The very roots of New York Restoration Project’s (NYRP) founding lie in some of New York City’s most treasured public parks and their ongoing restoration and vitality are critical cornerstones in our organization’s ever-growing community outreach efforts. Since 1995, NYRP park programs have helped to reclaim and revitalize more than 400 acres of much-needed parkland in areas of the city much-starved for open and green, clean and safe spaces to engage with nature and enjoy being outdoors. NYRP has also created Swindler Cove Park – a spectacular urban oasis located in Upper Manhattan – transforming a former illegal dumping ground into a vibrant outdoor classroom and centerpiece of NYRP’s environmental education activities aimed both at youth and adults.
Today, NYRP is expanding its Swindler Cove campus to include a state-of-the-art green facility – its Sherman Creek Center and environmental education headquarters – and is extending its restoration efforts to the natural vistas and historic greenways of Upper Manhattan’s Highbridge Park. Here, NYRP looks to continue its tradition of community involvement, establishing these parks as venues for public festivals and events much like the organization’s Little Red Lighthouse Festival in Fort Washington Park – the first park to benefit from NYRP’s work – and NYRP’s Spring Festival and New Leaf Restaurant & Bar – both located in Fort Tryon Park.