Center for the Urban River at Beczak

Launched June 2013, the Center for the Urban River at Beczak (CURB) is an alliance of Sarah Lawrence College and the Beczak Environmental Education Center. The mission of CURB is to advance environmental knowledge and stewardship by providing high quality K-12 environmental education for the local community, establishing a regional hub for research and monitoring focused on Hudson River estuary and urban watershed issues, and serving as a welcoming open community space for a variety of civic and cultural activities. CURB is located on the banks of the Hudson River two blocks north of the Yonkers MetroNorth station, and features a welcoming riverfront lawn, an easily accessible tidal marsh, a beach used for river exploration and seining, and a newly redesigned and outfitted field station lab.

Groundwork Hudson Valley's Science Barge

The Science Barge is a unique education space docked right off Downtown Yonkers' pier, a block from the Yonkers MetroNorth train station. The Barge works with groups of visitors to showcase its hydroponic and aquaculture greenhouses, alternative energy projects and other sustainability features.

The Saw Mill River: Then and Now

The Saw Mill River joins the Hudson River in Downtown Yonkers. Long covered over by a parking lot, a decade of dedicated efforts by the Saw Mill River Coalition and other groups led to the recreation of 13,775 square feet of aquatic habitat, including a tidal pool and two freshwater pools. The natural river now flows parallel to the preexisting underground flume, which serves as an overflow channel to protect the integrity of the new park and the downtown area from flooding. This is an especially welcome arrangement for the glass eel, which swims up Hudson River tributaries all the way from the Sargasso Sea, an important part of its lifecycle. The river flows under the Yonkers MetroNorth train station, as seen in these photos. Members of the Saw Mill River Coalition will be conducting tours.

Note: proof of COVID Vaccine required to enter CURB building, and masks required at all times indoors.
Parking is limited. Please consider carpooling or taking MetroNorth.

Click for directions and train info. The Yonkers MetroNorth Station is within two blocks of each of these venues.