Prospect Park Tennis Center Director Adrian Clarke was recently featured by BK Reader. Get to know Adrian, learn about what drew him to tennis and what sparked his longtime passion for steel pan drumming.
An excerpt from the December 8 story Steel Pan Drums and Tennis: The Double Life of Brooklyn’s Adrian Clarke:
Growing up in Barbados, Adrian Clarke surrounded himself with two things: tennis and music. When he moved to Brooklyn in 1973 as a young adult, he took his two passions with him. The 67-year-old East Flatbush local now works as the director of the Prospect Park Tennis Center by day. But by night, he’s a steel pan drum player.
“When you’re playing music, usually everyone is smiling,” Clarke said. “You usually bring joy to a lot of people, and that’s the best part of it.”
Long before learning to play steel pan, Clarke began playing tennis in Barbados at the age of 12 and went on to play professionally, competing in the 1983 U.S. Open qualifying rounds. “I wasn’t that much into school, but I needed something to be focused on. And tennis became that thing,” Clarke said.
Clarke’s two passions play a huge role in his life, and often their significance overlaps, the Brooklynite said. “You’re bringing joy to people when you’re playing music,” he said. “When you’re teaching tennis to people, you’re also bringing something to them that they really need.”
Flatbush, a neighborhood that borders the southeast corner of Prospect Park, is a must-visit destination for delving into Brooklyn history, art, food, fashion and more. Prospect Park Alliance spoke with Flatbush civic leader and born-and-raised Brooklynite, Shanna Sabio, about her work in the neighborhood as well as her take on the must-visit, Black-owned spots throughout Flatbush. Sabio is co-founder of GrowHouse Community Design + Development Group and trustee of the Flatbush African Burial Ground Coalition, a Black-led, multiracial coalition that is working to preserve the Flatbush African Burial Ground and make it an accessible space for the community. Her most recent work, the Sankofa Walking Tour, is an exploration of Black and African history in Brooklyn. In her own words below, Sabio takes us through some of her most beloved spots in Flatbush.
Sabio leading the Sankofa Walking Tour. c. Shanna Sabio
Brooklyn has been an epicenter of global Blackness, with people hailing from almost every Caribbean island, the American South and the African continent. Brooklyn is also an epicenter of gentrification. Amidst the demographic shifts, Black-owned businesses throughout the borough are building a renaissance that needs the support of all New Yorkers to keep Central Brooklyn as a site of important culture, creation and evolution for generations to come. There are a few corridors that feel like the heart of this renaissance in Flatbush.
In researching for my Sankofa Walking Tour at the Flatbush African Burial Ground, I realized that Flatbush has been a melting pot of global Blackness since the mid 1600s when enslaved Africans were brought here to build the infrastructure of what would become Brooklyn. People from the Congo and Angola, Madagascar, Ghana and Nigeria all were brought here, as well as Black people enslaved in the Caribbean. The walk has been evolving as I learn new information and partner with the amazing staff with Prospect Park Alliance’s ReImagine Lefferts Initiative, which is bringing to light the history of enslaved Africans at Lefferts Historic House. As a member of the ReImagine Lefferts Advisory Board, I’m so pleased with the care and thoughtfulness with which they’re engaging our community around this important history—the epitome of allyship in practice.The J’ouvert Genesis Immersive Experience is an example of using a historic space to connect with and highlight contemporary cultural work.
Shanna’s Guide to Flatbush
One favorite spot is Natural Blend juice bar and restaurant. When members of the Flatbush African Burial Ground Coalition get together to clean up the perimeter of the burial ground, we often fuel up at Natural Blend.Their patties are delicious and they have a wide variety of beverages including smoothies and house-made ginger beer and sorrel.The yucca pone there also reminds me of the kind my grandmother made during the holidays.
Natural Blend Vegetarian Cafe and Juice Bar c. Prospect Park Alliance
Flatbush Central Marketis another key Flatbush destination. The spaces here are gorgeous, especially the Lakay Lounge. The commercial kitchen/tasting room is also really affordable to book and is state-of-the-art. Part of what I love most about Central Brooklyn is the community, and this space has tremendous potential to grow as a hub for Black folks to gather and experiment. Bunnan is also here, and if you love plantain, their sandwich (which uses fried plantains as the bun) is a must-try.
Lakay Lounge in Flatbush Central/Canton Market courtesy of Shanna Sabio and Prospect Park Alliance.
When I need to buy gifts, I always stop by Granru Market. Their t-shirts are really unique and I love their mix of vintage and new clothing. I also love that they’re adding housewares to the selection. A couple of doors down from Granru is Edie Jo’s (one of the partners is Black). It’s a great place to have a working lunch because the staff is so personable and they make you feel welcome and not rushed.
Lips Cafe c. Prospect Park Alliance
From the Burial Ground if you walk to Nostrand Avenue, you can walk pretty much into Bed-Stuy and find places to stop and explore. I’m not vegan, but I crave the food atAunts et Uncles. Their All Green Everything salad is satisfying and delicious, and I always get their Ginger Cucumber Juice which feels very healing. If I want to imbibe, their cocktails are also expertly crafted and the vibe is always right. Lips Cafeis also a great place to have a working lunch. It feels like family there and I love the connection between this space and Aunts et Uncles across the street. They’re both family-owned, which is a part of our rich legacy as Black folks, and they also share with one another which is how we all grow.
A few blocks across Linden Boulevard is Zanmi. Friday and Saturday nights are a vibe and the food is a new twist on Haitian. The portions are healthy so make sure to save space. Plus, the jerk pork at Jerk Pit is tender, juicy, perfectly spiced, and not to be missed.
In addition to restaurants, cafes and markets, Flatbush is also a hub of fashion.The fact that the legendary Fe Noel has a shop in Little Caribbean is a testament to the work that Shelley Worrellof I AM CARIBBEING has done building this community as a brand. The space is gorgeous and really creates an experience in the shop. I also recently discovered Closet Rich when I was looking for an outfit to wear out. The owner, Star, is a wealth of knowledge about Black women in fashion. I love the fitting room which has pictures of Black women fashion icons. It’s a relatively new business and the prices are so approachable for the kinds of styles she carries.
Prospect Park Alliance and BRIC, a leading contemporary, multi-disciplinary arts and media institution anchored in downtown Brooklyn, in partnership with NYC Parks’ Art in the Parks program present a mural by Kevin Claiborne, Lost Boys, at the Lena Horne Bandshell at Prospect Park. This is the fourth annual public art collaboration between BRIC and the Alliance at the Bandshell, and the piece will be on view through April 21, 2024. Claiborne, a conceptual photographer, engages viewers in critical self-reflection and collective examination of the Black experience. With Lost Boys, Claiborne challenges established notions of cultural legibility and encourages viewers to delve deeper into the origins, embodiment, and sufficiency of Blackness, including its impact on mental health.
Where can Blackness reach
Was Blackness first
Can Blackness be worn
Where is Black enough
What is Black enough
When is Black enough
The above text is superimposed upon the repeated face of an unidentified Black male youth, sourced from a photograph captured in Harlem, New York during the early 1900s. The repeated image of the unidentified young boy carries a symbolic weight, representing not only the individual but also a broader collective experience.
Painted in vibrant shades of blue and black, the boy’s direct gaze confronts the viewer while the repeated patterning and overlay of text pushes and pulls the colorful faces between differing levels of visibility.
The mural’s artist, Kevin Claiborne, said “I’m very grateful for BRIC and Prospect Park Alliance giving me the opportunity to share my artwork with the Brooklyn community and I hope people enjoy engaging with the statements and questions posed in the work. The installation of Lost Boys at the Lena Horne Bandshell is perfect as it creates an accessible bridge between art, history, and community engagement. The poignant questions in the work serve as an invitation for introspection and also honor Horne’s legacy by fostering dialogue and reflection on themes crucial to her life’s work, including Black empowerment, identity, and inclusivity. The artwork activated by the stage and community, amplifies the park’s role beyond mere leisure, transforming it into a space for communal exchange and connection.”
Jenny Gerow, Chief Curator, Director of Contemporary Art at BRIC, said “Kevin Claiborne’s urgent message of mental health, writ large in a natural space such as Prospect Park, illustrates that not only are these topics not often addressed, but that the space in which they are delivered is taken for granted. We are excited to be partnering with Prospect Park Alliance and the NYC Parks Art in the Parks program for a fourth year to engage with this beautiful public space in the presentation of Kevin Claiborne’s artwork. ”
Morgan Monaco, President of Prospect Park Alliance, said “We are honored to be working with BRIC, the NYC Parks Art in the Parks program and artist Kevin Claiborne to welcome Lost Boys to Prospect Park. This work beautifully surfaces many of the internal monologues that generations of BIPOC people have struggled to answer for themselves as individuals and for entire communities. I look forward to park visitors engaging with the work, as we endeavor to create spaces within the park for reflection on social justice issues as well as healing. Given the prominent location of the Lena Horne Bandshell and the connection to a long history of performing art, I hope it will help people feel seen and also spark inspiration to find moments of joy.”
The mural at Lena Horne Bandshell is part of BRIC Hip-Hop, the new, permanent home for Hip-Hop education, expression, and its evolution at BRIC. BRIC’s fall programming encompasses multiple aspects of Hip-Hop culture including visual art, fashion, film, advocacy, and more. BRIC’s Hip-Hop 50 curation underscores their commitment to showcasing and institutionalizing Hip-Hop culture and preserving community connection.
c. Caroline Ourso
Ribbon Cut on New Fallkill Trail in Prospect Park
October 26, 2023
Prospect Park Alliance cut the ribbon on a new woodland trail in Prospect Park. Fallkill Trail (directions here), located in an area that has been behind fencing since 1995, will now invite park visitors to get a closer look at the scenic Fallkill Waterfall and experience the beauty and serenity of Prospect Park’s restored urban forest.
Prospect Park Alliance President, Morgan Monaco, the Alliance’s Landscape Management Team, dedicated volunteers and community members celebrated the opening of this path.
“We have monitored how people are engaging with the park and we adapt our uses to meet them where they are,” says Morgan Monaco, President of Prospect Park Alliance. “This new trail will invite visitors to explore a previously fenced area of the park and enjoy the beautifully restored landscape. The long-term health of our natural areas requires us to be champions and strong stewards of the park and I urge all who come to experience the park’s woodlands to stay on the designated trails, carry out all trash that you bring in, and always keep dogs on-leash to protect these delicate habitats.”
The new trail was created by Prospect Park Alliance staff and volunteers who have worked for the past year, removing invasive plants and planting native species to continue to strengthen this ecosystem, hauling logs, grading paths, and helping to formalize this trail. Through their efforts, Fallkill Trail is ready to welcome visitors into this robust forest landscape.
Prospect Park is home to 350 acres of natural areas, including meadows, forest and lake in the heart of Brooklyn—essential for the community and the plants and animals who rely on this green haven. For the past 30 years, these natural areas have been and continue to be the primary focus of Prospect Park Alliance’s work. The Alliance’s Landscape Management team works tirelessly to make the woodlands healthy and resilient to the challenges faced by an urban forest in the era of climate change. Through their management, Brooklynites will have a flourishing forest in their midst for generations to come.
The rustic nature of Prospect Park’s forest, woodlands and waterways are key to Prospect Park designer Frederick Law Olmsted’s vision for the park and his mission to offer a feeling of the Adirondacks in the heart of Brooklyn. The landscape surrounding Fallkill Falls was first restored by Prospect Park Alliance in the 1990’s and painstakingly reconstructed to Olmsted’s original vision and then surrounded by fencing to protect it from the impacts of foot traffic.
In recent years, the Fallkill area was often visited by fence-jumpers looking to get closer to the falls, resulting in trampling of the woodlands, litter and graffiti. By formalizing a mulched path and officially opening this area to the public, the Alliance aims to make this scenic area more accessible while encouraging stronger stewardship around Fallkill Falls including staying on the path, carrying out any litter, not picking bark or leaves from trees, and keeping dogs on-leash at all times in woodland areas.
If you took a stroll through Prospect Park’s scenic woodlands this summer, there’s a good chance you spotted the summer Woodlands Youth Crew members hard at work on restoration projects to keep the park’s woodland areas healthy and vibrant. The Woodlands Youth Crew (WYC) is an essential part of the Alliance’s dedicated staff that works to restore and sustain Brooklyn’s essential forest. The program, which offers spring, summer and fall sessions, is team-based with a focus on collaboration. This beloved youth employment program provides teens with training, mentorship and professional experience in environmental conservation and park stewardship. This year, led by Kevon Hines, the Alliance’s Woodlands Youth Crew Program Supervisor, the group undertook important park projects while participating in professional development and skill-building workshops.
Prospect Park Alliance’s Woodlands Youth Crew members engage in a plant-identification workshop. c. Woodlands Youth Crew Program Supervisor, Kevon Hines
This summer’s group of 16 youth from eight local high schools included both first-time crew members, some of whom were entirely new to environmental work, and returning crew members with experience to share. The fruits of this crew’s skilled work can be seen throughout the park’s woodlands: the team replaced fencing along the Ambergill path near the entrance to the woodland Ravine to provide long-term erosion control. The resourceful group also utilized logs from downed trees in other areas of the park to fortify the steep slope surrounding the path for increased erosion control, and weeded the area to prepare for the planting of new climate-adaptive native plants. The group also built upon last summer’s youth crew work and completed the installation of a cedar railing to keep park goers on-path and protect fragile woodland habitats.
After wrapping up his first season with the Alliance, Kevon reflected on his own connection with youth programming and the role it plays in his current career. “At the age of 15, my very first job was in a similar program at East New York Farms and I learned from my supervisor there how essential it was to lead with an emphasis on being there for youth as people: to build the job-specific skills but also learn about the qualities to be an adult in the working world. That’s what I try to instill here in the lives of the youth crew members. My experience being involved in this work in my own youth with such a dedicated supervisor is what led me to have a love for this work.”
The Woodlands Youth Crew in action performing essential work to sustain Prospect Park’s beloved forest. c. Alliance Woodlands Youth Crew Manager, Kevon Hines
One returning crew member, Kayla Jean Baptise, shared that one of the most enriching aspects of the role was the collaboration with employees across the Alliance: “My favorite part was the opportunity to connect with different Ecological Zone Gardeners on the Landscape Management team. Not only did they share knowledge about the different ways the park is managed in their zone, but also how important the roles they play [in supporting the park ecosystem] are too. Every summer I’ve been here [the Alliance] always takes the time to factor in the presence of young minds and constantly incorporates enjoyment with our tasks,” Kayla shares, “in my time as a WYC member, I’ve learned serious time management skills by balancing multiple tasks and responsibilities while ensuring that the task at hand was completed within its time frame.”
In addition to the crucial work of these youth to sustain our urban forest, it’s clear that their projects go hand-in-hand with leadership development and mentorship. “My biggest takeaway and the most rewarding part of the season is helping them become the best young adults that they can be,” says Kevon. “ Many come in wanting to learn about plants and nature but leave with a much broader interest in what we do and how careers in this field can develop over time. The WYC members learn to lean on their peers and learn from one another. It’s both about teaching and allowing youth to then teach their peers. This shows me not only are they retaining this information, but understanding it to the extent where they can now feed the world: they’re putting that knowledge to work and sharing what they know.”
Jamiah Shepard, a WYC member who returned this summer season in a new leadership role on the Woodlands Youth Crew known as a “Near Peer,” shares a love for the ecology in the park as a highlight of her work. “An important skill that I’ve learned is the ability to identify species within the park. Not necessarily just trees, but also flowers, shrubs and even certain insects! No two things are the same, the constant discovery of new life around me definitely made my summer.” Above all, Jamiah shares that “meeting, teaching and learning from new and old individuals alike was the best part. The work we do revolves around teamwork and communication, and I’m glad to have come back for another season and see people from years back, as well as laugh with new faces. I’m glad to have been on such an amazing crew!”
As the Alliance looks ahead to upcoming seasons of the Woodlands Youth Crew, Kevon and his team share an excitement for what lies ahead, “This was the first season where we incorporated workshops and a curriculum-related component. This really resonated with the group, and in future years I plan to keep this momentum and increase the workshops we offered.” This year, the team engaged in workshops focused on environmental and ecological justice, and daily skills like financial literacy, as well as hands-on plant-identification skill workshops led by Alliance Senior Forest Ecologist Howard Goldstein.
Prospect Park Alliance’s ReImagine Lefferts Initiative is re-envisioning the mission and programming of the Lefferts Historic House museum in Prospect Park to focus its interpretation and programming on exploring the lives, resistance and resilience of the Indigenous people of Lenapehoking, whose unceded ancestral lands the park and house rests upon, and the Africans enslaved by the Lefferts family.
As part of this initiative, the Alliance is engaging the public in thoughtful dialogue about the legacy of slavery in Brooklyn and beyond. In September, the Alliance had the honor of hosting Joseph McGill Jr., founder of the Slave Dwelling Project, and Herb Frazier, co-author with McGill of Sleeping with the Ancestors: How I Followed the Footprints of Slavery, for a book discussion and community conversation. McGill spends the night in former slave dwellings across the nation to draw attention to the often otherwise obscured and distorted history of slavery. He and Frazier stayed overnight at Lefferts Historic House as part of this event.
Community members engage in a ReImagine Lefferts Community Conversation and book signing with McGill and Frazier following the authors’ stay at the Lefferts Historic House. c. k. kennedy Whiters
“I was able to touch the wooden beams that hold up the ceiling on the second floor space where enslaved people likely slept,” shared McGill following his stay at the house. “I could feel the cuts that an enslaved man made with an ax to craft that beam. I found what I think could be a fingerprint in one of the bricks in the chimney in the attic. Enslaved people were the ones who formed the bricks with their hands, so that fingerprint connects us to history.”
A focal point of the ReImagine Lefferts initiative is the Alliance’s collaboration with descendant and neighboring communities, culture bearers, scholars, artists, civic leaders and more to create content that will support the museum’s new focus and deepen our relationships with these communities through active conversation and collaboration.
“It takes power from within to want to tell the real story so that we can combat the things that have gotten us to a place where our history has been made irrelevant. Because that spirit is there, I think [the Alliance] will be successful in what you’re trying to do,” said McGill at the event.
Frazier reflected on the ongoing research as a core element of the ReImagine Lefferts initiative, and the importance of continuing to delve deeper. “As a storyteller, I like the idea that you have identified the 25 names of the people who were enslaved here. There obviously needs to be more research to find a more full understanding of who they were as individuals and maybe unearth additional people who worked on this site and lived at this house. And, of course, additional research to confirm where they slept. Nevertheless, Joseph and I will both leave with the satisfaction that we were close to where they slept and that we were able to connect with them.”
ReImagine Lefferts is funded through a Humanities in Place grant from the Mellon Foundation.
c. Martin Seck
Halloween Fun in Prospect Park
Prospect Park Alliance is gearing up for Halloween fun in Brooklyn’s Backyard with Creepy Crawly Halloween at the Audubon Center, Haunted Carousel at the beloved Children’s Corner in Prospect Park and the final weekend of J’ouvert Genesis Immersive Experience at the Lefferts Historic House! Don’t miss these fun filled festive events.
Halloween Fest at Lakeside Sunday, October 22, 11 – 2 pm + 2:30 – 5:30 pm LeFrak Center at Lakeside, $22
Celebrate Halloween with spooky festivities at the LeFrak Center at Lakeside! Enjoy roller skating, bumper cars, a game zone, arts and crafts, and cookie decorating. Families can skate in costume and enjoy a festive goody bag with halloween treats.
Creepy Crawly Halloween Saturday, October 28, 11 am-4 pm Prospect Park Audubon Center, Free
Join Prospect Park Alliance at the Audubon Center for a special Halloween celebration. Take a second look at the creatures that give you the creeps, you may find you like them! Participate in fun activities and experiments that will make your spine tingle!
Nature Chef’s Surprise, 1 – 3 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.
Discovery Boxes, 12 – 3 pm
What’s inside? Put your hand in and find out with a fun sensory activity with just the right amount of scary!
Creepy Crawly Walk, 3-4 pm
Participants will search for Prospect Park’s creepy residents and explore hidden areas of the park.
Spookysburg Trick or Eat Extravaganza Sunday, October 29, 12 — 6 pm Breeze Hill, Prices Vary
Smorgasburg turns into Spookysburg, a family-friendly fall fest marking the last day of the season, and here’s what we’ve got lined up! Festivities include a Halloween Hunt and Prize BOO-nanza, a pet costume contest, KidZone nad much more!
J’ouvert Genesis Immersive Experience Saturdays + Sundays in October, 12 – 4 pm Lefferts Historic House, Free
While it’s not halloween-themed, the vibrant costumes of J’ouvert Genesis Immersive experience are not to be missed this October! Join Prospect Park Alliance, JouvayFest Collective and City Lore for the J’ouvert Genesis Immersive Experience — an exploration of the rich and colorful history of J’ouvert in Trinidad & Tobago and its important role in Brooklyn today through life-sized traditional J’ouvert character costumes, signature percussive instruments, large-format photography, virtual reality and more. The exhibit closes Sunday, November 19 – don’t miss it!
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!
Open House New York in Prospect Park
September 20, 2023
Mark your calendar! Registration for Open House New York begins Monday, October 9 for events city-wide including exciting happenings in Brooklyn’s Backyard. Join Prospect Park Alliance for a behind-the-scenes tour of the newly restored Lefferts Historic House and a tour of the Prospect Park Vale with an inside look at the upcoming restoration to make it more welcoming and accessible to all Brooklyn residents.
Saturday October 21, 10:00 am – 11:00 am and 11:00 am – 12:00 pm Prospect Park Vale
Join Svetlana Ragulina, Senior Landscape Architect, and Deborah Kirschner, Vice President of External Relations, at Prospect Park Alliance, the non-profit that sustains Prospect Park in partnership with the City, to learn about the upcoming restoration of the Prospect Park Vale in the northeast corner of the park. Learn about 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. This tour will be led on pedestrian pathways but closed toed shoes would be recommended, particularly if there are rainy conditions. The area is not ADA-accessible. It will be fully outdoors.
Please note there will be two hour-long tours: 10:00 am – 11:00 am and 11:00 am – 12:00 pm
Saturday October 21, 11:00 am – 2:00 pm Lefferts Historic House
You’re invited to a behind-the-scenes look at the newly restored and reimagined Lefferts Historic House. This 18th-century Flatbush farmhouse and New York City landmark, jointly operated by Prospect Park Alliance and the Historic House Trust, reopened this season after a $2.5 million major restoration which was recognized with a 2023 Lucy G. Moses Preservation Award, the New York Landmarks Conservancy’s highest honor for outstanding preservation. In timing with the restoration, the Alliance launched ReImagine Lefferts, an initiative funded through a Humanities in Place grant from the Mellon Foundation that is re-envisioning the mission and programming of the museum to explore the stories of resistance and resilience by the Indigenous people of Lenapehoking, whose unceded ancestral lands the park and house rests upon, and the Africans who were enslaved by the Lefferts family.
Visit the Lefferts Historic House to see the restored farmhouse, the inaugural exhibition of the ReImagine Lefferts Initiative, the J’ouvert Genesis Immersive Experience, and on a first-come, first-served basis every 30 minutes, embark on a guided tour of some of the house’s areas not on public view. The behind-the-scenes tour takes visitors into areas that are only accessible via staircases, and is therefore not ADA-accessible.
Community Visioning Sessions: Lincoln Road and Third Street Playground Restorations
Help Prospect Park Alliance envision the future of the Lincoln Road and Third Street Playgrounds. Both playgrounds are being restored through $3 million each in funding from Borough President Antonio Reynoso and the City, respectively. Your survey responses will help inform the design of the restored playgrounds, which will go into reconstruction in 2025.
Earlier in the month, Prospect Park Alliance held a series of workshops to engage our community in envisioning the future of the Lincoln Road Playground and the Third Street Playground.
Lincoln Road Playground Community Visioning Sessions
In-Park Workshop
Tuesday, October 10, 3-6 pm
Third Street Playground
In-Park Workshop
Sunday, October 15, 10 am-2 pm
Third Street Playground
c. Caroline Ourso
City of Forest Day in Prospect Park
Join Prospect Park Alliance at the second annual City of Forest Day on Saturday, October 14 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 nature education programming and a volunteer opportunity in Brooklyn’s Backyard.
Park Pitch In: City of Forest Day 11:00 am – 2:00 pm Free, Registration Required Join Prospect Park Alliance for a Park Pitch In volunteer event on City of Forest Day, a citywide effort to raise awareness and celebrate New York City’s urban forest. Prospect Park Alliance volunteers will plant over 100 native trees 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 deadly wood-boring beetle. Tree planting and other greening opportunities will be focused on the park entrance on Flatbush Avenue near Empire Boulevard, adjacent to the park’s Children’s Corner, and the surrounding park perimeter. This event is suitable for groups, teens and adults.
Park Pitch In: City of Forest Day is made possible thanks to funding from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Urban and Community Forestry Program, NYS Environmental Protection Fund and the USDA Forest Service.
City of Forest Day: Nature Exploration 10:00 am – 1:00 pm
Free, no advance registration necessary
Join Prospect Park Alliance and Audubon New York for nature exploration activities at the Prospect Park Audubon Center on City of Forest Day, a citywide effort to raise awareness and celebrate New York City’s urban forest. Prospect Park is home to over 30,000 trees of more than 175 species. Each of these trees is an important part of our thriving wildlife habitat and home to many species of mammals, birds and bugs.
Morning Bird Walk, 9 – 10:30 am: Join Audubon New York for a bird walk starting and ending at the Prospect Park Audubon Center. This program leaves the Audubon Center promptly at 9:00 am. Binoculars will be provided but attendees are encouraged to bring binoculars if you have them.
Nature Around Us, 10 am – 1 pm: Enjoy different seasonal discovery stations and nature themed activities that will introduce you to the plants, insects and animals that call the park home. Learn how to use the iNaturalist App and identify species throughout our park ecosystem, view a trailer of a new documentary Clear Day Thunder: Rescuing the American Chestnut, and more. Plus, visit the Audubon New York table from 10:30 am – 12 pm to learn more about birds and how to help them thrive.
Animal Encounter, 11 am – 12 pm: Join Prospect Park Alliance Naturalists in learning more about the animals in the Audubon Center’s collection. This program starts promptly at 11 am.
Family Nature Walk, 12 – 1 pm: Prospect Park is a stopping point for hundreds of bird species each year! Join us as we search for these amazing creatures and other nature around the park. Binoculars and bird guides are provided. This program leaves the Audubon Center promptly at 12 pm.
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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!
