"Harnessing NYC's Natural Areas: Boosting Health and Well-Being by Connecting
More New Yorkers to the City's Trails, Forests, and Wetlands"
A Center for an Urban Future Policy Symposium

Tuesday, May, 12, 2026
8:00 a.m. to 10:45 a.m. 
The Greene Space 
44 Charlton Street

To attend in-person, RSVP via this link.
To watch the livestream, RSVP via this link. 

Confirmed speakers include:

• Terri Carta, Executive Director, Jamaica Bay-Rockaway Parks Conservancy
• Cal Hastings, Vice President of Partnerships & Innovation, NYC Outward Bound Schools
• Oded Holzinger, Executive Director, Natural Areas Conservancy
• Morgan Monaco, President, Prospect Park Alliance; Prospect Park Administrator
• Siddhartha Sanchez, Executive Director, Bronx River Alliance

New York City boasts more than 10,000 acres of forests, wetlands, streams, and other wild landscapes—providing access to nature for the millions of New Yorkers without the means to visit hiking trails or waterfronts in the Hudson Valley, Long Island, and beyond. These wild places are hugely important for the well-being of New Yorkers and their communities, especially at a time when New Yorkers are more stressed, more screen-bound, and more disconnected than ever. But despite their enormous potential, relatively few New Yorkers are even aware of the city’s natural areas and access to them is highly uneven. At the same time, New York City’s natural areas are under growing strain, compounded by inadequate resources and the impact of climate change.

This in-person policy forum will explore the vital role of natural areas in New York City, and what's needed to more fully harness these critical resources for New Yorkers. Panelists will discuss how to ensure far more New Yorkers know about, have access to, and feel comfortable exploring the city’s natural areas. The discussion will also delve into where investment is most needed to shore up maintenance and infrastructure needs across the city's natural areas and advance creative ideas for unlocking more of their potential.

Details
Tuesday, May, 12, 2026
8:00 a.m. to 10:45 a.m. (doors open at 8; program begins at 8:45)
@ The Greene Space 
44 Charlton Street (between 6th Avenue and Varick Street)

To attend in-person, please RSVP via this link. 
To watch the livestream, please RSVP via this link. 

We are committed to providing access and reasonable accommodations in our programs. For questions or requests regarding access and accommodation, please contact Sophia Tumolo ([email protected]) at least 72 hours in advance of the program.

This event was made possible thanks to generous support from the The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust. We are also grateful for general support from The Clark Foundation and the Altman Foundation, support from Fisher Brothers Foundation for CUF's Middle Class Jobs Project, and ongoing support from a number of other philanthropic funders.