Support Our Nature Center Initiative

UNDER CONSTRUCTION!

In August 2025, RIPA broke ground on the $6 million Nature Center, a future hub for science, recreation, and environmental learning in the heart of the park. Designed to be highly accessible by bus, bike, and foot, the centrally-located Nature Center will host the Alliance’s free public programs, from school field trips and summer camps to drop-in visits from the Park’s four million annual guests. The Nature Center is expected to be completed in Fall 2026.

Free and open to all, the Nature Center will provide a permanent home for the Alliance’s diverse educational and community programs. Visitors will be invited to explore the Park’s vibrant waterfront, connect with the Urban Farm, and dive into hands-on citizen science, all under one roof.

The Nature Center will serve as a base camp for diverse student groups, RIPA’s college and career training programs, and volunteers who visit the Island. Newly-created, dedicated classroom space will serve the Alliance’s youth education programs that engage more than 15,000 local students each year, 91 percent of whom are from underserved, neighboring communities, including East Harlem and the South Bronx. The Nature Center will also be available for RIPA’s summer campers to use as a base for programming and serve as an important indoor space during inclement weather.

The Alliance is grateful to the donors who have made the Nature Center possible and offers even more opportunities to support the construction of and programming that will take place at the Center.