2022 President’s Award for Excellence in Ecological Conservation: Natural Areas Conservancy

President’s Award for Excellence in Ecological Conservation: Natural Areas Conservancy New York City is home to over 20,000 acres of natural areas — with 7,300 acres of forest within NYC Parks jurisdiction. Each year, the city’s trees capture 1.97 billion gallons of stormwater runoff and store 1.2 million tons of carbon per year. New York City’s urban forests also provide meaningful connections to nature for millions of people. The Natural Areas Conservancy champions urban natural areas in New York City and across the nation through innovative research, partnerships, and advocacy. They increase the health and resilience of urban forests and wetlands, catalyze connections between people and nature, and strengthen the environmental workforce. The Natural Areas Conservancy works across NYC to ensure healthy forests through tree plantings and long-term management and improve coastal resilience by rebuilding dunes and marshes, and creating tools to prioritize wetland restoration. They adapt natural areas to climate change by conducting innovative research and developing cutting-edge resources for practitioners. They also inspire the next generation of conservation leaders through training, volunteer events, tours, lectures, and trail improvement and build a coalition of parks professionals to promote healthy natural areas in cities across America.