c. Jordan Rathkopf

Sustaining the Environment

Prospect Park is 585 acres of rolling meadows, waterways and woodlands in the heart of New York’s most populous borough—and also one with the least amount of green space per resident. Prospect Park is home to Brooklyn’s only lake and last remaining forest, and is an important wildlife habitat that supports more than 250 species of birds and other fauna.

Since its founding, Prospect Park Alliance has undertaken an extensive restoration of the Park’s natural areas, including the woodland Ravine and the Park’s historic watercourse and lake, which suffered from significant erosion and neglect. The Alliance’s work to restore the Park’s woodlands over the past two decades represents a $15 million investment that has encompassed nearly 200 acres of woodlands, and the planting and ongoing care of more than 500,000 trees, plants and shrubs.

The Alliance’s Landscape Management team includes ecologists who monitor the health of the Park’s aquatic and woodland areas, and arborists who evaluate the trunks, limbs and root systems of more than 30,000 trees, which represent more than 200 species. The Alliance’s Landscape Management team removes invasive plants while introducing thousands of native shrubs, flowers and trees each year, and cares for the Park’s watercourse, including Brooklyn’s only Lake. They strategically repair erosion on damaged hillsides and maintain trails throughout the Park. Each of these tasks is critical to preserving the Park’s natural habitats.

Be a Park Champion! Help keep Brooklyn’s Backyard green and vibrant by pledging to do your part to help sustain your park with every visit.

City of Forest Day in Prospect Park. c. Bess Adler

Volunteer

Get involved and lend a hand to your park! View volunteer opportunities for all ages to explore Brooklyn’s Backyard while helping to sustain our environment.

Donate a Woodland Sapling

Want to honor a loved one and help sustain Brooklyn’s Last remaining Forest? Donate a woodland sapling to commemorate friends, family and milestones.

Be a Park Champion

Help keep Brooklyn’s Backyard green and vibrant by pledging to do your part to help sustain your park with every visit.

Become a Member

Your support keeps Prospect Park a vibrant and healthy resource for the whole community—today and into the future.

Join or renew today and receive valuable benefits, free gifts and invitations to exclusive events all year long.

Prospect Park's Woodland Ecosystem

Alliance Forest Ecologist Howard Goldstein spoke with Turnstile Tours in a video presentation.