Annual Report 2022

View the complete PDF of our 2022 Annual Report

From Our Executive Director

I’ve now been at New York Restoration Project for almost three years, but in some ways, 2022 felt like a first. I was thrilled to finally see our staff, parks, gardens, and events operate at full capacity throughout every corner of the city. Our spaces were not just open and essential this year—they thrived!

The season kicked off in March with the return of our popular free tree giveaway program after a two-year hiatus. We distributed 2,000 individual saplings with community partners in every borough and, thanks to the strong demand, will increase that number to 3,500 in 2023.

We continued our longstanding reforestation work in our Northern Manhattan parks where we planted over 1,000 native trees and shrubs, most with the help of volunteers. In Highbridge Park, we planted more American chestnut hybrids in an effort to help restore the functionally extinct tree to its historic range and bolster the native forest habitat. Our American chestnut planting and monitoring effort is the largest urban trial of its kind.

In our gardens, we hosted more than 100 public programs and events including fitness classes, movie nights, back-to-school giveaways, and cooking classes for over 4,000 community members. We were also excited to install Little Free Libraries at more than half of our 52 spaces this season. They’ve been instant hits and led to collaborations with schools, libraries, bookstores, and local authors.

Many of our gardens also continued to be important food hubs where our urban agriculture team provided technical assistance via consultations, tutorials, and workshops. Our staff advised gardeners on all aspects of urban growing, from planning and trellising to pest control and harvesting.

Our urban ag work also extended beyond NYRP’s own spaces to reach our Gardens for the City (GFTC) partners. In roughly a decade, GFTC has built and restored over 350 outdoor spaces for community partners citywide, averaging almost two dozen new gardens every season. A 2022 project highlight was renovating the half-acre Union Settlement campus that is a longstanding resource for East Harlem residents.

None of this work would be possible without your support. Thank you for your commitment to New York Restoration Project and to ensuring that every New Yorker has access to the benefits of nature. I look forward to working with you in 2023.

With gratitude,

Lynn Bodnar Kelly, Executive Director

From Our Board Co-Chairs

Despite the many challenges our great city has faced in recent years, New York has come out even stronger, and we at NYRP are so proud to have played an important part.

In 2022, we continued to work with communities citywide to improve and maintain the green spaces that have always been vital locations for growing and gathering. We’ve worked with dozens of organizations and hundreds of community partners to support New Yorkers’ needs.

With the help of partners and volunteers from every borough, this year we:

• Removed 60 tons of trash from parks
• Composted 50 tons of organic materials
• Planted or distributed over 8,000 trees, perennials, and seedlings
• Worked with over 700 urban gardeners to cultivate fresh produce
• Hosted 129 workshops, skill shares, and consultations for gardeners through our Urban Agriculture program
• Hosted over 100 public events for over 4,000 community members
• Built 20 new green spaces at schools, community organizations, and public housing campuses
• And welcomed over 1,200 volunteers to plant trees and help steward our parks and gardens

We’ve learned just how strong and resilient our city is. NYRP will continue to support our neighbors while working to ensure that every New Yorker has access to these crucial natural spaces for years to come.

We are thrilled with what we accomplished in 2022 and we couldn’t have done it without you, our dedicated donors. Thank you for believing in equitable and enriching green space for all New Yorkers. Your support continues to make a difference every day in the communities that need it most.

With gratitude,

Helena Durst and Darcy Stacom
Board of Trustees Co-Chairs

2022 Leadership

This list includes the Board of Trustees as of the close of our FY22 on September 30, 2022.

Supporters

Equitable access to green space has never been more important. We are grateful for our many generous donors who hold this conviction as strongly as we do.

This alphabetical list includes donors who gave $1,000 or more between October 1, 2021 and September 30, 2022. This list has been prepared with care but if there is an error, please notify us at [email protected].