Member Event: Discover Randall’s Island Waterfront Habitat (9/19)

🗓 NOTE: Registration for this event opens August 17th for members. Until then, event will read "Event Registration is closed.

Walk the waterfront of Randall’s Island as we look for the last of our summer breeding waterbirds, led by Tod Winston and board member Tim Healy. Along the way, learn about the conservation challenges facing one of the harbor’s most iconic wading birds, the Black-crowned Night Heron.

Earlier this summer, NYC Bird Alliance released an important new study based on more than 40 years of nesting survey data from the New York–New Jersey Harbor, that found that the population of Black-crowned Night Herons—historically the harbor’s most abundant wading bird—has declined by 55% in the past two decades. Without conservation action, the bird could disappear from the Northeast by 2037.

Urban green spaces like Randall’s Island provide important foraging habitat for Black-crowned Night Herons and other waterbirds, making them an important part of the conservation plan for this bird. We will be joined by Randall’s Island Park Alliance, the stewards of the park, fostering community engagement and environmental stewardship. 

Must be a current NYC Bird Alliance Member. Registration required.

Meeting Location: Exact meeting location will be shared via the confirmation email. 

Accessibility: The park’s paved paths run adjacent to all of the natural areas and along the 4.5 miles of waterfront, and many of the natural areas on the island have further trails to explore.

Directions: Randall’s Island Park is accessible 24 hours a day, 365 days a year via pedestrian and bicycle pathways from Manhattan, the Bronx, and Queens, as well as by the M35 bus from 125th Street and Lexington Avenue (with connections to the 4, 5, and 6 subway lines). All access routes are ADA accessible except the Queens walkway from Astoria, which includes stairs. You also have access via driving on the RFK Triborough Bridge. 

Photo: Black-crowned Night Heron flying over water. Credit: Diana Robinson