Randall's Island

Team RIVER Volunteers
2025-10-29 09:30 - 12:30, 2025-11-05 09:30 - 12:30, 2025-11-12 09:30 - 12:30, 2025-11-19 09:30 - 12:30, 2025-12-03 09:30 - 12:30, 2025-12-10 09:30 - 12:30 UTC
Volunteer with Team RIVER (Randall’s Island Volunteer Ecological Restorers) and help keep Randall’s Island Park beautiful! Team RIVER Volunteers regularly work with the Natural Areas team twice a month to take care of and restore our natural spaces on the island. With our Horticulture team, volunteers care for the many gardens, green streets and meadows, every second Wednesday of each month. Team RIVER also works with our Sports Field and Operations teams, keeping our park clean and maintained. If you are only able to volunteer on a limited basis, you are still very much welcome!
This volunteer opportunity is open to individuals from the community. Groups of more than 5 people must contact: Volunteers@RandallsIsland.org
Volunteers must be at least 11 years old. Anyone under the age of 18 must have a waiver signed by their legal guardian before starting any work. Children under 16 must also have an adult with them while volunteering. A downloadable volunteer waiver can be found at this link: General Volunteer – Randall’s Island
Registration is required here.
Location: Volunteers will be notified after registration.
For inquiries about accessibility, to request an accommodation, or for event information, please email publicprograms@randallsisland.org.

2025 Jesse Owens Track & Field Youth Program - Fall
2025-11-01 10:00 - 12:00 | Thomas Jefferson Park
Join the Randall’s Island Park Alliance and City Parks Foundation for the Jesse Owens Track & Field Youth Program! This free weekly program is available to youth ages 8-16 and enables participants to learn the fundamentals of the sport and stay active. Activities will focus on running techniques for springs and relays and will introduce other track and field activities like the long jump, hurdles, and long-distance running.
Registration is required on LeagueApps with City Parks Foundation!
Location: Thomas Jefferson Park (East Harlem)
For inquiries about accessibility, to request an accommodation, or for event information, please email publicprograms@randallsisland.org.

Winter Composting with Big Reuse
2025-11-02 10:00 - 13:00, 2025-11-15 10:00 - 13:00, 2025-11-22 10:00 - 13:00, 2025-11-29 10:00 - 13:00, 2025-12-06 10:00 - 13:00, 2025-12-13 10:00 - 13:00, 2025-12-20 10:00 - 13:00, 2025-12-27 10:00 - 13:00 and 4 more dates | Urban Farm
Join the NYC Compost Project with Big Reuse as we manage the 5-bin compost system at Randall’s Island Urban Farm!
We will be breaking down paper bags/sticks/yard waste into appropriate sizes for composting, decontaminating food scraps and chopping whole fruits or vegetables in preparation for the compost pile, turning phase 2 compost piles, as well as sifting out finished compost.
Your volunteer work with us helps divert food scraps and organic waste away from land-fill which decreases greenhouse gas emissions as well as creates a soil amendment out of that organic waste which goes back into parks, gardens, and public green spaces in our local area. This work all goes toward making a more just ecologically sustainable community!
Registration is required here.
Location: Urban Farm
For inquiries about accessibility, to request an accommodation, or for event information, please email publicprograms@randallsisland.org.

Wild Oyster Survey
2025-11-05 14:00 - 16:00 | Little Hell Gate Salt Marsh
Wild oysters are a key indicator of ecosystem health in the New York Harbor. Randall’s Island Park Alliance is partnering with the Billion Oyster Project to conduct a wild oyster survey in the Little Hell Gate Salt Marsh! Volunteers will have the opportunity to identify oysters and take multiple parameters to determine the abundance, size, and health of the wild oyster population.
Registration is required here.
Location: Little Hell Gate Salt Marsh
For inquiries about accessibility, to request an accommodation or for event information, please email publicprograms@randallsisland.org.

Fall Cleanup
2025-11-08 09:30 - 12:00 | Icahn Stadium
Join the Randall’s Island Park Alliance and our Natural Areas Team for one last push to cleanup the park while the weather is still agreeable. Volunteers will not only help with picking up litter and debris but also remove invasive species, clean walking trail paths and other duties to put us on a good path for the winter months.
Gloves, tools and instructions included.
All participants must sign a Waiver of Liability. Teens aged 16 and 17 years old may volunteer without adult supervision but they must bring a waiver found at this link, signed by a parent or guardian.
Minors under 16 years old must be accompanied by a parent or guardian or adult and bring the attached waiver signed by a parent or guardian. This waiver should be given to those at the registration table.
Please find a Liability Waiver for minors here: General Volunteer – Randall’s Island
Registration is required here.
Location: Meeting at Icahn Stadium
For inquiries about accessibility, to request an accommodation or for event information, please email publicprograms@randallsisland.org.

Team RIVER Saturdays
2025-11-22 09:30 - 12:30, 2025-12-06 09:30 - 12:30, 2025-12-13 09:30 - 12:30
Join our Team RIVER on a Saturday morning to support your park and the community!
In late Autumn, Randall’s Island Park Alliance hosts a volunteer event most Saturdays. Volunteers will work in different areas of the park to clean and beautify this important community resource.
These events have limited capacity and if you have a group larger than 5 persons you must contact us at volunteers@RandallsIsland.org and give us the specifics of your group size.
Registration is required here.
Location: Different locations throughout the park. Register for specifics.
For inquiries about accessibility, to request an accommodation, or for event information, please email publicprograms@randallsisland.org.

Winter Wreath Workshop
2025-12-13 12:00 - 14:00 | Icahn Stadium
Celebrate the season with a cozy, hands-on wreath making workshop! Guided by our Horticulture team, you’ll create your own one-of-a-kind wreath using seasonal greenery, dried flowers, and natural materials foraged from the Park’s landscape. All materials and instruction are provided. No experience necessary!
Registration is required here.
Location: The Classroom at Icahn Stadium
For inquiries about accessibility, to request accommodation, or for event information, please email publicprograms@randallsisland.org.

The 126th Annual Christmas Bird Count
2025-12-14 09:00 - 12:00 | Icahn Stadium
Join the NYC Bird Alliance at Randall’s Island Park for this popular and accessible community science tradition, conducted across North America every year since 1900. The long-term data collected by Audubon Christmas Bird Count volunteers provides a fundamental way to understand the long-term health of bird populations—and has contributed to several recent impactful reports on bird decline in North America.

The Christmas Bird Count is a way that everyone can contribute to scientific knowledge that can help us protect birds. Participants range from expert ornithologists to beginning birders, following established protocols to ensure consistent data collection. Kids are welcome!

Learn more and REGISTER HERE through the NYC Bird Alliance

Location: Icahn Stadium

Dress warmly and don’t forget your binoculars! For more information, email communityscience@nycbirdalliance.org.

For inquiries about accessibility, and to request an accommodation, please email publicprograms@randallsisland.org.

Please note that lunch will not be provided, so please bring your own!

CANCELLED Winter Composting with Big Reuse
2026-01-24 10:00 - 13:00 | Urban Farm
This event is CANCELLED due to inclement weather.

Seed Packaging
2026-01-31 10:00 - 13:00 | Icahn Stadium
Volunteers will package thousands of seeds to give away next season! Each growing season, the Urban Farm gives away hundreds of seed packets at its welcome table during weekend Open Hours. Seed packets are extremely popular with our visitors — so much so that it is hard to keep the table stocked.
This indoor activity will require volunteers to package and label seeds to give away to the public. Snacks, hot chocolate, and tea will be provided.
Registration is required here.
Location: Icahn Stadium
For inquiries about accessibility, to request an accommodation, or for event information, please email publicprograms@randallsisland.org.

CANCELLED Winter Composting with Big Reuse
2026-01-31 10:00 - 13:00 | Urban Farm
This event has been cancelled due to inclement weather.

CANCELLED Winter Composting with Big Reuse
2026-02-07 10:00 - 13:00 | Urban Farm
UDPATE: This event has been cancelled due to inclement weather.
