One week before the 1^st ever UN Summit on Biodiversity (NYC, 30 September), Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and its Bronx Zoo, Central Park Zoo, Queens Zoo, Prospect Park Zoo, and New York Aquarium have joined the European Commission Global Coalition for Biodiversity, calling for stronger mobilization in communicating about the nature crisis facing the planet.

The New York Aquarium is temporarily closed as New York City deals with the COVID-19 crisis. During the closure, the animal care staff remains focused on the health and well-being of the animals – including the latest addition to the Sea Cliffs exhibit. Erie, a California sea lion pup (Zalophus californianus) born this fall, will be ready to greet visitors when the aquarium re-opens.

Sustainable seafood and perfect wine pairings will be front and center at the Wildlife Conservation Society’s seventh annual Sip for the Sea – a benefit that showcases and celebrates WCS’s marine conservation and education work at the New York Aquarium and around the globe.

Sip for the Sea will take place at the Central Park Zoo on Thursday, Sept. 26 at 6:30 p.m. Proceeds will help further the mission of WCS and the New York Aquarium to save wildlife and wild places.

For the past 20 years, members of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) have celebrated our planet with annual Party For The Planet^® events. The New York Aquarium will commemorate the annual Party for the Planet® celebration with two events. On June 1^st there will be a volunteer clean-up of Coney Island Creek, bringing attention to this urban waterway that is now the focus of a revitalization effort. On the following Saturday, June 8th, the aquarium will celebrate World Ocean’s Day with a “March for the Ocean”, a parade on the Coney Island Boardwalk to highlight the challenges posed by plastic waste to the waters of New York and celebrate New York’s commitment to healthier, cleaner waters.