Tour Pelham Bay with NYC Parks and The Natural Areas Conservancy, 10/4-5

On Friday, October 4, and Saturday, October 5, 2013 from 9:15 a.m. - 11:30 a.m., NYC Parks and the Natural Areas Conservancy will lead morning tours of Pelham Bay, the city's largest and most ecologically diverse park, including introductions to the park's forests, wetlands, coastal areas, and diverse wildlife. These tours are held in celebration the successful first year of the Natural Areas Conservancy, which has partnered with NYC Parks to better conserve New York's natural spaces.

The tour will pass through Twin Islands, an area famed for its salt marshes, its rich Native American history, and its location at the geologic and ecological intersection of the Mid-Atlantic and New England regions.

The Natural Areas Conservancy was formed in 2012 to oversee the restoration and coordinated management of the City's 10,000 acres of natural areas, which together provide an important ecological benefit. In its first year, the NAC has initiated a citywide ecological assessment of the city's natural areas, sponsored the production of beach grass to stabilize dunes for coastal resiliency, carried out an assessment of community attitudes towards green spaces in the Jamaica Bay neighborhoods, and increased the scope of the City's wetland restoration efforts.

The tours are free and open to the public. Tours will be followed by a short reception at the historic Bartow-Pell Mansion, located in Pelham Bay Park. Meet at Pelham Bay Park's Orchard Beach parking lot (north-east corner), The Bronx.