Viewing NYC Articles Categorized Under Nature

[VIDEO] An Oyster Revolution is Happening in NYC

2026-03-25T12:00:00-04:00

New York City is undergoing a massive revival of its historic oyster industry, transforming from a culinary powerhouse in the 1800s into a modern hub for sustainable aquaculture and environmental restoration. While pollution and development once decimated the local oyster population, today dozens of farms across Long Island are utilizing innovative techniques—like specialized algae reactors and vertical integration—to bring these bivalves back to local plates. Simultaneously, nonprofits like the Billion Oyster Project are working to install billions of oysters in New York Harbor to filter the water, protect shorelines from erosion, and create vital habitats for marine life. While the oysters in the harbor aren't safe to eat due to water quality, this blue food transformation is booming, supported by significant state investment and a growing seafood market, marking a sustainable comeback for one of the city's original unsung heroes.

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[REPOST] [WATCH] How Oyster Beds Can Rebuild New York Harbor

2026-03-20T12:00:00-04:00

New York Harbor was a haven of incredible underwater biodiversity—until centuries of pollution turned it into a cesspool. Today, an alliance of architects, restaurateurs, scientists, and high school students is working to restore the harbor and protect the city from climate change. At the heart of the effort is a tiny creature with an outsized talent for cleanup: the extraordinary oyster.

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[VIDEO] This Upper West Side Rock Shop Lets You Crack Geode Open With a Massive Machine

2025-10-17T12:00:00-04:00

Astro West is an Upper West Side shop near the American Museum of Natural History that has been selling rocks, gems, minerals, fossils, meteorites and crystals since 1961. Inside the shop, there is a special machine which uses a heavy-duty chain to crack open geodes, revealing the crystals inside. Check it out in this video from our friends at Insider.

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[VIDEO] Meet New York City's Trees: Green Ash

2025-06-29T12:00:00-04:00

The New York City Parks Department has an interesting new series of videos titled Meet NYC's Trees in which they introduce one of the many species of street trees which can be found throughout the City. In this short video from the series, learn how to recognize the "Green Ash". Check this map to see if you have any in your neighborhood.

Make sure you can ID your neighborhood green ash! Come fall, their leaves will turn a gorgeous shade of yellow.

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[VIDEO] Virtual Tour Through New York Botanical Garden's Thain Forest

2025-05-02T12:00:00-04:00

Explore the Thain Forest, including the gentle rush of the Bronx River and its waterfall, this summer. NYBG's 50-acre, old-growth Forest is a haven of quiet and beauty year-round, and in the warmer months it fills out with rich greenery both above and below. Stop by this week and take some time to appreciate this urban wilderness, including the swaying canopy and winding trails that make it the perfect escape to connect with nature.

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[WATCH] How Oyster Beds Can Rebuild New York Harbor

2024-12-13T12:00:00-05:00

New York Harbor was a haven of incredible underwater biodiversity—until centuries of pollution turned it into a cesspool. Today, an alliance of architects, restaurateurs, scientists, and high school students is working to restore the harbor and protect the city from climate change. At the heart of the effort is a tiny creature with an outsized talent for cleanup: the extraordinary oyster.

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[WATCH] The Secret Ghost Town Near New York City

2024-05-30T12:00:00-04:00

Ghost towns are both eerie reminders of what once was and useful demonstrations of how the Earth moves on without us. Filmmaker Alexander Trowbridge reflects on nature taking over after discovering Doodletown, a secret ghost town just north of New York City. Alan Weisman, author of The World Without Us, and Cal Flyn, author of Islands of Abandonment: Life in the Post-Human Landscape, offer insights on nature's comeback after humans.

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[WATCH] Learn The History Behind the Old Inwood Caves in Inwood Hill Park, Manhattan

2024-03-31T12:00:00-04:00

On this recent upload to YouTube history channel BookwormHistory, watch as host/historian Dan Thurber explores the history of the Inwood Caves and Inwood Hill Park on the northern tip of Manhattan.

This week on 'City Full of History' we're venturing to Inwood Hill Park at the northern tip of Manhattan to discuss the Native American caves and the weekend archaeologists that dug in the area!

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[WATCH] Manhattan's Javits Center Has an Unconventional Green Roof 5 Football Fields Large

2022-10-11T12:00:00-04:00

Did you know the Javits Center in Hell's Kitchen has a massive green roof, with wild grass, plants, birds and other natural life all forming a perfect, midtown nature sanctuary? Check out the impressive and unconventional rooftop in this report from CBS's correspondent Jim Axelrod.

Directly above one of New York City's busiest buildings lies a sanctuary of sorts, a green space that is both harboring wildlife and saving energy.

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Sunday, June 12th, 2022, Good Afternoon!

2022-06-12T14:00:00-04:00

Good afternoon! Wishing you a happy Sunday, June 12th, 2022 from all of us at Viewing NYC!

Here's what the weather looks like in the City right now.

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