The Rosedale Preservation Society (RPS) is a nonprofit organization committed to enhancing environmental stewardship and community well-being in the Rosedale neighborhood of Queens, New York—a historically underserved community of color that has long been afflicted by severe flood events which are being exacerbated by climate change. Founded in 1997, the organization began as a local effort to address the illegal dumping of trash in Rosedale’s Hook Creek Park, which is home to wetlands and salt marshes that provide crucial habitat for local wildlife. The group has since expanded its mission to address environmental issues across Queens, such as urban tree maintenance, air and noise pollution, and the preservation of local green spaces. “Nature is our asset,” says Sandra Long, the organization’s director, “and we want to protect it.” By organizing tree care initiatives, neighborhood cleanups, and educational outreach programs, the organization serves the residents, wildlife, and ecosystems of Southeast Queens, aiming to foster a cleaner, greener, more connected community.
The salt marshes of Rosedale’s Hook Creek Park provide crucial habitat for the Saltmarsh Sparrow, among other wildlife. Photo: Wolfgang Wander/Wikimedia Commons
A community-of-color-driven organization with no full-time staff, the Rosedale Preservation Society is a grassroots group protecting the ecosystems in its own backyard. RPS has collaborated with NYC Parks and the NYC Department of Sanitation to install six blocks of sidewalks and plant 60 curbside trees in Southeast Queens’ Rosedale neighborhood. In 2023, RPS partnered with NYC Parks, Audubon New York, and several state agencies to complete a $700,000 restoration of Hook Creek Park’s wetlands, which involved elevating marshes and planting more than 18,000 native plants to enhance the landscape’s resilience against flooding and to restore habitat for local wildlife. The organization works closely with the Idlewild Environmental Science Center as well, where it hosts educational programs teaching citizen scientists how to monitor air pollution, noise pollution, and flood risk. RPS is also an active member of the NYC Parks Tree Map initiative and the Sanitation Foundation’s Adopt Your Spot NYC program.
The wetlands of Rosedale’s Hook Creek Park. Photo: Tdorante10/Wikimedia Commons