Governors Island Nature
About
Governors Island Nature fosters visitor engagement with Governors Island’s 120 acres of natural and built open spaces and promotes horticulture practices employed by the Trust for Governors Island that support biodiversity. Through learning, public programs, and stewardship projects, Governors Island Nature aims to educate visitors about horticulture, biodiversity and the impacts of climate change on our natural surroundings, while promoting Governors Island as a sanctuary for all beings.
The work of Governors Island Nature and the Trust’s horticulture team is led by the firm belief that anyone can develop meaningful connections to the natural world in an urban setting, understand our shared ecological responsibility, and help combat biodiversity loss. Our team employs a wide range of innovative, experimental methods to cultivate native habitats with a goal of mitigating the harmful effects of habitat destruction and climate change. With a mix of historic and newer, manmade landscapes — many of which were created to mitigate the impacts of climate change — Governors Island provides New Yorkers with a unique opportunity to witness and participate in nature-based climate solutions and native habitat restoration.
Get Involved
- Volunteer with us: Join a Monthly Service Day with the Trust’s horticulture team and the Friends of Governors Island, held the second Tuesday of each month. Click here for more info.
- Community science: Join the Trust’s horticulture team for monthly Nature Walks during the spring, summer, and fall months to discover Island biodiversity! Click here for an event calendar. Make sure to create a free account with iNaturalist and log your plant and wildlife observations during your visit — this creates useful data that helps track and increase biodiversity around the world.
Resources & Updates From our Team
- Self-guided nature scavenger hunt, spring 2024
- The Trees of Governors Island: Effectively Managing an Urban Forest
- The Trees of Governors Island: Surveying Our Diverse Canopy
Resources & Updates From our Partners
The Trust works with a growing community of year-round and seasonal tenants and other partner organizations. See below for resources and updates from several on-Island partners.
- NYC Bird Alliance’s Birding Guide to Governors Island
- GrowNYC Teaching Garden resources
- 10 Ways to Save the Bees, a guide from the Bee Conservancy
- Composting on Governors Island, a guide from Earth Matter NY
2024 is the Year of Milkweed on Governors Island!
Governors Island is inviting all New Yorkers to join us for a year of educational programs and events that highlight the power of native plants in encouraging biodiversity and healthier ecosystems. Our goal is to plant 5,000 milkweed plants all around the Island in 2024, with your help. Click here for more information.