Natural Areas Conservancy (NAC)
2023 – $15,000 Research and Conservation
2022 – $20,000 Climate Lab
2021 – $15,000 General Support
Started in 2012, the Natural Areas Conservancy (NAC) is a non-profit organization devoted to restoring and conserving New York City’s 20,000 acres of forests and coastal areas. The NAC is the first park conservancy dedicated exclusively to New York City’s natural areas, which comprise one third of the city’s park system. The NAC works in more than 50 parks across the five boroughs and takes a science-based approach to conserving the city’s nature, improving coastal resilience, and ensuring healthy forests. They believe that natural areas are vital to sustaining air quality, improving public health, providing New Yorkers with access to nature, and strengthening our communities.
The NAC mentors a diverse group of STEM majors from the City University of New York to become the environmental leaders of tomorrow. Since 2016, they have trained over 100 young adults through their paid internship program. Interns gain skills and experience in ecological research centered around current issues natural areas face. In addition to on-the-ground ecological experience, interns receive professional development training in networking, job interviews, and personal budgeting. Students gain valuable and practical scientific experience in natural areas management while contributing vital information to local urban land practitioners and natural areas management decisions. In 2022, NAC expanded the paid internship program to high school students in Queens and Staten Island in 2024. Through the Student Urban Nature program (SUN), NYC high school youth receive training in research, conservation, and natural areas management in NYC.
NAC is a leader in incorporating science into management and policy of NYC’s natural areas and is committed to building a better understanding of the role that natural areas play as a part of the solution to climate change. NAC conducts research that advances management practices, increases public knowledge about the value of natural areas and develops strategies to increase the political and financial support at the local and national levels. In partnership with NYC Parks, NAC created the first-ever, long-term Forest Management Framework for New York City for all 7,300 acres of forests in city parks. This framework sets a bold vision for the future that enhances forest health and biodiversity while creating high-quality recreation opportunities for every New Yorker. They have established an approach to make New York City’s forests more adaptable to future climate related threats and have quantified their role in storing and sequestering carbon. Natural Areas Conservancy supports the long-term health of New York City’s forests through boots-on-the-ground management, restoration projects, planning, and volunteer engagement.
NAC convenes a national network, Forests in Cities (FIC), of colleagues from 19 metro regions across the U.S. who work to restore, manage, and advocate for forested natural areas. The NAC has facilitated the publication of over 25 case studies and the first national report on urban forested natural areas, including responses from over 100 organizations across the country. The Forests in Cities program was launched in 2017 by the NAC to promote and advance healthy forested natural areas in cities across the US. This program has three primary goals: 1) to nurture and grow a national network of urban forest managers and researchers, 2) to advance urban forest science and practice, and 3) to advocate for increased resources and support. The NAC’s leadership in urban science-based conservation has resulted in multiple peer-reviewed publications and a special issue in the journal Cities and the Environment.
To address the needs of a vast and complex park system, the NAC created a citywide trails team in 2017 to conduct trail improvement projects on over 300 miles of official and unofficial trails, and to train non-profit partners and individual volunteers in trail management techniques. The team works to formalize the 300-miles of trails in New York City and trains advanced volunteers to adopt sections of trails in their local parks. In June 2021, the NAC released the New York City Strategic Trails Plan, which aims to upgrade the city’s system of nature trails that spans all five boroughs. The plan will unify the existing network of trails within the 10,000 acres of natural areas in NYC Parks through trail markers, mapped and formalized paths, and routes designed to showcase unique ecological assets. The plan will increase access to parks and recreation, and give New Yorkers a high quality experience in nature.