“Innovation and Action in Jamaica Bay: A State of the Bay Event” Explored Natured-Based Solutions and Resilience in New York City’s Largest Natural Area
Community and agency leaders, researchers, technologists, students, and environmental stewards convened to celebrate progress and strategize continued protection and restoration of Jamaica Bay
Jamaica Bay-Rockaway Parks Conservancy (JBRPC) and the Science and Resilience Institute of Jamaica Bay (SRIJB) convened over 225 environmental stewards, government agency leaders, researchers, technologists and community members for Innovation and Action in Jamaica Bay: A State of the Bay Event at the Rockaway Hotel, on Thursday, June 12th. The afternoon’s program focused on harnessing nature-based solutions for coastal resilience in New York City — connecting a diverse audience with this shared goal — through networking and dialogue.
“Innovation and Action in Jamaica Bay: A State of the Bay Event” took place at The Rockaway Hotel’s rooftop, with panoramic views of the natural spaces attendees are working to protect.
Thought-provoking panel discussions and presentations spotlighted cutting-edge strategies, celebrated local achievements, and explored bold, collaborative solutions for building a resilient and thriving urban estuary:
Inventive founders from the nature-technology companies, Natrx and Pliant Energy Systems demonstrated how technology and the environment can complement each other — offering nature-based solutions for shoreline stabilization, and marine robots that can survey sensitive underwater ecosystems with novel fins instead of potentially destructive propellers.
Representatives from the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation, New York State Parks, Recreation & Historic Preservation, the National Park Service, New York City Department of Environmental Protection, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers detailed the success of projects restoring natural areas and parklands — providing the benefits of flood control, water quality improvements, carbon sequestration and increased access to nature for residents and visitors.
Stewards and researchers from Jamaica Bay-Rockaway Parks Conservancy and New York Sea Grant presented their work to restore marshlands and monitor flooding. These initiatives are uniquely linked, as each acre of salt marsh in Jamaica Bay is capable of holding 1.5 million gallons of water — the equivalent of two olympic-sized swimming pools.
Leaders from Natural Areas Conservancy, Billion Oyster Project, City University of New York, and Jamaica Bay-Rockaway Parks Conservancy spoke about efforts to improve workforce development for the current and future jobs in environmental stewardship, renewable energy and parks management — discussing how to ensure young people from all backgrounds have awareness of, and pipeline into careers in this growing field.
The Conservancy also honored the Jamaica Bay Ecowatchers with the inaugural Jamaica Bay Champion Award — recognizing their early leadership to raise awareness on marsh loss and their unwavering advocacy that has resulted in vast improvements to water quality, wildlife and public use of parklands.
The Jamaica Bay Ecowatchers, Dan Mundy Sr. and Dan Mundy Jr., accept the Jamaica Bay Champion Award
Details on the program and diverse set of 17 speakers across public agencies, private technology companies, community advocacy, academia and non-profit organizations are available at JBRPC.org/stateofthebay.
Pliant Energy Systems demonstrate their amphibious robot with a unique undulating propulsion system
“Jamaica Bay’s ecological health and recreational use have soared in recent years,” said Terri Carta, JBRPC’s executive director, pointing out that Jamaica Bay parklands comprise 44 square miles, or twice the size of Manhattan, of beaches, coastal parks, vast tidal wetlands, and open water. “Innovation and Action in Jamaica Bay was conceived around the ideas of celebration and inspiration, recognizing collective efforts and excitement for trying new things that are making a real difference, and re-centering the bay as a critical and vulnerable estuary.”
“Jamaica Bay and the surrounding land provides so many important benefits to people and for wildlife, and that’s why so many of us work collectively to understand and steward this important ecological and cultural place,” said Brett Branco, SRIJB’s executive director. “Innovation and Action in Jamaica Bay is an opportunity to celebrate our recent successes and renew our commitments to collaborate for the common good.”
Innovation and Action in Jamaica Bay coincides with the 20-year anniversary of city legislation that called for a Jamaica Bay Watershed Protection Plan to outline management strategies and actions for improved water quality, to restore natural ecology, and foster community and social resilience. The event also kicked off a year of smaller State of the Bay convenings and research colloquia leading up to a decadal update in 2026.
Innovation and Action in Jamaica Bay: A State of the Bay Event was presented by Jamaica Bay-Rockaway Parks Conservancy and the Science & Resilience Institute at Jamaica Bay, with support from NYC Ferry, The Rockaway Hotel, and Soleil Wines.
About Jamaica Bay-Rockaway Parks Conservancy (JBRPC)
Jamaica Bay is New York City’s largest and most ecologically productive open space — an unparalleled oasis of nature covering 44 square miles of open water, tidal wetlands, and coastal parklands altogether twice the size of Manhattan — that directly serves more than 1 million New Yorkers who live in adjacent neighborhoods and more than 3 million who live within its catchment area in southeastern Brooklyn and Queens. As a unique public-private partnership that works across city, state and federal agencies, Jamaica Bay-Rockaway Parks Conservancy was established in 2013 to bring together diverse community stakeholders, elected officials, academic researchers and others toward a common goal: improving public parklands for enjoyment and ecosystem health. Learn more at JBRPC.org.
About Science & Resilience Institute at Jamaica Bay (SRIJB)
The Science and Resilience Institute at Jamaica Bay (SRIJB) is an institute of the City University of New York (CUNY) created in partnership with New York City and the National Park Service. Founded in 2013, the SRIJB advances the theory and practice of resilience in the Jamaica Bay watershed and New York City through interdisciplinary research, education, training and engagement of stakeholders. The SRIJB has over a decade of experience working collaboratively with agencies, researchers and stakeholders to preserve and protect the health of Jamaica Bay and the communities that surround it.