Forever Wild is an initiative created by NYC Parks to preserve and protect by local law the ecologically valuable lands within the five boroughs. Brooklyn's largest park, Marine Park, boasts 530 acres of this protected landscape for you to explore. Approximately four miles of Nature trails loop through the grasslands on the east side of Gerritsen Creek and more trails crisscross the upland woods on the western side of the creek – all with views of the salt marsh that buffers the inland from destructive storms. Check out the map of the nature trails here.
Contrary to popular belief, Nature doesn't "take care of itself" in an urban setting. Weeds set in, trampling and illegal dumping occur. Marine Park Alliance has regular volunteer days to pull out invasive weeds and remove dumped garbage. Thousands of volunteers turn out to help combat this abuse and to promote biodiversity in our grassland and marsh habitats. We also have a rare and healthy upland forest that survives. To learn more about this productive landscape, join an educational tour with one of our partners from the Forever Wild Committee. To join a volunteer event, click here.
In 2019, Marine Park Alliance created the Forever Wild Committee to carefully monitor and advocate for this land. It is a group of representatives from organizations that care about this particular acreage. Together with Parks Department, the committee created a Landscape Management Plan for the park.
For a more detailed description of the Preserve itself, see the NYC Parks webpage for the Marine Park Preserve written by the Natural Resources Group.
Photo courtesy of Karen Eichel.