Brooklyn’s Backyard has fun to offer in every season, even on the coldest of days. Whether you’re looking for that perfect New Year’s resolution to lend a hand to your community this year, or searching for seasonal fun to make the most of colder temperatures, we’ve put together 7 activities in a Prospect Park Winter Checklist for a winter well-spent.
Both through nature and by design, Prospect Park’s landscape is dotted with rolling hills, which makes it prime territory for winter sledding on a snowy winter day. When conditions are right, make sure to check out the top sledding destinations in Brooklyn’s Backyard. See you on the next snow day!
2. Winter Birdwatching
Brush off the binoculars! While winter may seem like a quiet time, Brooklyn’s Backyard continues to be bustling with feathered friends throughout the park. Make the most of the season with leaf-less trees to spot exciting species that frequent the park in the winter. Learn more about the 250+ bird species that can be spotted in Prospect Park, and join an upcoming Saturday morning Introduction to Birdwatching Walk with the Brooklyn Bird Club.
3. Ice Skating at LeFrak Center at Lakeside
Glide into the new year at Prospect Park’s two open-air ice skating rinks! Enjoy a day of open-air skating, take ice bumper cars for a spin, try your hand at hockey and more for cold weather fun.
4. Take a Winter Walk
If summer crowds aren’t your scene, the colder months are the perfect time of year to explore Prospect Park’s 585 acres of meadow, forest and Brooklyn’s only Lake. Take a look at our suggestion for a scenic winter walking route to take advantage of the season.
5. Volunteer in Prospect Park
Explore your park while giving back to the park you love. Join Prospect Park Alliance for Winter Corps volunteer events on Wednesdays from 10 am–1 pm through February 26. Assist in raking, minor shoveling, litter pick up, and other landscaping needs to help Brooklyn’s Backyard thrive this season.
6. Enjoy family fun at the Audubon Center
Don’t miss family friendly nature education activities! Visit the Boathouse for mid-winter recess from February 17–21 to get to know the plants and animals that call Brooklyn’s Backyard home through seasonal discovery stations, animal encounters and a winter wilderness walk and more. Plus, don’t miss upcoming school holiday hours at the Boathouse.
7. Fuel Up to Brave the Cold
Savor Prospect Park bites and eats during your time in the park. Stop by the two new Prospect Park concessions that opened in 2024—Poetica Coffee at the Willink Plaza Entrance of the park, or Purslane Cafe at the Prospect Park Boathouse. Don’t forget about the delicious pastries and sandwiches from WINNER, the authentic breakfast tacos from King David’s Tacos or a warm drink from Bluestone Cafe. Plus, keep an eye out for Lark by the Park in the Spring and check out fresh, locally grown produce and more at GrowNYC’s two year-round greenmarkets in Prospect Park.
Want to explore Brooklyn’s Backyard from anywhere in the world? A virtual guide to Prospect Park is now live on the free arts and culture app, Bloomberg Connects. Bloomberg Connects is a source for accessible and interactive guides to hundreds of cultural spaces, museums, and more from around the world.
Whether on the ground in the park or miles away, explore Prospect Park’s history, architecture and more through images, audio guides and more—all from the palm of your hand. The Prospect Park Bloomberg Connects Guide includes virtual self-guided tours on the park’s history, and key destinations for architecture and landscape architecture, each with an interactive map to help locate featured destinations throughout the park.
The guide also features audio tours on the park’s natural areas, offering an inside look at the park’s woodlands and waterways, and even hosts a collection of acoustic recordings of the park’s trees, soil and waterways through an Underground Soundwalk. Whether you’re looking for a guided walk through key destinations in Prospect Park to explore key highlights in person or eager to learn more about our green oasis from miles away, the guide can be enjoyed from near and far. Plus, check out upcoming Alliance programming, ways to get involved in volunteering, membership and more to make the most of the park you love.
Learn more about the guide for self-guided exploration + how to book an in-person, guided park tour with Turnstile Tours: prospectpark.org/tours.
Prospect Park Fire Recovery: Next Steps
November 19, 2024
New York City is experiencing unprecedented drought conditions, on Friday, November 8, Prospect Park experienced a 2-alarm fire in two acres of our beloved woodland Ravine, Brooklyn’s last remaining upland forest. Thanks to the quick response of 106 Fire and EMS Personnel on scene, the fire was quickly contained and extinguished later that night.
“We thank the FDNY, NYPD and its sister agencies who responded quickly to the situation and got the fire under control,” shares Prospect Park Alliance President, Morgan Monaco. “Damage to the park’s Ravine is particularly devastating as it is home to hundreds of species of trees, plants and wildlife that depend upon our woodlands for their health and well-being. We are so thankful to our community for the outpouring of support and care in stewarding our beloved park. Recent weeks have brought to the forefront of our minds just how essential our green oasis is to our community.”
Caring for the woodlands is core to the Alliance mission, and our team of ecologists, forestry technicians and arborists is working with our partners at NYC Parks to assess the damage and start work to stabilize the area and restore it with native plantings. “This devastated area will need major forest restoration efforts including slope stabilization and replanting of all three layers of the forest: overstory trees, midstory shrubs and herbaceous ground cover,” shares Prospect Park Alliance Director of Landscape Management, Leila Mougoui Bakhtiari. “This kind of forest restoration will take several years to undertake, and will need extensive long-term care to make sure the plant material is properly established and grows. The fire was located in a hard-to-access area due to the steep nature of the hill that will make this kind of long-term care challenging, and the Alliance’s restoration work in this area all the more essential.”
Notes of support left by community members in Prospect Park’s ravine.
As the Alliance continues assessing the fire’s damage, we anticipate losing some of the large canopy trees due to the damage, which will create light gaps and opportunities for invasive species to dominate the area. The location of the fire is also a “Forever Wild” area of the park, a designation that means it has rare and important native species of plants and animals, making our ongoing restoration to work in this area all the more essential.
The Ravine was one of the Alliance’s first forest restoration sites when we began our work to sustain the park in the early 1990s, and is essential to the health and vitality of our natural areas. In the months to come, the Alliance will share volunteer opportunities with our community to also lend a hand in helping our team restore this vital area of our forest.
While the city continues to experience severe drought conditions, grilling is currently banned, and smoking and open flames remain illegal. Any fires should be reported immediately to 911.
Alliance Recognized for Excellence in Public Design
November 18, 2024
Two Prospect Park projects have been recognized for excellence in design by the New York City Public Design Commission: the restoration of the Vale in the park’s northeast corner, and the new monument to Shirley Chisholm coming to the Parkside and Ocean Avenue entrance.
“Prospect Park Alliance is honored to be recognized for the innovative, sustainable and people-centered design of the Vale, which is the result of significant community outreach. One of the park’s historic areas and a vital woodland habitat, we are committed to ensuring the Vale is a vibrant, welcoming green space for all,” says Prospect Park Alliance President, Morgan Monaco. “We are also thrilled to be recognized alongside our City partners for the Shirley Chisholm Monument. We are honored that Prospect Park will be home to this homage to Chisholm as an iconic Brooklyn trailblazer and will serve as a beacon to welcome our community into the park.”
Along with our partners at NYC Parks, Prospect Park Alliance was recognized for the restoration of the Vale in the park’s northeast corner. Prospect Park Alliance’s restoration of the Vale transforms one of the park’s historic yet little-known landscapes in its northeast corner into a lush and vibrant community destination. This area of the park had not seen capital improvement in over fifty years, and is a gateway to the park’s core woodlands, Brooklyn’s last remaining forest, and a front door to neighboring communities of Crown Heights, Flatbush and beyond.
The project includes the historic restoration of the Children’s Pool in the Lower Vale, which reintroduces architectural details while improving habitat for hundreds of species of birds that flock to this destination. The Upper Vale, a former rose garden with three disused concrete basins, is transformed into three distinct landscapes that were conceived through an intensive community engagement process: a pollinator garden and planted arbor; a children’s nature exploration area; and a lawn with natural seating elements and small building built into the terrain with composting restrooms and a sheltered gathering space. The restored Vale will serve as a welcoming front door to the community, an essential woodland habitat for hundreds of species of wildlife, and an intergenerational gathering space for all park lovers.
Through the community outreach and design process to gather public input for the landscape, the Alliance’s award-winning team of architects and landscape architects have designed a space for nature exploration, intergenerational gathering and quiet reflection.
The Shirley Chisholm Monument by Amanda Williams and Olalekan Jeyifous was also among the designs recognized with our partners at NYC Parks, NYC Department of Cultural Affairs and NYC Department of Transportation. As the first monument commissioned as part of She Built NYC, an initiative that seeks public nominations to honor the New York City women who have changed history, the Shirley Chisholm Monument coming to the Parkside and Ocean Avenue entrance to Prospect Park will pay homage to Brooklyn trailblazer and hero, Shirley Chisholm. Following a public design competition and planning process, the City approved plans for a 32-foot-tall monument to Chisholm, the first Black woman to serve in Congress, representing her childhood neighborhood of Bedford-Stuyvesant, and the first woman to seek the Democratic presidential nomination.
Artists Olalekan B. Jeyifous and Amanda Williams’ winning design encompasses a 32-foot-tall painted steel and bronze silhouette of Chisholm intertwined with the U.S. Capitol Dome, incorporating decorative metalwork of plants native to Barbados, where she lived as a child. The stonework surrounding the monument will include a Chisholm quote and an outline of the House of Representatives seating plan, with a bronze plaque representing Chisholm’s seat. The monument will be the first permanent public artwork in Brooklyn dedicated to a woman in history and the first to celebrate a woman and Black hero in Prospect Park.
For the third annual City of Forest Day, a citywide day of stewardship and celebration of our City’s urban forest in late October, the Bangladeshi Ladies Club (BLC) and Prospect Park Alliance launched a new guided woodland tour for members of the Bangladeshi community, funded by the Office of Council Member Shahana Hanif. The goal of the program was to enable the BLC to introduce the park to members of their community so that they can make better use of the park for their health and wellness as part of their daily lives.
“For many women in the Bangladeshi community, their lives are focused on caring for their families,” said Council Member Shahana Hanif. “It is invaluable for their health and well-being to be able to take a moment to step back and enjoy nature and one another.”
The tour through Brooklyn’s Backyard, developed by Alliance naturalists and led by members of the BLC, explores scenic woodland trails with views of Brooklyn’s only Lake and last remaining forest, and some of the hundreds of species of flora and fauna that call the park home. The guided tour begins at the park entrance at Parkside Avenue and Prospect Park Southwest, which is the closest to the neighborhood of Kensington, home to Brooklyn’s “Little Bangladesh.”
“A key part of the Alliance mission is to increase access for the public to the park’s 350 acres of natural areas,” said Prospect Park Alliance President, Morgan Monaco. “We thank Council Member Hanif for supporting this partnership with the Bangladeshi Ladies Club, and we hope to replicate this program with other Brooklyn communities.”
Left, Members of the Bangladeshi Ladies Club exploring Brooklyn nature. Right, Council member Shahana Hanif and members of the Bangladeshi Ladies Club. c. Bess Adler
Annie Ferdous, who founded the BLC in 2017 alongside friends and neighbors from the Kensington community, describes the group as “a special place for Bangladeshi women in New York. This collective is all about supporting women who juggle family, work, and everything in between.”
Following the inaugural walk, the group enjoyed a reception with refreshments on the park’s Penninsula. Farida Ruhul, another member of the BLC, reflected on the day exploring Prospect Park, “This was a beautiful experience for the members of BLC. We had a wonderful time together enjoying Prospect Park’s nature, meditating and even singing together. It is one of my favorite events we’ve had as a club.”
The BLC plans to offer the tour to members and the larger Bangladeshi community seasonally.
Check out Prospect Park Alliance’s favorite walking route for fall foliage destinations this autumn. From vibrant vistas at the Peninsula, colorful hues on Lookout Hill, tall maples and London Planes along the Nethermead and Lullwater, and much more. Don’t miss the peak of fall foliage right around the corner, near the end of October!
Fall bird migration is in full swing, and Prospect Park is the place to be. Located along the Atlantic Flyway, Prospect Park is a haven for birds in all seasons, with 200+ species of resident and migratory birds. Autumn is an especially notable time for bird sightings as countless feathered friends embark on their lengthy journey to warmer climates. The park is a crucial rest stop for these species providing a critical haven for migratory birds to fuel up on seeds, berries and insects and find valuable protection as they venture south. Join the Brooklyn Bird Club and Prospect Park Alliance for Prospect Park Fall Migration Walks on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays in October.
Fall also presents an amazing time to deepen your commitment to Brooklyn’s Backyard by becoming a volunteer. From one-day Park Pitch-in, Fall Fix Up and Junior Volunteer Corps events, to more committed opportunities to work alongside Prospect Park Alliance gardeners with our EcoZone Volunteer Crew, there are many ways to get involved, stay active and enjoy the park in peak fall foliage season.
Learn more about nature with your little ones during free fall nature activities at the Audubon Center at the Boathouse Saturdays and Sundays through November. Make art out of fallen leaves, introduce your child to animals in the Audubon Center’s collection and explore on a fall nature walk to learn more about how the park’s insect and plant life prepare for seasonal changes. Plus, enjoy Friday Wellness Walks starting from the Boathouse and strolling through fall park beauty including scenic trails along the Lullwater, Peninsula, Midwood or Waterfall. Want to bring your little, little ones along? Join for Stroller Walks past park waterways and through fall foliage on Thursdays through November.
Take an autumn ride on Prospect Park’s beloved 1912 Carousel. Open Thursdays–Sundays, and holidays, 12–5 pm, this treasured historic attraction features magnificent carved horses, lions, giraffes and deer. Plus, don’t be scared when you see the Carousel haunted on October 22, 23 and 31! Take a spin on the spooky ride to your favorite Halloween jams at the beloved, magical landmark in the Children’s Corner.
Visit the Long Live J’ouvert Pop Up Installation, on-view at the tollbooth outside of Lefferts Historic House through Sunday, November 3 celebrating the powerful traditions of the Caribbean diaspora and Carnival season. Plus, don’t miss ReImagine Artist in Residence, Adama Delphine Fawundu’s site specific installation Ancestral Whispers. The collection is informed by Prospect Park Alliance’s research into the lives of Africans enslaved by the Lefferts family. View the exterior installation daily + view the interior installation during open hours from 12–4 pm on Saturdays + Sundays through December 1.
Join Prospect Park Alliance and Heights and Hills for Free Fitness Walks in Prospect Park for Adults Ages 60+ this fall on Thursdays from October 17 through November 7. Led by Matt Abrams, Director of the Park Slope Center for Successful Aging, these group walks are a great way to explore the park and get tips on how to stay active—especially for those with arthritis.
Prefer an indoor activity this fall? The indoor tennis season kicks off Monday, October 21 at the Prospect Park Tennis Center. Register little ones of any age and any level of experience for intensive group instruction through the Junior Development Program. Or work on your tennis skills on your own or with friends through the Adult Beginner Classes or the more advanced Adult Tennis Program. Sign up for a seasonal court or lessons today.
City of Forest Day in Prospect Park
Join Prospect Park Alliance at the third annual City of Forest Day on Saturday, October 26 in Prospect Park. Presented by Forest for All NYC in partnership with the Parks and Open Space Partners – NYC Coalition and NYC Department of Parks and Recreation, City of Forest Day is a day of activities across the city to raise awareness of the importance of the New York City urban forest, and the essential role New Yorkers play every day in caring for the “lungs” of our city. Prospect Park Alliance presents an array of activities to raise awareness and celebrate Brooklyn’s forest including tours of the park, nature education programming and a volunteer opportunity in Brooklyn’s Backyard.
In collaboration with BSE Global and National Grid, join Prospect Park Alliance for a Park Pitch In volunteer event on City of Forest Day, a city-wide effort to raise awareness and celebrate New York City’s urban forest. Prospect Park Alliance volunteers will plant over 300 trees and shrubs as well as perform weeding and tree bed care to restore Prospect Park’s beloved landscape, which has seen the loss of a significant number of ash trees since 2017 due to Emerald Ash Borer, a wood-boring beetle that is deadly to trees.
Each tree planted will count towards BSE Global and National Grid’s “Threes for Trees” initiative, which is committed to planting a tree in the Brooklyn community for every 3-point basket made by players from the Brooklyn Nets, New York Liberty, Long Island Nets, and Nets GC during their regular season home games. Together we can help enrich our environment and provide green spaces for generations to come. Appropriate for groups, teens and adults.
City of Forest Day: Nature Exploration 10 am–1 pm Audubon Center, Free
Join the Prospect Park Alliance for nature education programs at the Boathouse on City of Forest Day.
Leaf Art, 10–12 pm: Let’s have fun exploring the unique features of trees and their uniquely shaped leaves. Let your creativity flourish as you craft art inspired by nature.
Animal Encounter, 11 am–12 pm: Join Alliance Naturalists in learning more about the animals in the Audubon Center’s collection. This program starts promptly at 11 am.
Fall Nature Walk, 12–1 pm: Join us as we discover the wonders of nature! Are you curious about how invasive insects, like the Spotted Lanternfly, prepare for winter? You’ll get hands-on experience in citizen science as we observe how insect and plant life prepare for seasonal changes. Plus, you’ll learn how to protect trees from pests. This program leaves the Audubon Center promptly at 12 pm.
City of Forest Day: A History of Brooklyn’s Last Remaining Forest 10:30 am–12:30 pm Prospect Park, Free, Registration Required
Prospect Park is home to Brooklyn’s largest and oldest forest, an important hotspot of biodiversity with over 30,000 trees of 200+ species. On this guided 1.5 mile walking tour with Prospect Park Alliance touring partner, Turnstile Tours, we will explore the history of the stewardship of this forest over the past 150 years, looking at some of the park’s oldest trees, exploring the management practices developed by park co-designer Frederick Law Olmsted, the work of the Alliance to restore these urban woodlands over the past 30 years, and contemporary challenges to forests due to climate change and invasive pests.
Bangladeshi Ladies Club Nature Walk in Prospect Park 3–5 pm Park Circle, Brooklyn, NY 11218, Free, Registration Required
Join the Bangladeshi Ladies Club, Council Member Shahana Hanif and Prospect Park Alliance for a relaxing and engaging nature walk in Prospect Park. Did you know that Prospect Park is home to Brooklyn’s last forest and only Lake? On this walk, members of the Ladies Club will take you through the park’s woodlands and lakeshore to explore the park’s beauty, including its many trees and birds. Following the walk, please join us for a reception with refreshments. Please note that this event is for members of the Bangladeshi community and the tour will be offered in English and Bangla.
The event is made possible through funding from Council Member Shahana Hanif.
বাংলাদেশি লেডিজ ক্লাব, কাউন্সিল মেম্বার শাহানা হানিফ এবং প্রস্পেক্ট পার্ক অ্যালায়েন্সের সাথে প্রস্পেক্ট পার্কে একটি শান্ত এবং আকর্ষণীয় প্রকৃতি ভ্রমণে যোগ দিন।আপনি কি জানেন যে প্রস্পেক্ট পার্কেই ব্রুকলিনের একমাত্র বন এবং হ্রদ অবস্থিত? এই প্রকৃতি ভ্রমণে, লেডিজ ক্লাবের সদস্যরা আপনাকে পার্কের বনাঞ্চল ও হ্রদের তীরভূমি পরিভ্রমণ করতে নিয়ে যাবেন, যেখানে আপনি বিভিন্ন গাছপালা ও পাখির সৌন্দর্য উপভোগ করতে পারবেন। এই ভ্রমণের পর আমাদের সাথে রিসেপশনে যোগদান করতে আমন্ত্রণ জানাচ্ছি, যেখানে হালকা নাস্তা এবং পানীয়র ব্যবস্থা থাকবে।
এই ইভেন্টটি কাউন্সিল মেম্বার শাহানা হানিফের অর্থায়নে সম্ভব হয়েছে।
c. Martin Seck
Halloween Fun in Brooklyn’s Backyard
Prospect Park Alliance is gearing up for Halloween fun in Brooklyn’s Backyard with Creepy Crawly Halloween at the Audubon Center and the Haunted Carousel at the beloved Children’s Corner in Prospect Park! Don’t miss these fun filled festive events.
Ghostbusters vs Beetlejuice Halloween Dreamland Roller Disco LeFrak Center at Lakeside, Starting at $28.45 Friday, October 25, 7–10pm
Roller skate season will continue through Monday, October 28. Enjoy the last weekend of roller skating in Prospect Park with a spooky twist! Lola Star’s Dreamland Roller Disco as part of Lakeside Roller Dance Night Series in Prospect Park is a themed, dress up, immersive roller skating experience that will transport you into a fabulous retro roller disco “dreamland.”
Halloween Fest 2024 LeFrak Center at Lakeside, Admissison: $25.24 Saturday, October 27, 11:30 am–6 pm
Join for the second annual Lakeside Halloween Fest featuring rolling skating, bumper cars, game zone, arts & crafts and cookie decorating.
Hoot and Howloween Prospect Park Audubon Center, Free Saturday, October 27, 10 am–1 pm
Take a second look at the creatures that crawl around and fly in the park, you may find you like them! Participate in fun activities and experiments that will make your spine tingle at Prospect Park Alliance Natureween!
Owl Pellet Dissection 10–1 pm
Participants will have the opportunity to pick apart owl pellets, masses of undigested parts of food that owl species occasionally regurgitate!
Nature Chef’s Surprise! 11 am–12 pm
Our nature chef has some tasty treats for you to try that are delicious, nutritious, and crunchy! Take a nibble and earn a special certificate and boasting button. Learn how this mystery treat is a sustainable alternative protein source that has nutritional benefits.
Bug Explorations 12–1 pm
Participants will explore under logs, leaves and branches and you may come eye to eye with Prospect Park nature’s creepy insect residents!
Prospect Park Murder Mystery Audio Tour Gesso App, Free
Enjoy a thrilling murder mystery audio-tour, set in Prospect Park. When a key player goes missing at the marriage ceremony of the summer, reluctant wedding columnist Bobbi Rossetti transforms into an ad hoc investigative reporter on the case. Follow Bobbi through a fictional version of 1920s Prospect Park as she decodes the clues and uncovers a stunning secret in this immersive audio mystery. All you need are headphones and the Gesso mobile app to get started!
Empowering Future Leaders in Brooklyn’s Backyard
September 10, 2024
If you’ve visited Prospect Park’s scenic woodlands this past spring and summer, stopped by the Boathouse for nature education activities or attended a community event at Lefferts Historic House, you’ve likely spotted the Prospect Park Alliance Woodlands Youth Crew and Park Youth Representatives in action helping Brooklyn’s Backyard thrive and engaging our community. These hardworking teams of teens have tackled restoration projects to sustain Brooklyn nature, delved into environmental education with youth and families and shared fascinating information about the park and its history with our community.
Led by Kevon Hines, the Alliance’s Woodlands Youth Crew Program Supervisor, the group expanded to 22 high school students this season. “The program is tailored for high school students, but if members wish to continue in college, they have the opportunity to become ‘near-peers’ and take on a mentorship role to help younger crew members become leaders in their work,” shares Kevon.
This year the crew is focused on critical ecological restoration in the Ambergill, a forested area that borders the park’s watercourse. They are removing invasive plants including English Ivy (Hedera helix) and Goutweed (Aegopodium podagraria) which crowd out native plants that are essential for a healthy forest; as well as stabilizing eroding hillsides, dispersing native plant seeds on the cleared forest floor and planting a rich palette of native trees, plants and shrubs. The team learned about the various ecosystems in park, environmental stewardship and worked alongside Alliance Arborist Malcolm Gore to gain new skills such as tree pruning.
“One of the most rewarding aspects has been seeing the before-and-after transformation of our sites,” shares crew member Aidan Garnero. “We’ve learned to work together as a team. Seeing the cleared out areas that we’d finished weeding is extremely satisfying, as we know it’s a result of our hard work and determination. It’s also very rewarding to know that clearing fields of invasive plants allows for native species to be planted in their place to keep the park healthy. We get to make Prospect Park a better place while enjoying our day to day and learning valuable skills along the way.”
While the improvements in the Ambergill are a clear testament to the team’s dedication and skill, the program’s success also lies in the personal and professional growth of the crew members. Having returned for his fourth year on the WYC, crew member Antonio Martinez reflects, “Being a leader in the Youth Crew helped me realize things that I never knew about myself since I first started in 9th grade. Going into my senior year of high school now, this program has increased my confidence and productivity. It’s helped me to be a leader amongst my peers. I will forever be grateful to the Woodlands Youth Crew.”
WYC members soil mixing at Gowanus Nursery on a site-visit to collaborate with the Gowanus Canal Conservancy, where the team learned about street tree care.
The 2024 season also marks the 21st year of Prospect Park Alliance’s Park Youth Representative program where dedicated teens are in-action engaging our community in nature activities at the Audubon Center at the Boathouse and Brooklyn culture and history events at Lefferts Historic House.
Youth Representatives leading nature education activities at the Prospect Park Audubon Center (left) and supporting the opening reception for Ancestral Whispers at Lefferts Historic House (right)
The seven Park Youth Representatives participating in our nature programs were recruited from BASE High School, which specializes in environmental education, as well as Clara Barton High School just east of the park.
“These teens jumped into our programs with enthusiasm and willingness to take on new challenges, from leading nature exploration activities, assisting with summer camp programs, guiding nature walks and much more,” shares Audubon Center Public Programs Manager Camilla Wilson. “Each of the Youth Representatives has a strong and unique skill set, and their experience allows them to focus on their interests and strengths, as well as stretch themselves to take on new challenges.
Among the current crewmembers are Katt Blades, a returning PYR, who has always shown an aptitude in caring for the center’s animals and sharing this knowledge with our community. Breianna Lionel, known for her organizational skills, played a key role in data collection and analysis, helping to simplify the way data is collected at the center. Upon graduating high school, college-aged students can become Naturalists-in-Training and eventually a House Manager, overseeing the center during key programs and honing their skills engaging our Brooklyn community.
Four Youth Representatives from BASE High School also gained hands-on public programs experience at the Lefferts Historic House. “This summer, PYRs took on much of the daily museum operations, demonstrating their ability to adapt and lead in a dynamic environment. We could not do what we do without them,” says Lefferts Historic House Director Dylan Yeats. PYRs had the chance to lean into personal interests and identity in their work. “One of our PYRs, Soraya Serome, is talented in art and calligraphy so she helped create some of our exhibits and signage. Another PYR, Mordecai Dubois, is Trinidadian and helped with our sorrel-making workshops, adding his own personal touch to some of the recipes.”
The WYC and PYR programs not only equip youth with practical professional experience but also instill confidence, foster mentorship and support the next generation of leaders in parks and open spaces.
Archtober + Open House New York Weekend in Prospect Park
September 5, 2024
Explore Prospect Park with upcoming special tours throughout Brooklyn’s Backyard in October!
Don’t miss Archtober, NYC’s architecture and design month featuring hundreds of events, tours, and exhibitions throughout the city including four in Prospect Park! Join Prospect Park Alliance and Turnstile Tours for architectural tours celebrating the legacy of Prospect Park co-designer, Calvert Vaux, an exploration of the architecture of Prospect Park Zoo and the park’s waterways. Plus, save the date for Open House New York Weekend to take an inside look at the Prospect Park Vale to learn about its upcoming restoration and more.
Archtober Prospect Park Tour: Calvert Vaux at 200 Saturday, October 5, 10:30 am–12:30 pm Bartel-Pritchard Square, Prices Vary Discover hidden treasures, natural wonders and little-known tales on interactive guided tours of Prospect Park in the heart of Brooklyn, presented by Turnstile Tours in partnership with Prospect Park Alliance. Join a special tour in celebration of Prospect Park co-designer Calvert Vaux’ 200th birthday in 2024.
Archtober Prospect Park Tour: Art + Architecture with Prospect Park Zoo Saturday, October 12, 10:30 am–12:30 pm Prospect Park, Prices Vary, Get Tickets: prospectpark.org/archtober Join Turnstile Tours, Prospect Park Alliance and the Prospect Park Zoo for an inside look at the beautiful public buildings and artwork that have adorned the park since its founding in 1867, including a special exploration of the beloved Prospect Park Zoo and its one of a kind architecture.
Archtober Prospect Park Tour: Waterways Sunday, October 13, 2–4 pm Bartel-Pritchard Square, Prices Vary, Get Tickets: prospectpark.org/archtober Join Turnstile Tours and Prospect Park Alliance for an inside look at the Waterways of Brooklyn’s Backyard. Prospect Park is an engineering marvel, designed around an ingenious drainage system and a chain of manmade streams and ponds throughout Prospect Park’s watercourse.
Save the Date! Registration for OHNY begins in early October. Join Jillian Pagano, Landscape Architect II and Deborah Kirschner, Vice President of External Relations, at Prospect Park Alliance, to learn about the upcoming restoration of the Prospect Park Vale in the northeast corner of the park. Discover the Alliance’s plans to transform the Vale, an important woodland landscape that serves as a critical habitat to birds and other wildlife, and the extensive community outreach and engagement efforts that led to a new vision for this lesser-known park landscape to make it more welcoming and accessible to all Brooklyn residents.
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Love Prospect Park? Sign up for the Prospect Park Alliance eNews to be the first to learn about news and online events from Brooklyn's Backyard!