The Jewel of New York City: Jamaica Bay
New York City’s biggest natural area is hidden in plain sight — and it needs your help
Jamaica Bay is easily the biggest natural space in New York City. The shores surrounding the bay boast 10,000 acres of public parklands, and the bay itself comprises 18,000 acres of open water and vital marshlands. All this natural beauty is snug up against one of the largest cities in the world, making accessible via mass transit these spectacular national parklands with the spires of New York City visible in the distance.
Jamaica Bay is home to a wide variety of shellfish, about 100 species of fin fish, more than 350 species of birds, 50 species of butterflies, terrapin turtles and larger marine mammals like seals, dolphins and even whales. In addition to harboring wildlife, Jamaica Bay’s salt marshes act as a first line of defense for local communities during storms. They absorb energy from big waves before they reach neighborhoods and sponge up water that would otherwise threaten to flood homes. One acre of wetland is capable of holding 1.5 million gallons of water — the equivalent of two Olympic-sized swimming pools.
Unfortunately, 75 percent of Jamaica Bay’s salt marshes have disappeared over the past century, as a result of intense urbanization and other human activity, blocking the ability of tidal action that once transported silt and built up these wetlands.
But there is hope! More restoration projects are in the pipeline today than ever before. Building on the efforts of environmental forerunners from local communities, particularly the Jamaica Bay Ecowatchers, the Jamaica Bay-Rockaway Parks Conservancy (JBRPC) was established in 2013 to help steward this vast, wild expanse of public lands and waters alongside civil servants from New York City Parks, New York State Parks and the National Park Service.
By building public engagement with our parks, we can drive investment and stewardship of these natural areas for many generations to come. JBRPC produces hundreds of events per year, from volunteer cleanups, school field trips, nature activities for kids and families, encounters with wildlife, health and fitness activities, plus programs that highlight local arts and culture. In 2024, we were honored to see over 10,000 of our friends, neighbors and visitors attend our events.
Keeping the parks healthy and accessible for these activities requires care that goes beyond cleanups. JBRPC also engages in active ecological restoration, giving nature the push it sometimes needs to thrive in an urban environment. The principal example of this maxim is at the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, at the center of Broad Channel and the spine of the bay. The refuge’s West Pond, originally constructed in the 1950s, serves as a crucial flyover stop for migratory birds seeking fresh water and rest during their journeys. In the summer, coastal shorebirds, wading egrets and herons are regular sights. During fall and winter, bird watchers can expect countless winter waterfowl, along with owls, falcons and the occasional bald eagle. However, this bird haven was ruined by Hurricane Sandy when the pond was breached, turning it into a brackish lagoon. In 2019, JBRPC, with the National Park Service and contractors, commenced work to restore the West Pond, pushing earth back into place and putting hundreds of thousands of native plants into the shoreline to safeguard against erosion and future storm breaches.
In the ensuing years, JBRPC has continued to tend to this shoreline by planting tens of thousands more native grass plugs and erecting strategically placed natural breakwater structures. In 2024, our team created 600 linear feet of breakwater fascines from 250 recycled Christmas trees — a tactic the organization plans to repeat in 2025. These efforts have ensured the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge remains one of the premier birding locations in the United States, and a peaceful place for New Yorkers to have close encounters with nature.
Much of our ecological restoration is done by outstanding young adults from local communities taking part in our Jamaica Bay Wetlands Fellowship, a paid 6-month workforce development and job training program focused on skills related to wetlands maintenance, monitoring, and restoration. Our fellows restore dozens of acres each year, removing invasive species, protecting salt marsh islands, maintaining trails and raising native plants for installation across parklands.
JBRPC is currently recruiting for our 2025 class of Wetlands Fellows, continuing to expand the program and the impact it’s making around the bay. Interested candidates can fill out the application form at JBRPC.org. By offering professional development opportunities to participating young adults, we aim to build local environmental knowledge and give neighborhoods surrounding the bay the tools they need to decide how to care for the nature in their front yard.
There are plenty of other opportunities to get involved around Jamaica Bay parks in the coming weeks, even during winter! We are hosting a cleanup at Plumb Beach in honor of World Wetlands Day on Saturday, February 22. Kids and families will be interested in our early childhood nature exploration program, Park Pals. The Amateur Astronomers Association hosts monthly stargazing events and the NYC Bird Alliance is hosting winter birding — both at Floyd Bennett Field. More details, on these happenings and more, are available at JBRPC.org/events.
We hope you join us in the parks soon. Preserving the “Jewel” of New York City is not just a broad environmental concern, but a local issue of acute importance. As neighbors of New York City’s largest tidal estuary, we have a responsibility and privilege to ensure its longevity for future generations. This mission will take all of us.
