In the dead of winter, the banks of an urban river is not where you might think to go for entertainment.

But even in the bone-chilling cold of January, the Harlem River Ecology Center, just minutes north of Highbridge in Roberto Clemente Park, is bursting with life. Upon walking into the larger of two modest-sized rooms at 55 Richman Plaza, next to the River Park Towers, one is greeted with the sound of squawking birds and the sight of several species of captive breeds of birds, fish and reptiles. The walls are dotted with framed photos of creatures that can be found in the New York-New Jersey Harbor Estuary, just out the building’s front door along the Harlem River.

The center is open year-round on Saturdays for public walk-ins, at no cost; soon, there will be walk-in time available on Sundays as well. And, executive director Ludger Balan points out, the center takes a hands-on policy—literally. “Unlike other museums,” Balan says, “there’s no limit on what you can touch.”

The Harlem River Ecology Center is part of a network of sites belonging to the Urban Divers Estuary Conservancy (UDEC), a non-profit group that works to protect and beautify environments and ecosystems along the waterfronts of New York City and its surrounding areas. Other sites that are part of UDEC include Gowanus Canal and Jamaica Bay. The Harlem River site has been open about three-and-a-half years, and it is situated on an estuary that features a diversity of plant and animal species: Because an estuary is, by definition, a place where fresh and salt water meet, the environment is able to support species that could not survive in habitats that consisted solely of salt or fresh water.

Among the marine life that thrives in the estuary are striped bass, horseshoe crabs, diamondback terrapins, and snapping turtles, while common birds include sanderlings, kingfishers, and herons .

Lysa Santos, an 18-year-old intern at the center who grew up near Fordham Road, said that visitors accustomed to urban environments are profoundly affected by the plants and animals they observe. “It’s eye-opening,” Santos said. “I think it shows them a whole new side of the world they’ve never seen.” Santos, who is now a freshman in college and contemplating majoring in anthropology, added that she often brings friends from school with her to the center. In April, Santos will give a 30- to 45 minute presentation at the American Museum of Natural History about water contamination.

Assistant program coordinator Mitsuie Nagase, who was raised with a love of nature in a mountainous region of Japan, said that New York City children must sometimes go through an adjustment process when they first encounter animals and an environment so different than what they are used to; initially Nagase said, some are afraid even to handle crickets.

“We have to first establish the connection to nature,” Nagase said, “and bring out the heart to care about the nature.”

Before long, Nagase said, the children indeed begin to develop a sense of guardianship of their surroundings, and it shows in the way they interact with one another. “They’re like, ‘Oh you shouldn’t touch that’” Nagase said. “They start to feel like this is their place.”
To hear Nagase and Balan tell it, facilitating this sort of bond between the surrounding community and its natural environment—and a sense of collective ownership of the latter by the former— is at the heart of the Harlem River Ecology Center’s mission. Balan says that when people in the community ask him if they can visit the center, his response is,

“That’s not even a question. It’s your backyard!” He adds the people of the Bronx are, by virtue of their ancestry, “water people,” noting that the majority of the borough’s residents have their roots in the Caribbean, coastal regions of Africa, or Ireland.
Part of connecting Bronx residents to the Harlem River and its ecosystems involves educating them more generally about the area’s maritime history.

The center boasts displays about African-Americans who worked on whaling boats and played significant roles in U.S. history. Among those featured are Absalom Boston, the captain of an all-Black whaling ship in Nantucket who integrated the school system there after successfully suing a high-school that refused to admit his daughter; and Paul Cuffe, a Philadelphia-based whaling captain who became one of the first proponents of the idea that freed slaves should return to Africa.

Balan and Nagase say they hope to inspire at least some young Bronx residents to take up careers in the maritime industry, or in marine biology.

On February 16th, the center will kick off its exhibit for Black History/African Heritage Month. Entitled “A History of the Afro-American in Maritime Series III,” the program will feature model ships, photographs, and prints, as well as guest presenters and film showings: Among the presenters will be Highbridge resident Lorenzo Dufau, 87, one of the first Black servicemen in the U.S. Navy. Featured movies will include “Capt. Bill Pinckney’s Journey,” a short film about the only African-American to sail around the world by himself.

In addition to educating the community, the center also seeks to facilitate plenty of direct interaction between Bronx residents—especially youth—and the Harlem River. Students from local schools, including P.S. 126, frequently journey on field trips to the center, where they learn to test the water’s salt levels, temperature, and acidity. The center’s many other programs include the “eco-cruise,” which involves springtime explorations of the Harlem River in a 32-foot canoe, and the “Urban Marine Explorers Teen and Pre-Teen Programs,” a summer day camp in which children learn boat repair skills and serve as caretakers for the surrounding environments.
Nagase said the Harlem River Ecology Center also welcomes volunteers and interns with open arms, and that local residents interested in learning about and caring for the center’s exhibits, helping to lead tours, or being part of educational or outreach efforts, should contact the center by phone (718-901-3331) or email (harlemriver.udec@gmail.com)

“We really want the people, especially from this community, to get involved,” Nagase said. “This is their playground.”