdalliance.org for a #ChristmasBirdCount event on Dec 13 & 14: bit.ly/4axfjuR

On #GivingTuesday gifts to the NAC are doubled! 💚💚 Leanna & Giselle share highlights from our HS & fellowship programs. 2025 marked a special year, with our interns conducting the most projects ever and the fellowship completing its 1st year! Help us grow the next gen: bit.ly/4oHGE1M bit.ly/4rz1MJw

While most leaves have fallen off trees in NYC, we can still enjoy the crunch beneath our feet 🍂🍁… and test our #treeleaf ID skills 👀 In this one photo taken in Forest Park, Queens, there are at least 7 species on display! Can you identify them? Answers can be found on our IG stories: bit.ly/4rKrrz4

🦃 Happy Thanksgiving! 🍁 We're grateful for so much—our dedicated staff, supporters, and the beautiful natural areas in NYC we strive to protect. Show your gratitude for NYC's green spaces by signing on to the #PlayFair Coalition's #Parks2030 mayoral platform at https://bit.ly/3XNGOsu#PlayFair#Parks2030

We're disappointed in the EPA's planned rollback of protections for nearly 85% of the country's wetlands. The value of our wetlands is immeasurable. Clean water should be the standard for every community nationwide. Read more about the ruling: bit.ly/3X9K0yx Contact your local rep: bit.ly/4plWsqM

On beautiful fall days like this, we're reminded of the value of parks and urban forests! We're proud to support the #PlayFair's "Parks 2030" platform—which outlines what the City could achieve by allocating 1% of NYC's budget to Parks. Are you with us? Sign on to the platform at playfair.nyc!

Do you know a rising high school junior or senior with an interest in #urbanecology? We are now accepting nominations for the Natural Areas Conservancy's Student Urban Nature (SUN) Program, and we would love your help in identifying strong candidates. 🌞 Nominate a student: lnkd.in/et9Ps2rr

We’re honored to be a grantee of NYS DEC’s #CoRe grant program. $7M has been awarded to NYC orgs, making it possible to plant over 21k trees across the city! Today, we celebrated this significant win for our city by planting the first trees in Forest Park! Learn more: bit.ly/3LHndri

Congrats to @zohrankmamdani.bsky.social on the mayoral win! We look forward to working with Mamdani's administration to prioritize NYC's parks and natural areas. We're proud to amplify the #PlayFair coalition's #Parks2030 platform. Sign on here: bit.ly/47YTZN6

Join our team! 💚 The NAC is #hiring two full-time positions: 🌱 Restoration Ecologist 🌳 Senior Manager of Applied Science and Partnerships Learn more and apply for these positions: bit.ly/NAC-jobs

Horseshoe crabs are a vital species that support vulnerable birds—but they are at risk! Help us turn a proposed protections bill into law. Urge Governor Kathy Hochul to pass legislation through @nycbirdalliance.org's campaign: bit.ly/47Mw2Zs

Fall migration is happening right now in NYC, and many #birdwatchers have flocked to the city’s natural areas to glimpse our feathered friends. We've put together a blog post of tips for #birding in the city's natural areas: bit.ly/478vUTS

Congrats to our intern alumni and NAC staff who presented at the Student Conference on Conservation Science at @amnh.org! 👏 Learn more about our Urban NEST internship programs: naturalareasnyc.org/internships/

Great feature by @johnsurico.bsky.social of @nycfuture.bsky.social and Nick Underwood in @nytimes.com that explores NYC's flood resiliency. Our #stormwater report, outlines how natural areas capture 17% of runoff in the city! Learn more: bit.ly/3LkkvHT Revisit the stormwater report: bit.ly/4qz3MB4

We are thrilled to have Ethan Crenson, President of @newyorkmyc.org as an expert guest writer for NAC's Understories blog! 🍄 Ethan shares 5 of his favorite NYC tiny fungi and provides tips for identifying each; where you might spot them; as well as detailed insight into their biology: bit.ly/473stfK

#DYK each year, New Yorkers get to decide how capital dollars are spent in their neighborhoods? Through a process called #ParticipatoryBudgeting, the power to propose and vote on infrastructure projects across the five boroughs is placed directly in the hands of residents. Learn more: bit.ly/48qbOpd

It may be surprising NYC is home to 20k acres of natural areas. Along with parks, these spaces provide substantial climate benefits and respite. But our precious green spaces are chronically underfunded. We're fighting for #1Percent4Parks: bit.ly/4qgClvN Read the NYT article: bit.ly/48Tj3WP

The hottest ticket of the year just dropped! 🐸🦎 Join us next Wednesday for "Herp Happenings" at Cunningham Park for a walk led by NYC Parks’ Wildlife and Fisheries Ecologist Neha Savant to learn about herpetology in NYC. RSVP (it's free!): https://bit.ly/48d6d5A

From cooling our streets to creating community, New York City Parks are essential infrastructure for a livable city. 📰Read about the #Parks2030 platform in City & State NY#Parks2030 bit.ly/4nrmOas ✍️Learn more and add your name: playfair.nyc #ParksPower #NYC

This past summer, the NAC's Urban NEST fellows completed research projects which marked the end of an impressive year-long effort! Fellows conducted intensive research, data collection, and analysis in a wide array of topics. Read our summary blog post to learn more: bit.ly/4mExv8g

Listen to a clip from yesterday evening’s segment of #CityWatch on @wbai.org. Our Senior Manager of Applied Research Jeffrey Clark spoke to host Jeff Simmons on our recent publication of the #stormwater report and how natural areas benefit run-off capture. Listen to the full episode: bit.ly/4my61B9

NAC is proud to have contributed to the development of the #PlayFair coalition's mayoral platform "Parks 2030"—which outlines what a future mayor could achieve by allocating 1% of New York City's budget to Parks. Read the @cityandstateny.bsky.social article to learn more: bit.ly/3IFhkJX

Catch the NAC's Senior Manager of Applied Research Jeffrey Clark live on air this Thursday at 5 pm on #CityWatch on @wbai.org. They'll be chatting with Jeff about the NAC's stormwater report, as well as connecting with Julie Tighe, President of @nylcv.bsky.social. Listen at wbai.org.

A vibrant fall color display is happening in NYC's #saltmarshes. Salt marsh plants are preparing for winter by losing their green chlorophyll and unmasking the hidden red, orange, and yellow pigments. Read our latest blog post for the top 4 natural areas to view fall salt marshes: bit.ly/4mpkvDC

It's not easy work building rock steps! ⚒️🪨👷‍♀️ This past Saturday, the NAC hosted its first Pathkeeper rock step training at Seton Falls Park! 5 enthusiastic volunteers joined us to learn surveying, moving rocks, excavation and setting the steps. Learn more: bit.ly/3VSx9jw

Our NYC Nature 5k is coming up on Oct 4! Grab your running or walking shoes, and hit the trails with us in Forest Park. All proceeds from this fundraiser will directly support the NAC’s mission. 🏃‍♀️ Sign up and start fundraising with just a few clicks: naturalareasnyc.org/nyc-nature-5k/

#ClimateWeek is coming up from Sept 21-28! With 100+ events across the city, it can be hard to pin down your itinerary. We've created a curated list of 10 free events across the 5 boroughs that center natural areas and stewardship. Read our blog post for more details: bit.ly/467Ypzb

Mayor Adams promised 1% for NYC Parks but never delivered. “That’s been, for a lot of us in this sector, one of the most disappointing outcomes of the past almost four years now,” Emily Walker, NAC's senior manager for external affairs told @insideclimatenews.org. Learn more: bit.ly/41Es55J

Join @srijb.bsky.social for a webinar on Monday exploring monitoring protocols for natural and nature-based features in NY State! Presenters Cate Collinson & NAC intern alum Caitlin Lynch will share their experiences using the protocols for ecological function assessment. Register: bit.ly/4g9OBsY

The @naturalareasnyc.bsky.social report is the first to quantify the stormwater capture capacity of the city’s forests, wetlands, and grasslands—helping prevent untreated sewage from overflowing into local waterways. bit.ly/4p1jVOG

In NYC, there are over 5,000 acres of wetlands! What makes the city unique is the various types of wetlands within the five boroughs. Read our recent blog post to learn more about what kinds of wetlands you can visit in the city and specific recommendations on where to go: bit.ly/3JyvoVU

What was once known as a dumping ground for NYC's trash is being transformed into beautiful #FreshKillsPark! @newyorker.com chronicles how this 2,200 acre urban park is already offering habitat for a slew of species like foxes, deer, and grasshopper sparrows: bit.ly/4fXERlR

“If we wait for things to degrade, we wait for trees to start to die, then the amount that we'll need to invest is going to be a lot greater than if we start working right now,” Jeffrey Clark (NAC), told @gothamist.com. Read the article for insights into a study from Yale and NAC: bit.ly/4lNi4KJ

Urban heat is delaying spring in NYC's parks. ☀️ 🌳🌆 Researchers from the NAC and @yalee360.bsky.social, published a study that proves warmer winters reduce what is called 'chilling accumulation' in trees, an important step that triggers the transition from dormancy. Learn more: bit.ly/41ggolE

Last week, our high school SUN interns presented their research at the @amnh.org as part of the NYCSRM Consortium's research symposium. Over 500 students from 25 programs participated from across the city! Our interns shared how they employed inquiry-based methods to assess urban forest health.

Excited to announce that FIVE new cities have joined the Forests in Cities Network in 2025: 👏 -Cleveland, Ohio -Detroit, Michigan -Kansas City, Missouri/Kansas -San Antonio, Texas -Syracuse, New York Read more about these cities and their organizations in our recent blog post: bit.ly/3JkROcV

Last night our interns in both our high school and college programs presented their summer research findings! 🪱🦌🔬🌿 We are so PROUD of our interns for their hard work this summer, and can't wait to see what they do next in their budding environmental careers. 👏

💧The Journey of a Raindrop💧 Turns out a raindrop could go many places in an urban landscape! The below graphic shows how different land cover types and city infrastructure impact stormwater retention. Explore our #stormwater report: bit.ly/nac-stormwater

Join NAC's Senior Ecologist Helen Forgione in Staten Island to check out a scrub shrub swamp! Learn about the vegetation and animals that call freshwater swamps their home, and signs to look out for that indicate this type of wetland: www.youtube.com/watch?v=GE1j...

Below are 3 main methods utilized by cities to manage stormwater—gray, green, and blue infrastructure. Urban natural areas are often left out of the conversation but are incredibly effective at absorbing runoff, saving the city up to $760 million in water treatment. Learn more: bit.ly/nac-stormwater

Vernal pools are seasonal wetlands meaning they only hold surface water in the springtime. Join NAC's Senior Ecologist Helen Forgione in this next episode #WetlandWise! She explains the properties of a vernal pool, and shares clues to look out for in the off season to identify them: bit.ly/41lyEd2

Our recently published #stormwater research shows that healthy forested natural areas—with intact canopies and understories— absorb almost 10% more stormwater than degraded forests, stressing the importance of management of these spaces. Read more: bit.ly/nac-stormwater

We’re excited to announce the publication of a new report! Explore how urban natural areas play a critical yet often overlooked role in mitigating stormwater impacts: lnkd.in/eUk3p7kM Check out a blog post by lead author of the report Jeffrey Clark, for a breakdown of key findings: bit.ly/4fexMgf

Join NAC's Senior Ecologist Helen Forgione at Lemon Creek in Staten Island! Learn about the unique features of a salt marsh and the species that rely on them for habitat: www.youtube.com/watch?v=csCF...

The #NYCBiodiversityTaskForce released steps to protect natural areas. But with lack of funding biodiversity suffers. “[Parks] aren't able to do this work on their own. Nor should the topic of biodiversity be siloed into just Parks,” said the author in @citylimitsnews.bsky.social: bit.ly/3GGSDvY

New research from #YaleSchooloftheEnvironment uses eDNA to track human-wildlife interactions within urban spaces. With this method, researchers were able to identify how urban parks have different species composition based on ecological and anthropogenic factors: bit.ly/3TQTSLR

#GRWM Get ready with our Community Engagement Coordinator Melissa Rosenthal as she preps for a field day at Inwood Hill Park in Manhattan: youtu.be/p2a_Hx3LMIc Join us on the trails next time! Find an event near you: naturalareasnyc.org/events/

Unlock your environmental career with the Urban NEST Workforce Fellowship! This year-long program bridges the gap between college and green jobs for current established #CUNY students. Apply by August 8, 2025! Learn more and apply: naturalareasnyc.org/internships/

Read @fastcompany.com's take on how getting creative with greenspace can potentially have the power to cool surrounding areas in cities: bit.ly/4nILTOS (Hint: trees are involved!) 🌳 Also revisit the NAC's cooling report to delve deeper into the cooling power of urban forests: bit.ly/46vlxJG

Today is the last day you can submit the UFP questionnaire! We're looking to hear from NYers from all 5 boroughs to ensure the plan addresses the unique needs, concerns, and strengths of all our neighborhoods and communities: inform.urbanforestplan.nyc