Parks & USDA Cut Ribbon on First-Ever Urban Field Station in NYC Parks

Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe today joined USDA Forest Service Northern Research Station Director Michael T. Rains and Director of the Mayor's Office of Long-Term Planning and Sustainability David Bragdon to cut the ribbon on the new Urban Field Station at Fort Totten in Queens.

"The City's first ever Urban Field Station provides wonderful opportunities for Parks Department scientists to share information and work with researchers from all over the world," said Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe. "We are proud to further our partnership with the United States Department of Agriculture's Forest Service to better understand the urban environment, its ecological systems, and managing its dynamic settings, especially as we work to add one million new trees as part of Mayor Bloomberg's PlaNYC."

The New York City Urban Field Station is a unique scientific collaboration between the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation and the USDA Forest Service's Northern Research Station. First launched in 2006, the Urban Field Station now provides a formal location for this long-term research partnership promoting research on urban ecology, conservation, stewardship, and ecological literacy to support ecosystem management and human well-being. The new facility is designed as a shared office and lab where city and federal scientists will work hand-in-hand to address critical land management questions relevant to NYC and other cities across the country.

The Urban Field Station has engaged more than 100 non-profit, academic, and government partners creating innovative research programs, workshops and symposia, technical consultations, peer-reviewed publications, and databases that support urban ecosystem management and sustainability planning efforts such as PlaNYC.

Photo Credit: Daniel Avila / Parks & Recreation