The Northeast Urban Wildlife Refuge Project works alongside the Lenape National Wildlife Refuge Complex (NWRC). This partnership expands the reach and impact of the Lenape NWRC and engages diverse urban audiences to nature. Guests can explore one of the many refuges that are a part of the Lenape NWRC and immerse themselves in the different natural environments around them while also learning about the connections between humans and the natural world.
Questions about Northeast work? Contact Angie Horn.
Initiatives:
Community Connects: Foster meaningful partnerships with diverse community organizations, faith-based groups, and environmental justice leaders to break down barriers to nature engagement.
Nature Adventures For All: Expand accessible nature experiences through inclusive programming, bilingual education materials, and transportation assistance for underserved communities.
Stewards Of The City: Inspire environmental stewardship for all ages through volunteer opportunities, youth mentorship, and citizen science initiatives in urban green spaces.
Lenape National Wildlife Refuge Complex
The Lenape NWRC contains many types of habitats, including wetlands, upland, grasslands, and other natural habitats. They conserve and protect many migratory, threatened, endangered, and special concerned species, and preserve many valuable natural resources. The included refuges in this complex stretch across 5 different locations: Greater New York City; Yonkers and Elizabeth, New Jersey; Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania; and Hadley, Massachusetts. Each of these refuges focuses on different conservation efforts and holds many beautiful species - big and small, land or water - and natural resources and plants. The complex’s national wildlife refuges (NWR) include:
As far back as she can remember, Lucy Crespo hasn’t liked being indoors. Maybe it’s in her genes: she was born in Argentina, surrounded by forests and mountains, lush grass and plants, and rivers that ran by her home. The air was crisp and sweet, the water clear.
That’s all a distant memory for her now. When she was four years old, Lucy and her family left home in search of a better and more prosperous life, eventually settling thousands of miles away in Elizabeth, New Jersey.