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Meet and learn about NYC's wildlife neighbors, from the fish and crabs of our waters to the hawks and eagles of our skies. Our expert Urban Park Rangers, Parks Wildlife Unit, and our partners and friends lead wildlife-viewing tours and lectures all across the New York City. Join us! To learn more about NYC's wildlife and what to do when encountering wildlife, please visit our Urban Wildlife page.
Wildlife Events
Tuesday, April 15, 2025
Junior Arborist Day
at Visitor Center - Satterlee Street and Hylan Boulevard (in Conference House Park), Staten Island 
10:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.
Learn about our Urban Forest and why we need trees and why they matter
Free!
Kids Week: Freshwater Fishing
at Audubon Center at the Boathouse (in Prospect Park), Brooklyn
10:30 a.m.–11:30 a.m.
Want to go fishing but don’t know how or where to start? Join our Urban Park Rangers for free lessons! Learn how to properly use a fishing rod or cast a net. Ages 8 and up
Free!
Kids
Kids Week: Magnetic Archery and Foam Axe Throwing
at Van Cortlandt Nature Center (in Van Cortlandt Park), Bronx
1:00 p.m.–2:30 p.m.
Learn the art of archery with free lessons taught by our expert Urban Park Rangers. This program uses safe equipment with magnetic arrows, foam axes and targets.
Free!
Kids
Kids Week: Nature Exploration for Kids
at Entrance - West 100 Street and Central Park West (in Central Park), Manhattan
1:00 p.m.–2:00 p.m.
The natural world is the best playground in New York City! Join the Urban Park Rangers on a hike through the wonders of Central Park..
Free!
Kids
Kids Week: Ranger Games
at Field House (in Archie Spigner Park), Queens
1:00 p.m.–2:00 p.m.
Spend an afternoon of fun with the Urban Park Rangers playing and learning new and exciting nature games.
Free!
Kids
Wednesday, April 16, 2025
Team RIVER Volunteers
at 10 Central Road (in Randall's Island Park), Manhattan
9:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.
Volunteer with Team RIVER (Randall’s Island Volunteer Ecological Restorers) and help keep Randall’s Island Park beautiful!
Free!
Team RIVER Volunteers
at Randall's Island Park, Manhattan
9:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.
Volunteer with Team RIVER (Randall’s Island Volunteer Ecological Restorers) and help keep Randall’s Island Park beautiful!
Free!
Team RIVER Volunteers
at Randall's Island Park, Manhattan
9:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.
Volunteer with Team RIVER (Randall’s Island Volunteer Ecological Restorers) and help keep Randall’s Island Park beautiful!
Free!
Fresh Creek Wetlands Restoration with the Opportunity Hub
at Fresh Creek Nature Preserve, Brooklyn
11:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m.
Volunteer with the Stewardship Team to protect wetland areas in the Fresh Creek Nature Preserve! Volunteers will support restoration work and learn the importance of ecosystem health.
Free!
Kids Week: Magnetic Archery
at Lawn Area (in McKinley Park), Brooklyn
11:00 a.m.–12:30 p.m.
Learn the art of archery with free lessons taught by our expert Urban Park Rangers. This program uses safe equipment with magnetic arrows and targets.
Free!
Kids
Kids Week: Meet the Critters
at West 218th Street and Indian Road (in Inwood Hill Park), Manhattan
1:00 p.m.–2:30 p.m.
From stick bugs to snakes, meet the animals that call the center their home.
Free!
Event
Kids Week: Native Planting Party
at Pelham Bay Nature Center (in Pelham Bay Park), Bronx
1:00 p.m.–2:00 p.m.
Celebrate Earth Month discussing pollinators and plants. Don't forget to take home your planted seed to start your own native plant garden.
Free!
Event
Kids Week: Nature Puppet Show
at Playground (in Phil "Scooter" Rizzuto Park), Queens
1:00 p.m.–2:30 p.m.
The Urban Park Rangers welcome you for some nature themed puppet shows! Learn more about animals that can be found in our local parks.
Free!
Kids
Creatures of the Night with Tenafly Nature Center
at Greenbelt Nature Center (in Blood Root Valley), Staten Island
7:00 p.m.–8:00 p.m.
Discover what really makes an animal nocturnal and what they need to survive.
Event
Thursday, April 17, 2025
Trail Work Thursdays
at VCPA Garden & Compost Site (in Van Cortlandt Park), Bronx
9:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.
Be a part of the community effort to maintain the trails in Van Cortlandt Park.
Free!
Kids Week: Ranger Games
at Entrance - Bard Avenue and Delafield Place (in Walker Park), Staten Island
11:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.
Spend an afternoon of fun with the Urban Park Rangers playing and learning new and exciting nature games.
Free!
Kids
Friday, April 18, 2025
Kids Week: Metaverse Scavenger Hunt
at Freshkills North Park Entrance (in Freshkills Park), Staten Island
11:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.
Join the Urban Park Rangers for a nature scavenger hunt inspired by the popular mobile game application "Pokemon Go". See how many of these can be found where the metaverse meets nature
Free!
Kids
Kids Week: Birding Bingo
at Entrance - 34th Avenue between 77th and 78th Streets (in Travers Park), Queens
1:00 p.m.–2:00 p.m.
Join the Urban Park Rangers for a fun game of bingo where participants will learn about different birds that call New York City their home.
Free!
Event
Kids Week: Native Planting Party
at Entrance - East Broadway & Essex St (in Seward Park), Manhattan
1:00 p.m.–2:00 p.m.
Celebrate Earth Month discussing pollinators and plants. Don't forget to take home your planted seed to start your own native plant garden.
Free!
Event
Saturday, April 19, 2025
Earth Day Nature Walk at Ocean Breeze
at Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex (in Ocean Breeze Track & Field Athletic Complex), Staten Island
10:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.
Earth Day Nature Walk at Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex on Saturday, April 19th, 2025
Free!
Event
RESCHEDULED: Volunteer Workday: Garden of Life
at Garden of Life (in ), Brooklyn
10:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m.
Learn how to join a GreenThumb garden and engage in EarthMonth activities, such as building trellises and spreading soil.
Free!
Earth Day Plant ID and Stewardship
at Snug Harbor Cultural Center, Staten Island
12:30 p.m.–2:00 p.m.
Join Urban Park Rangers for useful tips on non-native plant ID and very rewarding non-native plant removal activities. Tools will be provided.
Free!
Sunday, April 20, 2025
Wildlife Viewing: Rabbits
at Forest Avenue and Silver Lake Park Road (in Silver Lake Park), Staten Island
10:00 a.m.–11:30 a.m.
Join the Urban Park Rangers as they look for signs of rabbits and experience the joy of spotting these adorable creatures in the wild!
Free!
Birding: Spring Migration
at 130th Street and 11th Avenue (in Powell's Cove Park), Queens
1:00 p.m.–2:00 p.m.
Join the Urban Park Rangers on a birding adventure around Powell's Cove Park to look for spring migrants that include warblers, raptors and more!
Free!
Earth Day: Planting the Pollinator Garden
at West 218th Street and Indian Road (in Inwood Hill Park), Manhattan
1:00 p.m.–2:30 p.m.
Help restore and replant our pollinator garden as we create space for bees, birds and other species. Learn more about the ways pollinator species help plants flourish in our parks.
Free!
Public Garden Highlights Walk
at Wave Hill, Bronx , Perkins Visitors Center (in Wave Hill), Bronx
1:00 p.m.–2:00 p.m.
Join a knowledgeable Wave Hill Garden Guide for a leisurely stroll in the gardens every Sunday. Each walk varies with the Guide leading it.
Free!
Wednesday, April 23, 2025
Team RIVER Volunteers
at Randall's Island Park, Manhattan
9:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.
Volunteer with Team RIVER (Randall’s Island Volunteer Ecological Restorers) and help keep Randall’s Island Park beautiful!
Free!
Team RIVER Volunteers
at Randall's Island Park, Manhattan
9:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.
Volunteer with Team RIVER (Randall’s Island Volunteer Ecological Restorers) and help keep Randall’s Island Park beautiful!
Free!
Team RIVER Volunteers
at 10 Central Road (in Randall's Island Park), Manhattan
9:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.
Volunteer with Team RIVER (Randall’s Island Volunteer Ecological Restorers) and help keep Randall’s Island Park beautiful!
Free!
Thursday, April 24, 2025
Trail Work Thursdays
at VCPA Garden & Compost Site (in Van Cortlandt Park), Bronx
9:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.
Be a part of the community effort to maintain the trails in Van Cortlandt Park.
Free!
Friday, April 25, 2025
Event
Saturday, April 26, 2025
Riverside Park Birding Club
at 116th Street and Riverside Drive (in Riverside Park), Manhattan
9:00 a.m.–10:30 a.m.
Monthly walks through birding hotspots in Riverside Park, led by Riverside Park Conservancy Field Staff.
Free!
Event
Event
Volunteer Workday: Clifton Place Memorial Garden & Park
at Clifton Place Memorial Garden, Brooklyn
10:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m.
Learn how to join a GreenThumb garden and engage in EarthMonth activities, such as building raised beds and planting a floral landscape.
Free!
04/26 City Nature Challenge: Spring Ephemerals Walk at Idlewild Park
at Idlewild Park, Queens
12:00 p.m.–1:00 p.m.
Join Parks staff as we walk Idlewild Park to observe and collect data for City Nature Challenge, an international biodiversity competition taking place April 25 - 28
Free!
Earth Day Festival
at Field 62 - 63 (in Randall's Island Park), Manhattan
12:00 p.m.–3:00 p.m.
Celebrate spring at the annual, free Randall’s Island Earth Day Festival! We’re bringing you a family-friendly, interactive day of fun to welcome warmer weather & seasonal blooms.
Free!
Kids
Sunday, April 27, 2025
City Nature Challenge 2025
at Van Cortlandt Golf House (in Van Cortlandt Park), Bronx
10:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m.
Join the global City Nature Challenge! Cities around the world collect data throughout the spring but at Van Cortlandt Park, you can identify macroinvertebrates and other wildlife from the pond.
Free!
Event
Event
Public Garden Highlights Walk
at Wave Hill, Bronx , Perkins Visitors Center (in Wave Hill), Bronx
1:00 p.m.–2:00 p.m.
Join a knowledgeable Wave Hill Garden Guide for a leisurely stroll in the gardens every Sunday. Each walk varies with the Guide leading it.
Free!
Wednesday, April 30, 2025
Team RIVER Volunteers
at 10 Central Road (in Randall's Island Park), Manhattan
9:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.
Volunteer with Team RIVER (Randall’s Island Volunteer Ecological Restorers) and help keep Randall’s Island Park beautiful!
Free!
Team RIVER Volunteers
at Randall's Island Park, Manhattan
9:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.
Volunteer with Team RIVER (Randall’s Island Volunteer Ecological Restorers) and help keep Randall’s Island Park beautiful!
Free!
Team RIVER Volunteers
at Randall's Island Park, Manhattan
9:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.
Volunteer with Team RIVER (Randall’s Island Volunteer Ecological Restorers) and help keep Randall’s Island Park beautiful!
Free!
Thursday, May 1, 2025
Trail Work Thursdays
at VCPA Garden & Compost Site (in Van Cortlandt Park), Bronx
9:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.
Be a part of the community effort to maintain the trails in Van Cortlandt Park.
Free!
Saturday, May 3, 2025
Riverkeeper Sweep
at Icahn Stadium (in Randall's Island Park), Manhattan
9:30 a.m.–12:00 p.m.
Join hundreds of others throughout the Hudson River watershed to help keep our shoreline free of marine plastics and refuse at the annual Riverkeeper Sweep.
Free!
Event
Birding: Nests and Baby Birds Exploration
at Van Cortlandt Nature Center (in Van Cortlandt Park), Bronx
10:00 a.m.–11:30 a.m.
Join the Urban Park Rangers on a fun and informative walk through Van Cortlandt Park to learn all about nests, baby birds, and unique spring-time animal behaviors!
Free!
Cross Country Course Volunteer Days
at VCPA Garden & Compost Site (in Van Cortlandt Park), Bronx
10:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m.
Be a part of the community effort to maintain the trails in Van Cortlandt Park.
Free!
Summer on the Hudson: Billion Oyster Project Presentation
at On the Pier (in West Harlem Piers), Manhattan
12:00 p.m.–2:00 p.m.
Visit a Billion Oyster Project research station on the Baylander’s jungle deck.
Free!
Sunday, May 4, 2025
Birding: Warbler Watch
at The Overlook (in Forest Park), Queens
9:00 a.m.–10:00 a.m.
Join the Urban Park Rangers on a birding adventure around Forest Park to look for spring warblers and more!
Free!
Bug Buddies!
at Queens County Farm Museum (in Queens Farm Park), Queens
11:00 a.m.–12:15 p.m.
Calling all bug enthusiasts for a monthly Bug Buddies program with our STEM Coordinator and resident bug expert, Keith McManus!
Kids
Birding: Spring Migration
at West 81st Street and Central Park West (in Central Park), Manhattan
1:00 p.m.–2:00 p.m.
Join the Urban Park Rangers on a birding adventure around Central Park to look for spring migrants that include warblers, raptors and more!
Free!
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