Natural Areas Conservancy

An incredible week so far at the Partners in Community Forestry conference in Chicago! We’ve met so many knowledgeable forestry practitioners from across the country and linked up with members from our #ForestsinCities Network! Appreciate the opportunity to learn from diverse organizations and researchers, and to share our work on forest management on a national scale. Thank you Arbor Day Foundation for bringing together such an engaging group! Learn more about FiC: https://bit.ly/3OUaMan

What exactly does wetlands mitigation mean? When infrastructure projects unavoidably impact wetlands, mitigation is a way of offsetting the impact through wetland creation, restoration, and enhancement—with a goal of no-net wetland loss. In New York City, this process has its unique challenges due to policy, resource, and physical constraints. In our recently published report, author Emily Walker interviewed experts in the field to identify specific pain points in the mitigation process—and potential solutions. Click through the photos below for an overview of our findings and read the full report here: https://bit.ly/3CdvwXa

An underfunded parks system means fewer opportunities to play, compete, and grow community. ? Mayor Adams' budget cuts eliminated nearly 800 NYC Parks staffing lines and ended key programs New Yorkers depend on. ? But you can help! Write a letter to Mayor Adams to demand budget restorations at?playfair.nyc. #SaveNYCParks

Giveaway alert! We want to thank our supporters, volunteers, donors, and colleagues for an incredible 2024. We couldn’t do our work of championing and protecting natural areas without a strong and passionate community behind us. Thank you! ?? You can enter to win a bundle of new NAC branded swag, and a private tour for you and 2 friends in an NYC natural area. Enter the contest on Instagram: https://bit.ly/493c0ZJ Contest closes Friday, Nov 29, 2024 at 11:59 pm ET. Good luck!

The NY/NJ Harbor & Estuary Program (HEP) #ThrivingEstuary24 conference was a resounding success! We feel energized and inspired after connecting with local practitioners and organizations working towards environmental justice and climate resilience. Thank you to our panelists for an excellent discussion on wetlands mitigation and how together we can forge a path to no net loss. Learn more about the mitigation process in our recent report: https://bit.ly/3CdvwXa

We're hiring an Executive Assistant! This role will support NAC’s Executive Director and executive team to maximize their impact and will provide ongoing administrative support and office management to the passionate, committed, and driven staff of the NAC. Applications will be considered on a rolling basis until December 12, 2024. Apply today: bit.ly/NAC-jobs

How can New York City better protect our tidal wetland ecosystems in this era of climate change and sea level rise? The NAC is excited to announce the publication of a new policy report that directly addresses this question! Authored by Senior Manager of External Affairs, Emily Louise Walker, the report distills and synthesizes dozens of stakeholder interviews. We break down challenges and barriers to the existing mitigation process, and offer recommendations for improvements to wetlands protections in NYC. Explore the report: https://bit.ly/3CdvwXa

The NAC is excited to announce that we will be at Arbor Day Foundation's Partners in Community Forestry Conference next week! Can't wait to connect in Chicago with other urban forestry practitioners and learn about new innovative solutions and sustainable practices. Please stop by and visit us at booth 25! #PCF2024 Learn more: https://bit.ly/3Cu3Ddj

The NAC is distressed by the news of several brush fires that ignited over the the past week in natural areas citywide, including in Prospect Park, Clove Lakes Park, and Van Cortlandt Park. NYC saw the driest October since 1869, which has led to dangerous conditions conducive to fire. Please exercise utmost caution in our city's parks and natural forested areas—grilling, smoking, and open flames are all prohibited. Cuts to Parks funding, particularly for forest management, will make prevention and response to these disasters, and restoration in their aftermath, more difficult. With the growing threat of climate change, investment in our Parks system is critical to our city's resiliency planning. Join us in calling upon Mayor Adams to restore the budget to parks: https://bit.ly/46E05jd

Data collection for the Forest Assessment EA 2.0 has concluded! Now, the analysis begins. You may remember, we conducted the first EA in 2014. Part of what we hope to do is compare data collected then and now. Looking back ten years ago sometimes requires a little detective work! ?? At the Parks office, decade old plant samples with unknown ID need to be correctly identified. Good thing we have botany buffs Sarah Meenan and Lydia Paradiso on our team to help us with these mystery plants! ?? Learn more about EA 2.0: https://bit.ly/3yoo35W