Freshkills Park

Join the Freshkills Park Alliance, , and for our 3rd annual New Springville Greenway cleaning!

Volunteers and staff will help to remove debris, trash and prune vegetation to create further access for cyclists and pedestrians alike.

All are welcome to participate but please wear sturdy/close toe footwear, weather appropriate clothing, sunscreen, bug repellent and please bring water and a snack.

Registration is required and will be shared in bio.

This past weekend, over 200 nature lovers, students, scientists, and curious explorers took over Clove Lakes Park for the 2026 Staten Island Bio-Blitz — and WOW did Staten Island show off its wild side! 🌎✨

Over just 24 hours, citizen scientists logged:
680 wildlife observations
269 identified species
And Countless “WAIT…WHAT WAS THAT?!” moments

From bat hikes and frog watches to bee walks, birding, bugs, and forest-floor discoveries, Bio-Blitz transformed Staten Island’s “Central Park” into one giant outdoor science adventure. 🌳

Huge thanks to all the amazing partners who made the magic happen including the Staten Island Zoo, Freshkills Park Alliance, NYC Parks, Greenbelt Conservancy, Protectors of Pine Oak Woods, The Bee Conservancy, Staten Island Museum, Urban Park Rangers, and every volunteer who helped turn curiosity into conservation. 💚

Nature is alive all around us — sometimes you just need to slow down and look under a log.

WildStatenIsland CitizenScience FreshkillsPark StatenIslandZoo ExploreOutdoors NYCParks

Paws hit the park in style this past Sunday, May 17th 2026, as the Freshkills Park Alliance and NYC Parks hosted our very first Dog Parade at North Park — and what a tail-wagging success it was!

From dazzling costumes to heartwarming moments between pups and their humans, our community and their K9 companions lit up the runway competing for awards like Best Dressed, Best Twinning, Shining Senior, and Judges’ Choice.

The Freshkills Park Dog Parade Judges 👑


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Freshkills Park is more than open space — it’s a place where community gathers, memories are made, and even our four-legged friends get their moment in the spotlight.

We were proud to celebrate alongside incredible community partners including Pit Bulls & Addicts, the Plant Ecology Center and Nursery, the NYC Mountain Bike Association, and many others who helped make the day unforgettable.

A BIG Freshkills thank you to our AmeriCorps Fellow Bonnie Nygard for producing such a fantastic and inclusive event!

A special thank you to NYC Assemblyman Charles Fall and Congresswoman Nicole Malliotakis for joining us in celebrating such a joyful event.

To everyone who came out, cheered from the sidelines, wagged a tail, or struck a pose down the runway — thank you for making our first Dog Parade one to remember. 🐾

Save the date 🦃
Sunday, November 22 2026

Join The Freshkills Park Alliance and NYCMTB for the 4th annual Great Gobbler gravel and mountain bike race. New York City's premiere gravel bike race. 

🎶 🚴‍♀️ 🏆 🎁 and so much more.

On Mother’s Day, the Freshkills Park Alliance hosted a special kayaking program.

A group of 21 paddlers spent the day taking in the views, feeling the wind, and spending time with some very special women: OUR MOTHERS! 🩷

We thank all who joined us for this very special journey and hope to see you on the water soon! 🚣‍♀️

Be the first to know about our upcoming kayaking adventures! Sign up for our monthly newsletter: https://freshkillspark.org/newsletter

May 17th is coming up! We hope to see you and your dog at Freshkills Park from 10 AM to 1 PM in your best Spring wear. Sign your dog up or volunteer at the link below or just show up to cheer on your favorite dog. The award categories are best dressed, twinning (dog and dog owner lookalike contest), shining senior, and judge's choice. We can not wait to see who wins what award (there will be a prize for the winners).

https://www.eventbrite.com/cc/freshkills-park-spring-dog-parade-4837713

The Freshkills Park Alliance is grateful to our partners for instructing our NYCID students from .i in Introduction to Welding!

Teaching welding to young people isn’t just about learning a trade—it opens up practical, economic, and personal pathways that a lot of traditional education misses.

Welding provides a direct route into stable, well-paying careers. Skilled welders are in demand across industries like construction, manufacturing, shipbuilding, and infrastructure repair. These are jobs that will never be outsourced to AI.

Scott and Annette are such passionate instructors and we are so very lucky to be part of their community!

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It’s Bio-Blitz season! 🌱

Through free public programming, help scientists, students, and other naturalists survey local biodiversity, identifying as many species as possible in a 2 day period.

QR Code leads to Freshkills Eventbrite homepage: Where all Bio-Blitz events will be posted shortly.

Thank you to all who attended Freshkills’ seed swap and starting workshop, led by .hgn. We had a fantastic mix of well-seasoned and eager beginner gardeners, swapping seed success stories, native seed mixes, and diving into soil composition. Happy planting!

Interested in getting first access to workshops like this? Stay in the know by signing up for the Freshkills newsletter at https://freshkillspark.org/newsletter