Ever wonder what exactly it is about a walk in the park that makes you feel more at ease? Spending time in nature, green spaces, and specifically forests have known positive impacts on mental and physical health, and the benefits don’t stop at stress reduction alone. Research shows that being in nature can improve focus, lower blood pressure, improve sleep quality, boost your immune system, accelerate recovery from illness, and increase energy levels.
This fall, put wellness first and enjoy fun opportunities to get active and explore your park with a variety of free wellness opportunities for all ages:
Free Fitness Walks in Prospect Park for Adults Ages 60+ Tuesdays, September 12, 19 + 26, RSVP Required: prospectpark.org/FreeFitnessWalks Locations Vary
Join Prospect Park Alliance and Heights and Hills for three group walks in Prospect Park for adults ages 60 and over. Center Director Matt Abrams and members of the center will explore the park while discussing the importance of exercise and movement for adults over 60, particularly for people experiencing arthritis. Participants will receive guidance on developing their own personal walking and exercise programs.
Nature Exploration Family Nature Walks Saturdays + Sundays, September – November Prospect Park Boathouse + Audubon Center
Visit the Prospect Park Audubon Center for Nature Exploration on weekends to enjoy nature education activities including a family nature walk where all ages can explore the park and search for the many species of wildlife that call the park home.
Upbeat Pop! Dance Fitness at the Boathouse Saturdays, August – February Prospect Park Boathouse + Audubon Center
Join Prospect Park Alliance and Shape-up NYC for a 45-minute dance fitness class! Come prepared to shake, roll, grapevine, and clap to your favorite upbeat pop songs. We will use this time to cultivate joy and silliness while getting a great workout and reaping the benefits of cardiovascular fitness. All levels are welcomed and encouraged. Whether you want to learn some new choreography or need a space to step-touch and sing, this class is for you!
Take a Fall Foliage Walk or Run
Prospect Park’s fall hues will soon be in full swing! Prospect Park offers miles of roadway and paths to explore and take in the change of seasons. Visit our Running and Walking hub for information about Running Clubs, itineraries for seeing the park on-the-go, and much more.
A tribute to a hero is coming to Brooklyn’s Backyard! The design of the Shirley Chisholm monument, at the Parkside and Ocean Avenue entrance to Prospect Park has been unanimously approved by the New York City Public Design Commission. The monument will pay homage to Brooklyn trailblazer Shirley Chisholm, the first Black congresswoman and the first woman to seek the Democratic presidential nomination.
The monument to Chisholm and her profound legacy as a champion of Brooklyn and national icon of empowerment will greet park visitors at this gateway to the Flatbush community and beyond. The design by artists Amanda Williams and Olalekan B. Jeyifous, “Our Destiny, Our Democracy,” was selected through an open design competition organized by the Department of Cultural Affairs, which invited community members to vote for their favorite design. The design, made of painted steel, patinated bronze and carved stone, features a monumental portrait of Chisholm patterned with images of plants native to Brooklyn and Barbados, where Chisholm spent ages five through nine, including Pride of Barbados, American Chestnut and Wild Geranium, juxtaposed with the nation’s Capitol Building. The stonework surrounding the monument includes a Chisholm quote and an outline of the House of Representatives seating plan, with a bronze plaque representing Chisholm’s seat.
“Depending upon your vantage point and approach to the Ocean Avenue entrance of Prospect Park, you can see Ms. Chisholm’s silhouette inextricably intertwined with the iconic dome of the U.S. Capitol building,” shared Williams and Jeyifous in The New York Times. “This trailblazing woman was not diminutive and this monument reflects how Chisholm’s collaborative ideals were larger than herself.” 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.
“This monument will introduce new generations to the legacy and contributions of this pioneering Brooklynite, and remind us all about the great things that grow from our community,” said Morgan Monaco, President of Prospect Park Alliance. “When your history is not always acknowledged or celebrated it can feel debilitating. I can’t wait for this monument to stand as a beacon for all who enter Prospect Park to feel connected to her legacy and to feel that Prospect Park is a space for them.”
“This administration is committed to working to tell a more complete story surrounding the trailblazing women who have shaped our city, and we are ready to get more of these projects back underway,” said Laurie Cumbo, New York City Commissioner of Cultural Affairs, to in The New York Times.
In addition to the monument, the Alliance is restoring the Ocean Avenue perimeter and Parkside Entrance to the park through $16.5 million in City funding, which will include new pedestrian pathways, historic lighting, street furniture, trees and plantings; a new protected bike lane; and, through funding from Council Member Rita Joseph, the restoration of the entrance’s historic pergola. The City also has allocated $6.75 million in funding from City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, former Council Member (and current Cultural Affairs Commissioner) Laurie Cumbo and the Brooklyn Delegation of the City Council, including Council Members Crystal Hudson, Rita Joseph and Shahana Hanif, to fund the Shirley Chisholm Welcome Center. This Prospect Park Alliance project will transform a historic building near the Parkside entrance that is currently used as a maintenance facility into a visitor center and restroom.
A conceptual rendering of the Shirley Chisholm monument by Amanda Williams and Olalekan B. Jeyifous.
Prospect Park Alliance, the non-profit that sustains the park in partnership with the city, announced the successful conclusion of the public review process for the restoration of the Vale in the northeast corner of Prospect Park, with approval by the New York City Public Design Commission. This is the capstone of a multi-year outreach and design process which engaged thousands of local community members in reenvisioning this landscape. In 2021, former Mayor Bill de Blasio announced a historic $40 million allocation to restore the Vale, the largest single capital allocation in the city budget in the history of Prospect Park Alliance.
The Vale comprises eight acres in the heart of the northeast corner of Prospect Park. 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.
“Prospect Park Alliance has an award-winning history of historic restoration and woodland preservation,” said Morgan Monaco, President of Prospect Park Alliance. “This design is reflective of the talent of our team, the deep engagement with our community, and the future we hope to steward in Prospect Park. We are delighted to move forward bringing this vision into reality, and we thank the community members who contributed their feedback through this process, transforming an idea into a fully designed concept.”
Above: The restoration of the Children’s Pond will bring back historic details while improving the environment. c. Prospect Park Alliance. At top: A view of the Pollinator Meadow from the Arbor, part of the approved design for the Vale. c. Prospect Park Alliance
The Vale restoration transforms two key landscapes: the historic Children’s Pond (a decorative water feature) and a former Rose Garden, and also encompasses an additional 3 acres of woodland restoration that will continue an important pollinator corridor across the park. The restoration of the Children’s Pond will bring back historic details while improving the environment through new plantings and bird-friendly features. The former Rose Garden, which features three disused concrete basins, will be transformed into three connected landscapes that respect the park’s historic design while restoring the woodland landscape and adding new amenities, including: a pollinator garden and planted rustic arbor; a children’s natural exploration area; and a shady picnicking lawn next to a small pavilion with composting restrooms and a sheltered area for community use.
To shape the vision for the Vale, the Alliance collaborated with the public design consultants Hester Street and Grain Collective in an intensive, two-year community outreach process that began in 2017. The broad themes that emerged from public feedback were to preserve the woodland character of the space, provide opportunities for intergenerational play and enhance park amenities. In 2022, the Alliance returned to the community to share this vision prior to embarking on the design, soliciting feedback from park users and local groups. As a result of this feedback, the pavilion was scaled down and set further into the landscape; three additional acres of woodland restoration were incorporated to further strengthen wildlife habitat and extend the park’s pollinator corridor; and additional fencing was incorporated to ensure that the children’s natural exploration area does not spill over onto adjacent landscapes and woodland areas.
The resulting design was approved by surrounding community boards 8 and 9; the Prospect Park Community Committee, the Brooklyn Borough Board, the Landmarks Preservation Commission and Public Design Commission. The design also received letters of support from I AM CARIBBEING, the Natural Areas Conservancy, the Park Slope Civic Council, the Prospect Heights Neighborhood Development Council, the Prospect Lefferts Garden Neighborhood Association, the Brooklyn Borough President, and Council Members Shahana Hanif, Crystal Hudson and Rita Joseph.
A view of the planned Northeast Pavilion, part of the approved Vale Restoration design. c. Prospect Park Alliance
The project will conclude its design phase in Spring 2024, and will proceed through the NYC Parks capital guidelines, which includes a year for procurement and 12-18 months for construction, which is slated to begin in Spring 2025.
“An urban park really needs to balance these uses for humans, plants, birds and animals,” said Public Design Commissioner Isabel Castilla. “I have seen the evolution of this design through its many iterations in the past few months and I would say [the plan]…is a very thoughtful design that provides a space for people…and also creates boundaries so that nature can have its own space.”
The Natural Exploration Area in the Vale will include natural features that engage the imagination and the senses. c. Prospect Park Alliance
An Inside Look: J’ouvert Comes to Life at Lefferts
Kick off your J’ouvert celebration in Brooklyn’s Backyard! Prospect Park Alliance, JouvayFest Collective and City Lore have opened the J’ouvert Genesis Immersive Experience at the Lefferts Historic House. The exhibit is part of ReImagine Lefferts, the Alliance’s initiative to re-envision the mission and programming at Lefferts Historic House to focus programming on the lives, resistance and resilience of the Indigenous people of Lenapehoking and the Africans enslaved by the Lefferts family. The multimedia exhibit offers an exploration of the rich and colorful history of J’ouvert in Trinidad and Tobago and its important role in Brooklyn today.
The inaugural exhibit of the ReImagine Lefferts initiative, through funding from the Mellon Foundation, J’ouvert Genesis Immersive Experience is reflective of the community that surrounds Prospect Park. “Prospect Park borders the largest Caribbean community in the world outside of the Caribbean,” shares Maria Carrasco, Prospect Park Alliance Vice President of Public Programs. “We want Brooklyn’s Caribbean community to see themselves represented in the park, as well as at Lefferts Historic House.” J’ouvert (pronounced jou-vay) translates to “opening of the day or I open” in French, and marks the beginning of the official two days of Carnival before Ash Wednesday in the Francophone Atlantic. J’ouvert Genesis Immersive Experience sheds light on the often-misunderstood aspects of J’ouvert, allowing viewers to better understand this essential Caribbean cultural tradition, right in the heart of Brooklyn.
Alongside immersive video and traditional steelpan instruments, “Dame Lorraine,” the character costume pictured above in red, is one of the traditional J’ouvert costumes on view in the exhibit. Originally created by enslaved Africans as a mockery of plantation owners, the satirical character exaggerates the features of a French madame. c. Prospect Park Alliance
“Many people don’t know the historic connections and significance of J’ouvert celebrations. J’ouvert is a living tradition. It has a big story to tell. It’s a story of resistance and resilience,” says JouvayFest Co-Founder and Exhibit Curator, Sandra A.M. Bell. Formerly enslaved Africans in predominantly French-speaking Caribbean colonies created J’ouvert as part of their bitter battles with the authorities to participate in the pre-Lenten festivities of the ruling class. The tradition was made official in Trinidad and Tobago in 1881 when communities fought for their freedom during the famous Canboulay (burnt-cane in French) riots, when they destroyed valuable sugarcane fields to protest British attempts to suppress their way of life. This struggle secured the J’ouvert celebration from colonial interference. J’ouvert has flourished into a potent living tradition and symbol of the power of resistance and resilience in the Caribbean, Brooklyn and beyond.
The exhibit immerses the community in the J’ouvert experience through life-sized J’ouvert costumes, signature percussive instruments, large-format photography of traditional Mas (masquerade) Carnival costumes and celebrations, plus virtual reality. “Put on those goggles and you’ll be immediately transported to a J’ouvert celebration. You’ll have the experience of being inside a J’ouvert band on a J’ouvert morning and gain a taste of this centuries-old tradition,” says Bell.
Large scale J’ouvert character costumes at J’ouvert Genesis Immersive Experience. c. Prospect Park Alliance
This vibrant cultural exhibit at the newly reopened Lefferts Historic House will also include workshops and discussions on the food, dance and music of the classic Trinidad and Tobago style of J’ouvert on select dates while it is on view at the house through October 29.
Notice a familiar face in the ranks of City & State’s 2023 Brooklyn Power 100 list? Prospect Park Alliance President and Park Administrator, Morgan Monaco has claimed a spot alongside Prospect Park Alliance Board Chair Iris Weinshall in the roundup of influential Brooklynites including community leaders, elected officials, cultural trailblazers and more.
“When Susan Donoghue left the Prospect Park Alliance to become New York City parks commissioner in February 2022, Iris Weinshall and the Alliance board looked to a longtime civil servant to run the 526-acre park. Morgan Monaco, Red Hook Initiative’s executive director, became the Alliance’s first Black leader. So far, Monaco has overseen a $40 million revitalization of the Vale, a redesign of the park’s interior loop to minimize conflicts between pedestrians and cyclists, and the renovation of Lefferts Historic House museum and an initiative to shift the museum’s focus to the indigenous and enslaved African people who lived and worked on the land.”
Did you know? The watercourse that flows through Prospect Park is a haven for fish, birds, turtles, frogs and plants. This August, we hope you’ll join us in being aPark Champion as we celebrate Waterways Appreciation Month.
Lend a Hand in Brooklyn’s Backyard All month long, Prospect Park Alliance has opportunities for you to lend a hand and support the park ecosystem. Join an upcoming Green + Go Kit or It’s My Park Day event to explore the park while tackling litter and helping with other greening opportunities throughout the park. Sign up to volunteer.
Enjoy Family-Friendly Waterway Exploration at Pop-Up Audubon
Visit the Prospect Park Audubon Center’s Pop-Up Audubon in August to enjoy a family-friendly waterway walk through the Ravine and learn about the many species of plants and animals that live alongside the park’s woodland waterfalls.
Fish Responsibly Fishing is permitted in the Prospect Park Lake, and we ask all who participate to be Park Champions and follow the essential rules:
To protect wildlife, no barbed hooks or lead fishing weights are allowed.
Fishing line entangles birds and other wildlife, which can result in injury or death. Discard fishing line fragments and hooks responsibly in marked fishing line bins or trash cans.
Explore 6 Tips on How to Care for the Lake with Every Visit
Wonder how you can help support the health of Brooklyn’s only Lake with each visit to the park? Check out 6 Lake stewardship tips, including carrying out litter, admiring animals from afar and more. Please remember that while the Lake is a cherished part of Brooklyn nature, it is not intended for swimming. Please take caution when near any waterbody and only swim at city pools and beaches where and when lifeguards are on duty.
Send a Loved One an Rx for Nature
Invite a loved one to join you for a visit to Prospect Park’s Watercourse and enjoy the health-boosting benefits of nature together. You and your Rx recipient will be entered to win a Prospect Park Alliance Family Supporter Level Membership so you can make the most of Brooklyn’s Backyard all year long!
Learn about the Park’s Watercourse Take a free, self-guided audio tour of Prospect Park’s watercourse—a marvel of nature, history and eco-innovation. Prospect Park’s watercourse is a natural wonder but also a feat of engineering: home to the borough’s only Lake, the park’s watercourse is fed by the New York City water supply. The free, self-guided audio tour provides a new perspective on the natural and human-made ecosystems found in Prospect Park, and its connection to New York City’s water supply.
Prospect Park Alliance Brings Lark to the Parade Ground
July 13, 2023
Prospect Park Alliance, the non-profit that sustains Brooklyn’s Backyard, has announced that the popular Flatbush eatery Lark Cafe will be opening a new seasonal location at the Prospect Park Parade Ground Snack Bar. This location, called Lark by the Park, will be open beginning on July 28.
Lark by the Park will offer a menu of mouthwatering options including pizza, smash burgers, breakfast sandwiches, smoothies, milkshakes, hot dogs and more. The cafe will be open throughout the summer and fall months.
“The Parade Ground is one of the most widely used sports and recreation fields in Brooklyn, and we look forward to Lark by the Park serving the many families and park-goers who make this area such a beloved and bustling space for our community,” said Morgan Monaco, Prospect Park Alliance President.
“Lark is centered on the joy of great food and we are so excited to bring our menu to the Parade Ground in Prospect Park. We can’t wait to welcome you soon to Lark by the Park,” said Eugene Perekrostov, Owner and General Manager of Lark Cafe.
The original location, Lark Cafe, is a family-friendly neighborhood cafe located on Church Avenue. It offers community members a welcoming environment and diverse array of fresh local fare including coffee, sandwiches, pastries, ice cream and more. Lark by the Park will offer many of the same beloved cafe menu items.
Lark by the Park is one of a number of food options brought to the park by Prospect Park Alliance as part of its goal of bringing interesting and affordable food options to improve the visitor experience. In addition to Lark by the Park, park-goers can enjoy Winner in the Park at the Picnic House, King David Tacos at Grand Army Plaza, Smorgasburg on Breeze Hill, Bluestone Cafe at Lakeside and more.
Prospect Park Alliance’s Summer of Stewardship continues, and this July is Wildlife Month! Prospect Park’s 585 acres are a critical habitat for countless wildlife species who call the park home. This month, get to know these wonderful species and learn how you can #BeAParkChampion and help them thrive.
Get to Know Prospect Park’s Wildlife: Did you know that you can find over 250 species of birds in Prospect Park? Or ever wonder where the park’s chipmunks go in the winter? Learn about the park wildlife and test your knowledge with a quiz!
Volunteer in Prospect Park: The many species of wildlife that live throughout the park need a healthy park ecosystem to thrive. Join an upcoming Park Pitch-In, It’s My Park Day or Green + Go Kit event to help support the park’s mammals, reptiles, birds, pollinators and more.
Make Every Park Visit Count: Remember to admire wildlife from afar, carry out all that you bring with you into the park + keep dogs leashed outside of designated areas. These stewardship actions help make a difference with each and every visit and ensure that the beloved wildlife of Prospect Park stay safe and healthy.
Send an Rx for Nature: Be A Park Champion today, and share the health and wellness benefits of nature with someone you love by sending an Rx for Nature. Plus, you and your Rx recipient will be entered to win a family supporter level Alliance membership!
If you’ve wandered through the center of Prospect Park in the past few weeks, you may have noticed that two beloved bridges are getting an upgrade. Work is underway to improve Binnen Bridge, originally designed in the late 1870’s and located near the Boathouse at Binnen Falls, and Music Grove Bridge, which is located near the Nethermead and was constructed in 1887 in conjunction with the nearby Music Pagoda.
In contrast to the more common stone bridges seen across the park, both the Binnen and Music Grove bridges are rustic structures. Rustic structures were an important part of Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux’s original design for Prospect Park. Made of wood and other natural materials, these bridges and dozens of other rustic shelters and arbors were constructed using hand tools in the 1870s and 1880s, often from downed park trees, allowing them to seamlessly blend into the park’s naturalistic landscape. While all of the park’s original rustic structures have been lost to time and natural deterioration, Prospect Park Alliance has reconstructed some of the most significant of these structures over the last few decades.
A rustic shelter in Prospect Park’s Ravine c. 1885 Prospect Park Archives/Herbert Mitchell Collection
The rich history of these rustic structures harkens to the park’s earliest days. Binnen Bridge marks the point where the faster-moving Binnenwater stream meets the Lullwater, the term Olmsted used for the large area of slower-moving water near the Boathouse. Originally made of locust, the bridge has been reconstructed repeatedly from the time of its construction, first with timber and then, in the 1930s, with pipe-rail concrete. Binnen Bridge was fully reconstructed by Prospect Park Alliance in 1997, using historic photographs to recreate the original size and character of the log railings and wooden deck. The reconstruction received an Excellence in Design Award from the New York City Art Commission.
Historic image of Binnen Bridge c. Prospect Park Archives/Bob Levine Collection
Music Grove Bridge was constructed during the creation of the Music Pagoda in the Nethermead in the 1880s. The surrounding area was designed to host large gatherings and open air concerts, and the bridge was built to accommodate foot traffic from the large number of visitors who would travel to the area to hear music under the canopy of London Plane trees. The bridge remains an important access point from the park’s northern woodlands.
The New York City Department of Transportation is currently in the process of restoring both the Binnen and Music Grove bridges, and park-goers should expect to encounter detours while this construction is underway. The work is estimated to be completed in 2023.
Prospect Park Alliance Remembers Ibrahim Abdul-Matin
June 23, 2023
Prospect Park Alliance is saddened to learn of the passing of environmental activist, urban strategist, author, and former Prospect Park Alliance Youth Program Director, Ibrahim Abdul-Matin, who passed away on June 21, 2023. He was 46 and is survived by his wife and children. In recent years, he preferred to write his name in lowercase – ibrahim abdul-matin.
abdul-matin was committed to advocating for the health of our planet, improving public engagement and deepening democracy. In 2003, alongside Prospect Park Alliance and Brooklyn Botanic Garden, abdul-matin co-founded Brooklyn Academy of Science & the Environment (BASE), an innovative school centered on youth development with curriculum spanning beyond traditional classroom walls. At BASE, youth continue to learn in hands-on settings including throughout Prospect Park’s 585 acres, museums, aquarium and nature preserves and more. Furthering his commitment to instilling environmentalism and empowering youth, abdul-matin served as Prospect Park Alliance’s Director of Youth Programming in 2002 and 2003.
abdul-matin is remembered for his storied public legacy in Brooklyn and beyond. Among his many achievements, abdul-matin authored the book “Green Deen: What Islam Teaches About Protecting the Planet,” was a Senior Fellow with Interfaith America and New Yorkers for Clean Power, a New York Advisory Board member of the Trust for Public Land and a Board Member for the International Living Future Institute and Sapelo Square.
Lend a Hand in Brooklyn’s Backyard
