MEDITATION + MOVEMENT
SONIC MEDITATION
Join us for a series of free virtual guided meditations and mini sound baths with Alex Beckmann Sound.
Be lulled into deep relaxation using the sounds of singing bowls, gong, harmonium, vocals, and other sound sources to provide you with a meditative and healing environment. Lay down and enjoy. These Sonic Meditations provide a way in for deep vibrational healing of the mind, body and spirit.
There are many benefits to letting your body rest and relax during Sonic Meditation. Research has confirmed that listening to certain music can effectively and rapidly elicit the relaxation response and bring about chemical, hormonal, and cellular change that actively promotes healing.
Sound baths will be released via Instagram TV on Mondays throughout the month of July.
BENCH STORIES
Two hallmarks of the NCL as a Sacred Place– the bench and the journal– have been adapted to keep visitors safe during the global health crisis. The bench, which invites people to pause—to sit, breathe, be present, enjoy space in nature, and each other, remains a destination for solitary visitor reflection. Instead of finding the communal journal tucked in the bench, we’re giving individuals a blank journal of their own to take to the bench and share thoughts and experiences on the page—a simple notion with a powerfully cathartic outcome.
In order to keep the interaction between journal entries alive during the pandemic, we’re inviting visitors to take a photo of their personal journal entries, share them on social media, and use the hashtag #NCLbenchstories so that other visitors can view them. We will also be sharing a series of excerpts from previously filled journals, in order to prompt reflection and create community.
CITIZEN SCIENCE
POLLINATOR BIOBLITZ
Test your pollinator identification skills by visiting the Naval Cemetery Landscape and participating in our season-long BioBlitz on iNaturalist. The native pollinators that are observed and recorded at the NCL will be used as data for the Empire State Native Pollinator Survey. Refresh your citizen science skills by rereading our blog post on citizen science and iNaturalist here. To help you identify the native bees at the NCL, read our Native Bee Guide blog post, written by bee biologist Sarah Kornbluth.
#FLOWERFRIDAYS
Every Friday can be #FlowerFriday when you plant native wildflowers in your backyard, abandoned neighborhood lots, or windowsill! To get you started, we’ll be giving away native, bee-friendly wildflower seed packets at the NCL that you can take home and plant. Learn how to make a “seed burst” with native wildflower seeds that you can plant to save the bees! Then, follow along on Instagram as we showcase a different wildflower growing in the NCL every Friday! Read our blog post about the importance of planting native flowers, grasses, shrubs and trees for pollinators.
INSIDE THE HIVE
Did you know that it takes 2 million flowers for bees to produce a single pound of honey? Learn about the fascinating world of urban beekeeping by joining Danielle Knott of Big Dipper Apiaries for live, virtual hive inspections of the NCL’s honeybee colony, as she takes us “Inside the Hive” all season long.
FAMILY + YOUTH
SATURDAY STORY TIME
Join urban ecologist and educator, Georgia Silvera Seamans, virtually at the NCL for nature filled story times during the month of August. Georgia will be sharing five of her favorite children’s books, all focusing on the diverse urban ecosystem of NYC. She has chosen books that specifically highlight different areas and aspects of the NCL’s ecology, from bees to hawks, and seeds to trees. Read alongs will be hosted on the NCL Instagram TV channel.
Pick up these titles at your local book store or borrow them from the library to read along:
Saturday August 1st: Ruby’s Birds by Mya Thompson
Saturday August 8th: The Tale of Pale Male by Jeanette Winter
Saturday August 15h: Wangari’s Tree of Peace by Jeanette Winter
Saturday August 22nd: The Thing About Bees: A Love Letter by Shabazz Larkin
Saturday August 29th: The Hike by Alison Farrell
MILKWEED MEADOW COLORING PAGES
The Naval Cemetery Landscape is officially recognized as a Monarch Waystation by Monarch Watch, due to the amount of nectar rich annuals and milkweed varieties planted in the meadow. Monarch butterflies are in decline, due mostly to the lack of habitat and foraging resources along their migration routes. Help us raise awareness about Monarchs and their habitat needs by contributing to our virtual #MilkweedMeadow! Pick up a Monarch and Milkweed coloring sheet at the NCL (or download a digital one here), decorate it, and share it with us on Instagram using the hashtag #MilkweedMeadow. At the end of the season we’ll create a virtual Monarch Waystation showcasing everyone’s beautiful artwork.
TOURS
SELF GUIDED TOUR OF THE NCL
Stay tuned for updates!
TURNSTILE TOURS – URBAN ECOLOGY at the BROOKLYN NAVY YARD
Due to COVID-19. Turnstile Tours has gone virtual! Visit their website to learn more, and check out the virtual tour hosted by NCL Coordinator, Danielle Knott, here!
Take a look inside the Brooklyn Navy Yard and discover the natural world in the midst of a thriving urban industrial park. This is a 2-hour tour of the Brooklyn Navy Yard led by Turnstile Tours, beginning inside the Yard and ending at Naval Cemetery Landscape.
On this tour you will explore the Naval Cemetery Landscape, visit the stunning 65,000-square-foot Brooklyn Grange rooftop farm, visit an oyster restoration project led by students from the New York Harbor School and explore planned and unplanned natural landscapes of the Yard, including the landscape architecture surrounding BLDG 92, identifying native and exotic plant species along the way.