Support Jamaica Bay and Rockaway Parks
Donate Now to support Jamaica Bay — the largest natural space in New York City, with 44 square miles of public parklands, open water and vital marshlands. With more than 350 species of birds, 100 species of fish, 50 species of butterflies, plus a variety of shellfish, seals, dolphins, and even whales, Jamaica Bay supports a diverse ecosystem. The salt marshes also act as a first line of flooding and hurricane defense for communities. One acre of wetland is capable of holding 1.5 million gallons of water, the equivalent of two olympic-sized swimming pools.
This abundance of life returns each year, despite the fact that nearly 80 percent of Jamaica Bay’s salt marshes have disappeared over the past century, as a result of intense urbanization. Nature is resilient, but it needs a helping hand. By encouraging public engagement with our parks, we can drive investment and stewardship of these natural areas for many generations to come.
What we accomplished in 2025
Jamaica Bay-Rockaway Parks Conservancy (JBRPC) produces hundreds of events per year, from volunteer cleanups, school field trips, nature activities for kids and families, encounters with wildlife, health and fitness activities, plus programs that highlight local arts and culture. In 2025, we were honored to see 11,700 of our friends, neighbors and visitors attend our events.
JBRPC also takes an active hand in environmental restoration. In 2025, we removed 12 tons of debris, stewarded nearly 50 acres of natural areas, and installed nearly 10,000 native plants around Jamaica Bay and the Rockaway Peninsula.
Building on the efforts of environmental forerunners from local communities, particularly the Jamaica Bay Ecowatchers, JBRPC was established in 2013 to help steward this vast, wild expanse of public lands and waters alongside civil servants from New York City Parks, New York State Parks and the National Park Service.
Our work would not be possible without the generosity of individual donors and volunteers. Thank you for taking an active role in stewarding Jamaica Bay — and happy holidays from the JBRPC team.