Environmental Education Center

In 2008, before Brooklyn Bridge Park officially opened, the Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy sought to engage the public in learning about the marine life of the East River and what would soon be a vibrant waterfront park for all. With the unique opportunity of beach and shoreline access (a rarity in NYC), we began a public seining program right underneath the Manhattan Bridge. In the years following, the Conservancy expanded environmental education programs and offerings by utilizing the newly restored park piers as an outdoor classroom and living laboratory.

The Environmental Education Center opened September 10, 2015 and this new indoor space enabled field trips and educational classes to take place year-round, even in inclement weather. It also allowed for the expansion of new education programs such as Public Open Hours, Discovery Sessions, Early Nature Experiences, and more.

A key feature of the Environmental Education Center is the interactive “Discovery Station.” A large ten foot by four foot exhibit featuring a three dimensional scaled map of Brooklyn Bridge Park and thirteen distinct hands-on drawers that highlight a particular feature of the park pertaining to sustainability, ecology or the built environment. There are also twelve “Then and Now” picture pull outs that focus past and present photos of certain locations in and around the park. The beautiful yellow wood around the base of the structure is Longleaf Yellow Pine that was salvaged from the warehouses that were demolished in the making of the park. The exhibit was designed in collaboration between education staff, Human Nature Design and Moey Inc.

One of the most beloved features in the space is the Environmental Education Center’s 250 gallon estuarium which houses a fluctuating collection of East River fish and invertebrate species caught in our seining and fishing programs. The estuarium was designed to represent the distinct aesthetic of the park-adjacent East River and includes an attached interactive Tidal Pool where visitors can get a top down look at some of the smaller species.

The Environmental Education Center is also home to a small collection of more aquatic and terrestrial native species such as turtles, amphibians, and invertebrates.

All of the living species are acquired and housed in accordance with NYS DEC educational permits.