_{^{The New York Times covered NYC Bird Alliance's campaign to protect Staten Island's Prall's Island from development in 1984. The advocacy succeeded when the area became part of the Harbor Herons Wildlife Refuge in 1991 under Mayor David Dinkins.}}

Jessica G. Wilson, Executive Director and Mike Yuan, Board President | September 2, 2025

For our staff and board, this summer has been one of looking back and looking ahead. As we prepare for our Fall Roost gala, which will celebrate 40 years of work to study and protect our city’s Harbor Herons, our team has sorted through historic maps, photos, data sheets, and press clippings to accurately tell the story of this momentous work. For four decades, our scientists and volunteers have surveyed New York Harbor, documenting the long-legged wading birds we have come to call the Harbor Herons. 

This long-term scientific dataset has guided and empowered our advocacy to protect these islands and the charismatic birds that depend on them for breeding. From fighting the illegal development at Goethals Bridge Pond in the 1980s, to establishing the Harbor Herons Wildlife Refuge protecting islands in Staten Island in 1991, to protecting South Brother Island in the East River from development in 2007, NYC Bird Alliance has worked tirelessly to create an interconnected network of protected habitat throughout the Harbor where biodiversity can expand and flourish. This work is just one example of the foundational efforts we’ll protect and grow in the years to come. 

Our new Strategic Plan, which will be published this fall, will guide our work to protect birds and urban biodiversity for the next five years. This next chapter of our organization will no doubt bring challenges, yet we’re inspired by our legacy of success. Our decades of conservation work in New York City make us poised for the future, as we continue to grow our impact and strengthen our community.