About the Salt Marsh Nature Center

The Salt Marsh Nature Center serves several vital roles in our neighborhood. It is one of ten Urban Park Ranger Nature Centers. Each serves as an in-park community center for public education, recreational activities and environmental studies. The centers serve as starting points for walking tours and workshop sites for educational programs for the whole family. Other reasons to check out the SMNC: exhibits highlighting the diversity of out landscape; an abundance of informational written material such as trail maps, nature center brochures, and Outdoors, a newsletter that lists our walks, tours, and special events. Come visit!

Close Encounters with Nature: The Salt Marsh is a birdwatcher's paradise. Ducks, geese, cormorants, sandpipers, herons, egrets, red-winged blackbirds, and marsh hawks are just a few of the birds that can be seen here.
But Brooklyn's salt marsh isn't just important for birdwatchers. Did you know that several important species of sport fish, as well as shrimp and crabs, use the marsh as a nursery before venturing into open waters as adults? That means that the fishing industry is partly dependent upon a healthy salt marsh.
The role of our salt marsh is even more crucial because more than 75 % of the original salt marsh in Jamaica Bay has been destroyed, much of it between 1950 and the mid-1970's. Most of that destruction was due to filling of marshes to create more land area for homes and industry. Marine Park's salt marsh, formerly a wasteland filled with trash and abandoned cars, has been restored to its natural condition-- proof that a rare and fragile ecosystem can safely exist even when it borders a heavily urban area like Brooklyn.

Educational Programs: The Natural Classroom, launched in 2001 by New York City's Parks Department, transforms Marine Park and the Salt Marsh into outdoor classrooms. Urban Park Rangers use the plants and animals of the salt marsh as object lessons in a variety of subjects, including ecology, botany, and ornithology. Children also learn about the city's cultural hisotry through lessons highlighting the development and expansion of parks. When the outdoor lessons end, Urban Park Rangers offer supplemental educational materials that allow teachers to bring the day's experience back to their classrooms. The Natural Classroom including activities and lessons learned in the field will prepare the students to meet federal, state and city learning standards.
Nine distinct programs are available for students in grades K-8, and programs can be customized to fit specific needs of other age groups. If you ar a teacher who is interested in bringing a class group to the SMNC, call 866-NYC-HAWK for more information.

Culture and Community: In addition to introducing visitors and residents to a rare ecosystem, and providing a quiet oasis in urban Brooklyn, the Salt Marsh Nature Center also hosts cultural and community-oriented events. Every month, the Saturday Nights Live! Program brings live entertainment to the SMNC -- from musical groups to storytellers to open-mike poetry readings. Weekends usually feature children's programs, including magic shows, arts and crafts, and storytime. Some of our most popular events are the weekly yoga classes and monthly drawing classes. Important community functions like civic group meetings, and blood drives are also held at the Center. Visit the SMA Events Page for a list of upcoming events, or call 718-421-2021 to inquire.

Directions:
        Public Transit: Take the N, F, B or Q train to the Avenue U stop and transfer to the eastbound B# bus to Burnett Street and Avenue U

        By Bus: Take the B4, B9, B41, B46, or B47 to Kings Plaza and transfer to the westbound B3 bus to Burnett Street and Avenue U.

        By Car:  Take the Belt Parkway to Kings Plaza exit (11N) the go north on Flatbush Ave. Turn left on Ave U and continue west for 10 blocks. Pass East 33rd Street and look for a parking lot on the right. The Salt Marsh nature center is located on the left side of the street.

Hours of Operation: The Nature Center building is open from 11 am to 5 pm every day except Wednesdays. The grounds, including the nature trail, are open from dawn to dusk