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Gateway National Recreation Area

@gatewaynps

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This national park includes beaches, natural areas, and historic sites in Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island, New York and in Sandy Hook, New Jersey.

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🌊 Now Hiring: Lifeguards & Lead Lifeguards at Gateway National Recreation Area! 🛟
If you or someone you know is looking for a rewarding, outdoor, and impactful seasonal job in New York, NY, this is your moment!
Gateway National Recreation Area—serving Jamaica Bay (NY) and Sandy Hook (NJ)—is now accepting applications for our vital Lifeguard and Lead Lifeguard (Recreation Assistant) positions.
✨ Why Join Our Team?
• Be part of a mission that protects millions of visitors each summer
• Work outdoors in beautiful national park settings
• Build leadership, teamwork, and emergency response skills
• Seasonal housing may be available!
• Competitive GS pay levels: GS‑0189‑3/4/5 and GS‑0189‑6/7

📅 Apply now!
This announcement is open through June 23, 2026 — so don’t wait!

Links to the announcements and more can be found here:

https://www.nps.gov/gate/getinvolved/become-a-gateway-lifeguard.htm

Help spread the word far and wide! Your share could help someone land an unforgettable summer serving the National Park Service. 🌟 by @gatewaynps

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6 months ago

Crooke’s Point is more than a familiar name at Great Kills Park. It also preserves the story of John Jeremy Crooke, whose interests connected Staten Island to science, industry, and natural history.

Crooke was a metallurgist, inventor, businessman, and collector. He designed machinery, operated gold and silver mines, and developed patented industrial processes. His mansion, Liberty Hall, contained an extensive natural-history library and collections of plants and animals. He also helped save many of John James Audubon’s copper printing plates from being destroyed.

Crooke also played a role in Thomas Edison’s phonograph experiments. Crooke produced several thicknesses of tin foil which Edison tested as recording material, but the samples did not work.

Crooke eventually acquired approximately 320 acres of land at Great Kills. Crooke died at Liberty Hall in 1911. While the mansion later burned, the landscape of Crooke’s Point continues to carry his name. The next time you visit Crooke’s Point, remember the inventor, industrialist, and collector behind the name.

Which part of Crooke’s story surprises you most?

#GatewayNRA #NationalParkService #NPS #StatenIslandHistory #GreatKillsPar#nationalparkse

NPS Museum Collection John Crooke poses seated for a portrait with his hat in his lap by @gatewaynps

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6 days ago

POSTPONED: **Due to inclement weather impacts, Raptorama has been postponed. New date to be determined, please check back here or see our calendar on our website for more info. For any questions, please reach out to the Jamaica Bay Wildilfe Refuge Visitor Center (718-318-4340).

@jbrpc @littoralsociety @nycploverproject @nycparks @nycbirdalliance by @gatewaynps

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9 days ago

Volunteer at Gateway National Recreation Area – Sandy Hook Unit for the annual Lighthouse Challenge of New Jersey on October 17 and 18!

Every year, the park is eager to recruit volunteers to assist with crowd control, record keeping, and public engagement during this exciting event.

If you’d like to join us, visit Volunteer.gov and search ‘Sandy Hook’. Make your Volunteer.gov account and apply for the position! Registration closes Saturday, September 26.

Thank you to all past, present, and future National Park Service volunteers! Learn more about the Lighthouse Challenge at: https://lighthousechallengenj.com

#GatewayNPS #NationalParkService #SandyHookNJ #FindYourPark #NPSVolunteer #lighthousechallengenj

NPS Photo A volunteer wearing a National Park Service vest stands in front of a group of people gathered outside the Sandy Hook Visitor Center, listening to another volunteer speak by @gatewaynps

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12 days ago

The field you see at Miller Field once looked very different than how they appear today. Before Miller Field became a military airfield and a recreational park, the land was home to one of Staten Island’s largest and most successful farms!

William Henry Vanderbilt received a 73-acre farm in New Dorp from his father, Cornelius “Commodore” Vanderbilt, seen here. Although his father initially doubted his abilities, William transformed the property into a thriving agricultural operation.

The farm produced hay, timothy, oats, potatoes, and cabbage. As it prospered, William expanded the estate, adding large stables, a three-quarter-mile horse track, and a 24-room Italian-style villa known as the “White House.” William and his wife, Maria, also raised their eight children on the property. What began as the place where William was sent because his father underestimated him became a symbol of his wealth and success.

In 1919, the Vanderbilt family sold the property to the United States government. The farmland soon became Miller Army Airfield and later part of Gateway National Recreation Area.

The next time you visit Miller Field, imagine crops growing, horses training, and the Vanderbilt family building its life on the same land!

#GatewayNRA #NationalParkService #NPS #StatenIslandHistory #MillerField #vanderbilt

NPS Museum Collection Portrait of a middle-aged white man in a suit by @gatewaynps

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13 days ago

What visitors see: an adorable fox kit exploring Sandy Hook.

What the fox kit sees: a flock of overly excited rangers trying to get its good side. 🦊📸

#GatewayNRA #SandyHook #RangerLife #NPSMoments #FindYourPark #NPS #nationalparkservice

NPS Photo A young fox kit exits their den by @gatewaynps

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14 days ago

Join Gateway National Recreation Area Cultural Resources staff at our Collections Pop-Up Event. Visitors have a chance to discover the rich and diverse objects in the park’s museum collection. Seasonal Museum Techs Jade Maynard and Sarah McCullough will spotlight a few of their favorite items from our vast collections. Gateway's museum collections include items such as architectural drawings, photographs, military manuals, architectural elements, uniforms, and much more, spanning from approximately 2,700 BCE into the twentieth century. Some of the artifacts that will be on display are from the American Revolutionary Period, in celebration of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.

This event will be hosted at the Fort Wadsworth Visitor Center in the Staten Island Unit at 120 New York Avenue.
There are two time slots available: 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. Please use the link below to reserve your spot.

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/gateway-collections-pop-up-at-fort-wadsworth-tickets-2000597504992?aff=ebdsoporgprofile by @gatewaynps

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17 days ago

What would you do if you had the ability to transform a city’s transportation?

That’s the question that was presented to Robert Moses, whose answer can be seen from the Fort Wadsworth overlook. For decades, Moses helped reshape much of New York through parks, parkways, bridges, highways, and other major public works—most visibly through the construction of the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge.

When the bridge opened in 1964, it connected Staten Island and Brooklyn for automotive travel for the first time and changed how people got to and from the island. Its construction also brought significant changes to the landscape around Fort Wadsworth.

Today, Fort Wadsworth offers a remarkable view of two chapters of New York history side by side: a military stronghold positioned to defend the Narrows and a modern engineering landmark spanning them.

How do you think the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge transformed life on Staten Island?

#GatewayNRA #NationalParkService #NPS #RobertMoses #StatenIslandHistory #VerrazzanoNarrowsBridge #FortWadsworth

NPS Photo Robert Moses stands wearing a white suit with his arms crossed by @gatewaynps

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19 days ago

A missing lieutenant and a house full of clues. Think you can put the pieces together?

Join us for Mystery in the History House at Sandy Hook! Step into a WWII-era home and move from room to room, investigating objects and solving connected puzzles with your team. Follow the clues, share your ideas, and work together to complete the mission.

Reserve your spot on Eventbrite.

📅 Sunday, September 27
🕔 5:00–6:30 p.m.
📍 History House, Officers’ Row, House #1
👥 All ages welcome

#FollowTheClues, #HandsOnHistory, #HistoryHouse, #SandyHookNJ,#FortHancock, #FindYourPark #GatewayNPS A fictional, vintage V-mail letter, with a red striped border, black typewriter-style text, and a red “REVISED” stamp. It is addressed to “Friends at Fort Hancock” from “Lt. Dolan.” Two black bars conceal the sender’s address. The letter reads:

“Dear Friends,
Something curious is happening at Fort Hancock. I believe [redacted] is involved, but I need your help.
I have left clues throughout my house. I cannot explain more in this letter.
Bring your curiosity and a few friends you can count on. Follow the clues, uncover the truth, and see if you can discover what has become of me.”
The bottom is signed in a large cursive signature “John Dolan". by @gatewaynps

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21 days ago

Gateway National Recreation Area remembers and honors those who lost their lives 25 years ago in the terror attacks at the World Trade Center in New York City, the Pentagon in Washington, DC, and in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

We also remember and honor those who united together to provide support in the wake of the tragedy. On the day of the attacks and the months that followed, Gateway served as an important hub for emergency services and relief services. Floyd Bennett Field in the Jamaica Bay Unit was used as an evidence-collection site by the FBI and as a food preparation site by the American Red Cross (where, at its peak, they prepared ten thousand meals a day for Ground Zero relief workers). Fort Wadsworth and Miller Field in the Staten Island Unit were used as command centers and equipment staging areas for military and police operations. The Sandy Hook Unit lent its patrol boat and crew to assist with transporting volunteer New Jersey firefighters and Coast Guard staff to New York City on the day of the attacks.

September 11th is now a National Day of Remembrance to mourn, honor and reflect on who and what we lost as a nation and global community because of the terror attacks. It is also a National Day of Service, where different communities can come together to volunteer in honor of the sacrifice and unity shown in 2001.

Learn more and see how you can participate at: https://www.nps.gov/subjects/npscelebrates/september-11.htm

Photo credit: D. Riepe by @gatewaynps

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24 days ago

🐝 The garden is putting on its fall colors!

Our asters are blooming and goldenrod is beginning to flower—just in time for a busy season of fall pollinators. Join us for our September Pollinator Garden volunteer day on the Saturday the 12th to help care for the garden and see what’s buzzing! Register on Eventbrite.

#NPS #Volunteering #NationalParkService #GatewayNRA by @gatewaynps

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a month ago

While Labor Day marks the end of summer for many, the park doesn’t stop just because you’re back to the grind.

For those saying goodbye to summer, we wish you a Happy Labor Day! ☀️

This holiday, take only pictures and leave only footprints. 📸
Whether you’re visiting Gateway National Recreation Area for the beaches, history, or wildlife — remember to Leave No Trace and Carry In-Carry Out. 🚮
Please, enjoy the park responsibly.
Until next time, thanks for visiting the park!

#GatewayNPS #SandyHookNJ #NPS #JamiacaBay #StatenIsland #FindYourPark Sunset over breaking waves. by @gatewaynps

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a month ago