Join the Amateur Astronomers Association at historic Floyd Bennett Field for free monthly observing sessions, open to the public!

The observing location is next to the Community Garden. It is within walking distance of the Q35 bus, and there is ample parking for cars.

If you do come out, remember to observe proper car light etiquette. Douse your lights at the entrance in the fence line, and let someone guide you in. If your car has running lights that don’t turn off, park at the fence. NOTE: Events are canceled in the event of rain, of if the sky is overcast.

Join us for National Moth Week as we dive into the secret world of Jamaica Bay’s glowing biodiversity. We’ll begin indoors with our “Moth Academy,” featuring light refreshments and an introduction to the local species, led by Don Riepe, a founding member of the NYC Butterfly Club.

While inside, participants can get creative at our moth mask art station and practice their photography skills at the UV “glow-up” photo station. As darkness falls, we will venture outside for our “moth crawl.”

Experience three unique stations, our powerful light sheet, sugar baiting on trees, and a guided UV flashlight walk to find vital coastal pollinators like the Luna moth and the White-lined Sphinx Moth.

No prior experience needed. A perfect outing for all nature lovers.

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) I FISH NY program is excited to offer an engaging recreational experience, connecting state residents with their local natural resources through fishing.

DEC provides all the necessary instruction, equipment, and bait for a fishing experience. Visit the DEC Free Learn To Fish Clinics webpage for more information about this and other free fishing events.

Speak with Jamaica Bay-Rockaway Parks Conservancy and Marine Park Alliance staff on site to learn about our upcoming recreation, ecology, and family programs like this one and more!

Kayaking for beginners. Open to the public, ages 6 and up with an adult. No reservation is required.

Dress to get wet, wear shoes that will not fall off, and bring water, sunscreen, and a snack. Kayaks, personal flotation devices, paddles and instructions will be provided.

Kayaking for beginners.  Open to the public, ages 6 and up with an adult. No reservation required.

Dress to get wet, wear shoes that will not fall off, and bring water, sunscreen, and a snack.

Kayaks, personal flotation devices, paddles and instructions will be provided.

Kayaking for beginners. Open to the public, ages 6 and up with an adult. No reservation is required.

Dress to get wet, wear shoes that will not fall off, and bring water, sunscreen, and a snack. Kayaks, personal flotation devices, paddles and instructions will be provided.

This is a fun “how to” paddle program. Learn to get in and out, go forward, turn, stop and back up a kayak.

Dress to get wet, wear shoes that will not fall off, and bring water, sunscreen, and a snack. Kayaks, personal floatation devices, paddles and instructions will be provided.

Call (347) 672 3210 to make a reservation and for more information.

Join National Park Service rangers and your neighbors for a Jamaica Bay-themed book club! We will be reading selections of nature-themed literature, and together think critically about nature literature and our place in the natural world.

This will be an outlet for open and respectful discussion, and a space to jointly enjoy the works that we will be reading! Please bring your thoughts and questions.

Join park educators in learning what fish live in Jamaica Bay through FREE rod and reel fishing! Catch and release only. Materials provided.

No experience necessary, join us on Penn Pier to learn the ins and outs of fishing in Jamaica Bay! Participants will also learn about fish identification, fishing equipment and techniques, angling ethics, and aquatic ecology.

This is a FREE program! All supplies, including rods and bait will be provided.

Each session is limited to 15 fishing rods; families/small groups are encouraged to share a rod.

Please only register for one session per Friday, to give others a chance to fish.

Session times: 2:00pm to 2:45pm | 3:00pm to 3:45pm | 4:00pm to 4:45pm

Enjoy this easygoing paddle along Mill Basin’s shoreline and perhaps glimpse roiling bunker or horses on the far shoreline. Led by a National Park Service Ranger.

Dress to get wet, wear shoes that will not fall off, and bring water, sunscreen, and a snack. Kayaks, personal flotation devices, paddles and instructions will be provided.

Call (347) 672 3210 to make a reservation and for more information. (1 mile)

Join the National Park Service for a park ranger-led program highlighting the nature and history of Jamaica Bay. 

Open to all — no registration required.

For more information about a week's tour, call the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center at 718-318-4340.

Join Marine Park Alliance and the Amateur Astronomers Association as we celebrate the longest day of the year by viewing the sun through telescopes with filters to allow for safe solar observation. 

Join the National Park Service for a park ranger-led program highlighting the nature and history of Jamaica Bay. 

Open to all — no registration required.

For more information about a week's tour, call the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center at 718-318-4340.

Join the National Park Service for a park ranger-led program highlighting the nature and history of Jamaica Bay. 

Open to all — no registration required.

For more information about a week's tour, call the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center at 718-318-4340.

Join us at Edgemere Farm for a free, fun, hands-on program celebrating pollinators and their important role in our community! Designed for children ages 2–10 and their caregivers, this interactive event will explore how bees, butterflies, and other pollinators help grow the food we eat and support healthy ecosystems right here in Rockaway.

Families will enjoy a guided garden tour, playful learning activities including making their own “insect hotels” using upcycled and foraged materials, and a chance to take home a native plant to support pollinators at home. Through exploration, movement, and discovery, participants will learn how caring for pollinators helps strengthen both the farm and our local environment. Pre-registration is required.

Join a park ranger on a tour to learn all about Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge! Together we'll focus on the plants, animals, and history, that make this place so special. We will incorporate some meditative practices as well to find new ways to enhance our experiences in nature.

Our Urban Park Rangers will guide you to the best viewing spots in New York City to see migratory birds. Birding programs are appropriate for all skill levels and beginners are welcome.

Learn more about plovers, terns, oystercatchers and other shorebirds that nest on the beach shoreline.

This two-hour guided forest bathing workshop invites participants into a traditional slow immersion walk through the park, integrating mindful sensory invitations, breathwork, and embodied reflection.

In alignment with World Environment Day’s global call for environmental stewardship and climate resilience, the experience concludes with a guided visualization and gentle act-of-care practice, encouraging each participant to identify one sustainable action that supports both personal well-being and planetary health.

Registration required.

What role do mushrooms and fungi play in the complex web of ecosystems found in the salt marsh? What exactly are mushrooms and fungi? Discover more with Andrew Cannon of the New York Mycological Society and find out what's could be growing in our marsh.

Volunteer with NYC Parks for Trees Count 2025! At each event you will receive a tote bag with all the materials needed to count trees.

Next, we'll provide a 30-minute training session that includes the basics of tree identification and how to measure and assess each tree. Using our Tree Census app, you’ll split up into different zones within the park to start counting trees!

After completing your first training event, you are welcome to continue counting trees on your own in smaller parks across the city. Registration is required. Registration begins on May 14.

Join Marine Park Alliance to learn how you can use binoculars to help out with New York State Department of Environmental Conservation’s volunteer diamondback terrapin headcount surveys.

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) I FISH NY program is excited to offer an engaging recreational experience, connecting state residents with their local natural resources through fishing.

DEC provides all the necessary instruction, equipment, and bait for a fishing experience. Visit the DEC Free Learn To Fish Clinics webpage for more information about this and other free fishing events.

Stop by the Jamaica Bay-Rockaway Parks Conservancy table to learn about our upcoming recreation, ecology, and family programs like this one and more!

Help us catch, count, and record fish species and wildlife that thrive along the shores of the Penn Water Access Area!

Join the Education Team on Saturday, May 30th from 10am to 12pm for a morning of seining! Together we'll discover the incredible wildlife that call these shores home.

This program is free! All supplies are provided.

All ages are welcome. Children under 16 must be accompanied by an adult.

This program is fully outdoors. Please wear shoes you don't mind getting wet or muddy.

We will meet at the Penn Water Access Area. Note: The PWAA is roughly a 10 minute walk from the parking lot along a flat, gravel trail.

Don't forget to pack water, sun screen, and whatever else you need to be comfortable outside on the trails.

Join the Amateur Astronomers Association at historic Floyd Bennett Field for free monthly observing sessions, open to the public!

The observing location is next to the Community Garden. It is within walking distance of the Q35 bus, and there is ample parking for cars.

If you do come out, remember to observe proper car light etiquette. Douse your lights at the entrance in the fence line, and let someone guide you in. If your car has running lights that don’t turn off, park at the fence. NOTE: Events are canceled in the event of rain, of if the sky is overcast.

Join New York State Parks educators and NYC Bird Alliance to discover the joys of urban birding as the sun sets behind the Manhattan skyline!

Join New York State Park staff for a guided birding session where they’ll teach you everything you need to get started!

Come birdwatching with the NYC Bird Alliance, park educators, and other bird enthusiasts to discover the incredible birds at Shirley Chisholm State Park.

Binoculars and ID guides will be provided to borrow for the duration of the hike.

This program is free! All ages are welcome. Children under 16 must be accompanied by an adult.

Participants will meet at Hendrix Creek Patio, near the Penn Entrance parking lot. Please wear comfortable shoes for gravel trails, and bring enough water to stay hydrated during this outing.

Get your feet wet and learn the very beginner basics of kayaking!

Join New York State Parks staff for a beginner paddling class! No prior experience required. 15+ only, accompanied by an adult.

We will provide all necessary equipment including: kayak, paddles, PFD (personal floatation device).

WHEN: Three sessions on Saturday, May 23rd from 1pm to 4pm.

Session 1: 1pm to 1:45pm

Session 2: 2pm to 2:45pm

Session 3: 3pm to 3:45pm

WHERE: Kayak programs are held at the Penn Water Access Area, a 10 minute walk from the parking lot along gravel trails. Paddlers must be on-time for their session or they will not be permitted on the water.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION: All participants must sign a NY State Parks waiver in order to paddle. Participants are expected to wear a PFD at all times while on the water.

Our boats are all double sit-on top kayaks. Boats will be assigned based on group needs.

You will have to wade into the water to get into the kayak, so please wear secure footwear that you do not mind getting wet and muddy. You will not be allowed to paddle or walk on the shoreline barefoot, as there are sharp rocks and shells in the sand.

All paddling programs are weather dependent and subject to cancelation or rescheduling if weather, tide, or water conditions are deemed unsafe by the instructor.

Registration is required for this event.

Join Jamaica Bay-Rockaway Parks Conservancy, American Littoral Society, NYC Bird Alliance, Plover Project, NYC Parks and the National Park Service for the Annual Horseshoe Crab Festival!

Attendees will meet at Sunset Cove Park (next to American Ballfields Park), to see Horseshoe Crabs on the shoreline and learn about their ecological and medicinal importance! Horseshoe crabs, nicknamed “living fossils,” come ashore around Jamaica Bay this time of year to lay millions of eggs.

This event is jointly produced and presented by Jamaica Bay-Rockaway Parks Conservancy, NYC Bird Alliance, American Littoral Society, the National Park Service, NYC Plover Project and NYC Parks.

Celebrate spring and the essential role pollinators play in the ecosystems of Rockaway and Jamaica Bay at our Shoreline Pollinator Festival!

Join the Jamaica Bay-Rockaway Parks Conservancy, The Garden By the Bay, and the Edgemere Alliance for this family-friendly event at 43rd Street Waterfront Park, where we’ll highlight native bees, butterflies, and other pollinating insects that support our coastal and urban habitats. Through hands-on activities and interactive learning, participants will explore how pollinators help sustain local plants, strengthen biodiversity, and contribute to resilient waterfront landscapes, while also learning about the challenges these species face.
Get your hands in the soil by helping us plant pollinator-friendly species to beautify the park and create vital habitat. Participants can also decorate terracotta pots, make seed bombs, and take home native plant seeds, along with a pollinator-friendly plant to care for at home.

Join us to plant, create, and give back to your local environment, because healthy shorelines depend on all of us.

Join NYC Parks and Natural Areas Conservancy for a Super Steward: Pathkeeper training at Rockaway Community Park.

If you are attending, please fill out this volunteer waiver. 

Note: Every attendee must fill out waiver. If you have others joining, please ensure they fill out the waiver above as well.