8. Alley Pond Park is a ‘Forever Wild’ Site

Launched by the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation, the Forever Wild Program seeks to preserve ecologically rich land across all five boroughs of New York City. There are over 50 sites included in the initiative, which account for roughly 9,000 total acres of forests, wetland and other green space. Alley Pond Park, just one of 10 preserves in Queens, is the most ecologically diverse park owned by the City of New York/Parks and Recreation in the borough. It holds some of the largest forests in the City and supports a variety of rare plant species including bloodroot, Christmas fern, ginat yellow hyssop and more.