Magazine

A Guide to Getting Involved in Central Park’s Care

As much as we all need the Park—for recreation, rest, and renewal—the Park needs us, too! Here are some easy ways to get involved in keeping the City’s 843-acre oasis clean and green:

Central Park is a re-TREE-t! Show your love for these magnificent leafy species:

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    Find shade under the tree canopy, which absorbs heat and cools surrounding areas.

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    Walk softly around their roots rather than on top of them.

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    Never climb their branches, pick their flowers, or etch into their bark. Trees need to stay healthy in order to clean the air and filter rain.

While the Park’s trees are essential to the wellbeing of New York City, New Yorkers are essential to their health. As much as we need these plants, they need us too!

Overflowing trash cans drive the Park’s squirrels nuts! Carry out what you bring into the Park:

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    Clean up your trash and litter, and follow NYC recycling rules.

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    Carry out any trash that you bring into the Park to avoid creating large piles at the recycling and garbage receptacles.

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    Go trash-free! For a sustainable outing to Central Park, pack your picnic in reusable containers.

With a constant influx of visitors—42 million per year, to be exact—trash piles up quickly. The number of rats found in the Park decreases without trash to feed on, and with fewer rats to compete with for food, other species, including chipmunks, have returned to Central Park throughout the years―a big win for preserving the Park’s biodiversity!

“It’s not easy being green..." Or is it?

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    Use blankets and cloth materials, which are gentle on the Park's lawns, for your picnic spread.

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    Leave tarps, plastic, and inflatable couches at home. Because they heat up so easily, they can burn the grass below them—even in just a few hours.

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    Enjoy all the benefits of the nature around you! Protect the Park’s lawns by keeping your garbage out of the landscapes. Central Park is home to mammals, birds, fish, reptiles, and other animals who can become sick or injured from ingesting non-food items like plastic wrappers or fishing line.

Central Park’s lawns make NYC even cooler―grass releases oxygen, stabilizes soil, absorbs water from storms, and keeps the air cool. Hear from the Great Lawn itself on what it needs to stay great.

Don’t let the dog out...without a leash:

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    Always keep your pet leashed, unless in an area specifically designated for off-leash hours (6:00 am–9:00 am and 9:00 pm–1:00 am).

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    Keep your four-legged friend’s favorite play space clean and safe for the wildlife! Please don’t let them dig, chase wildlife, or interfere with other Park users.

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    Respect signs, fences, and red flags that may indicate temporary closures due to restoration, maintenance, or weather conditions. And save the swimming for the beach: Keep your dogs out of all water bodies. The Park’s water bodies have harmful algal blooms, so it’s in the best interest of you and your dog to never enter them.

Thank you for your help in ensuring visitors and pets alike enjoy their leisure time in the Park safely! Check out our dog owner’s guide for more information.

Keep the wild in the Park’s wildlife:

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    Stay on the path: Walking off paths can damage plants and disturb animals. Fenced areas give animals and sensitive plantings a break from people.

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    Take pictures, not souvenirs: If every visitor took home a flower or leaf, there wouldn’t be any left in the Park.

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    Save your snacks for yourself. Wild animals have unique diets and human food is dangerously unhealthy for them.

Thank you keeping this ecosystem healthy!

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