Gotham Whale has identified its 500th individual humpback in New York waters, marking a conservation milestone with a dangerous catch.

Central Park is hosting a free overnight campout, but campers must win a lottery for the rare Manhattan sleepover.

A quiet Ithaca cemetery is home to an estimated 5.5 million solitary bees — possibly the largest ground-nesting aggregation ever documented.

NYPD drones are scanning Rockaway Beach for sharks and swimmers in distress as sightings surge across the Queens shoreline.

Queens is preparing a major rebuild of the historic Playground for All Children in Flushing Meadows Corona Park. The proposed investment could top $17 million.

One hundred northern bobwhite quail were released at Hempstead Harbor Nature Trail to help control ticks and teach students about conservation.

Alley Pond Golf Center in Douglaston reopened after a $10M overhaul, adding simulators, ball-tracking tech and a planned mini golf course.

A rare killer whale was seen about 10 miles off Montauk, surprising boaters and campers. Experts say keep a safe distance while researchers work to identify it.

Bethesda Fountain will be fenced off in August 2026 and Conservatory Water will shut for the 2027 season as part of a roughly $37M preservation plan. Timelines and visitor impacts inside.

A resident-designed Gravesend park now features a pathway made from roughly 450,000 recycled wine corks plus new play features and stormwater gardens.

Residents report TVs, shopping carts and tires in Coney Island Creek as community groups plan cleanups and push for long‑term shoreline fixes.

Lake Sophia, a spring-fed quarry at Sojourner Truth State Park in Kingston, opens July 17 with an ADA-accessible swim crib, lifeguards and a new bathhouse pavilion. The $75.6M project reclaims a former industrial site for public use.

A Burlington man who jumped into Lake George to save a friend was bitten by a beaver; the DEC has warned swimmers near Turtle Island while it monitors the animals.