Blue Spaces
Hudson River Park’s 400-acre Estuarine Sanctuary is the heart and soul of the Park. In fact, the Park would never have come into existence had the City and State of New York not committed to recognizing our 400 water acres as a natural resource of extraordinary importance. The Park’s sanctuary waters provide critical habitat to more than 85 species of fish, including seahorses, eels and striped bass, and is a vital migration corridor for birds and other wildlife. The work our team does to study, steward, raise awareness of and protect this incredible natural resource for future generations as well as the biodiverse array of species who call these waters home is core to the Park’s mission.
Learn more:
- Hudson River Park’s 400-acre River Sanctuary
- Get to know local wildlife with our Virtual Wetlab
Green Spaces
Hudson River Park spans four miles along the west side of Manhattan, from Chambers St. in Tribeca to W 59 St. in Hell’s Kitchen. There are roughly 2,500 trees in Hudson River Park, with gardens and green spaces providing important habitat to over 100 species of birds that fly through the Park every year, along with animals and countless insect species, including the endangered monarch butterfly.
Learn more:
Habitat Enhancement Initiatives
Since 2021, Hudson River Park has installed more than 35 million juvenile oysters to Hudson River Park’s 400-acre Estuarine Sanctuary via underwater habitat enhancements in Tribeca and north of Gansevoort Peninsula. The new salt marsh at Gansevoort Peninsula also has added new habitat, e.
Learn more:
- Read more about Hudson River Park’s oyster restoration in the New York Times
- Tribeca Habitat Enhancement
- Pier 26 Tide Deck
- Gansevoort Peninsula Salt Marsh
BlueGreen Sustainability Initiatives
Hudson River Park’s BlueGreen sustainability initiatives help keep the Park green and reduce plastic waste released into the river environment, as well as generating compost used in the gardens, and supporting sustainability events for west side communities.
- Park Over Plastic
- Blue Team — featuring the Park’s WasteShark
- Community Compost Program
Environmental Education
Hudson River Park’s River Project welcomes more than 35,000 science lovers of all ages each year to connect with marine and environmental science while discovering the wonders of the Hudson River.
- Hudson River Park’s River Project
- SUBMERGE Marine Science Festival
- Field Trip Programs
- Pier 57 Discovery Tank — the Park’s year-round highly interactive, tech-powered classroom
- Pier 40 Wetlab — HRPK’s flow-through native aquarium and marine biology field station
Environmental Research
Hudson River Park’s River Project conducts research and environmental monitoring to increase understanding of the Sanctuary’s ecological, biological, physical and chemical conditions and relationships. This research produces publicly accessible data sets and informs management decisions to protect and restore the River Sanctuary for generations to come.