Join NYC H2O this spring for free monthly tours of the Ridgewood Reservoir! Tours will discuss the history of the Reservoir, its flora and fauna, and plans for its continued preservation.
The Ridgewood Reservoir in Highland Park is a 50+ acre natural oasis that straddles the border of Brooklyn and Queens. Built in 1859 to supply the once independent City of Brooklyn with high quality water, it became obsolete with the addition of new reservoirs in the Catskills in the 1950’s and was decommissioned in the 1980’s. Since then, nature took its course in a perfect case study of ecological succession. A lush and dense forest has grown in its two outside basins while a freshwater pond with waterfowl sits in the middle basin. The Reservoir was added to the National Register of Historic Places in February 2018 and was designated as a Class I freshwater wetland in 2018, which will further protect the threatened and endangered species that call it home.
This program is supported by City Council Member Robert Holden and the NYC Parks Department.
Tours will be held on 4/13, 5/11, 6/8, and 7/13. RSVP requested.