Alley Pond Park proves that nature can exist – and thrive – in a large, bustling city.
Located in Northeast Queens, the 657-acre public space includes water marshes, tidal creeks, and underground springs along with ancient forests, kettle ponds, and hills formed by a glacier roughly 15,000 years ago. Raccoons, rabbits, and salamanders make their home there, while countless species of birds swoop by during their migrations, and an education center operates programs for humans.
But it didn’t just pop up naturally. The modern day Alley Pond Park results from community activism, dedicated volunteers, help from city agencies, and hard work.
Learn more via The Story of Alley Pond: Past Present Future by William Nieter.
Released via Amazon Publishing last autumn, this 156-page, 11-chapter book mixes interviews and the author’s personal experiences to take readers from conception to birth to childhood to adolescence and finally adulthood.
The paperback costs $19.99, while the Kindle version is $9.99. Nieter has promised to donate profits to the Alley Pond Environmental Center. (He is currently on APEC’s advisory council after serving as the board’s president and treasurer.)
Nieter holds a Masters Degree in Geology from Queens College and a Masters of Science from Teachers College/Columbia University. The Jackson Heights native held such titles as Adjunct Professor, Director of Environmental Studies, and Assistant Dean at St. John’s University from 1976 to 2023.
The Story of Alley Pond: Past Present Future is also a family effort. The editor is Nieter’s wife Vicki, who taught English at St. John’s, while his son, Robert, handled the graphic design.
Top image: Rob MacKay; bottom photo: Alley Pond Environmental Center