QPL staff celebrate the renaming of the Hunters Point branch. Photo: Ramy Mahmoud.
Aug. 11, 2025 By Shane O’Brien
Queens Public Library’s (QPL) Hunters Point location was officially renamed as the Hunters Point Library and Environmental Education Center (HPLEEC) on Saturday, Aug. 9. acknowledging the library’s commitment to sustainability and environmental stewardship.
The library, located on the Long Island City waterfront at 47-40 Center Blvd., encourages visitors of all ages to explore the local environment through hands-on activities, workshops and exhibits.
It also provides free programming and resources that explore connections between people, urban landscapes, and the natural world, encouraging visitors to explore Long Island City’s unique watershed and East River habitats.
The library’s new environmental education center has been funded by a nearly $1 million grant from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) through the Newtown Creek Environmental Benefit Fund (NCEBF). The funds were administered through the City Parks Foundation.
Photo: Ramy Mahmoud.
NCEBF, meanwhile, is the result of a 2008 settlement between the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and New York City for water quality violations stemming from the City’s operation of the Newtown Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant.
QPL originally received a DEC grant in 2019, enabling the Hunters Point branch to provide environmental programming for children focused on plant and marine life, pollution, composting, recycling and other issues.
The library has since expanded its environmental education initiatives at Hunters Point, including the installation of three hydroponic gardens, an air quality monitor, and a rain gauge that collects data for the National Weather Service.
QPL President and CEO Dennis Walcott said the newly-renamed Hunters Point Library and Environmental Education Center will serve as a “vital hub” for “climate literacy” in New York City. He noted that Queens is “particularly vulnerable” to extreme weather driven by climate change and said the center will local communities better understand the ecosystems that surround them.
“With 113 miles of coastline, poor sewage and drainage systems in many neighborhoods, and numerous heat islands, Queens is particularly vulnerable to extreme weather driven by climate change,” Walcott said in a statement.
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Regional Director Antonia Pereira said the center will play a hugely important role in ensuring that future generations have the tools to understand the dynamics of climate change and the environment.
“DEC is excited that the Queens Public Library’s Hunters Point branch will be renamed the Hunters Point Library and Environmental Education Center and demonstrates DEC’s and Queens Public Library’s shared understanding of the need to invest in future environmental leaders,” Pereira said in a statement.
QLP Hunters Point. Photo: Ramy Mahmoud.
Heather Lubov, Executive Director of City Parks Foundation, said it is critical to educate community members of all ages on the importance of building resilient communities in the face of climate change.
“The Hunters Point Library and Environmental Education Center has created thoughtful, diverse, and inclusive programming that is strengthening and encouraging STEM capabilities while infusing learning with hyper-local community and city programs, initiatives, and speakers,” Lubov said.
QPL has also joined with partners such as Con Edison to develop a series of environmental education workshops at other branches throughout the borough.
Richard David, Con Edison’s Director of Queens Regional & Community Affairs, said the company is “proud” to support the library’s environmental initiatives, stating that the programs help residents understand how climate change is shaping their communities.
“We applaud the Library’s focus on climate literacy, which aligns with Con Edison’s commitment to invest in partners who are doing the important work of preparing New Yorkers for extreme weather events, especially in disadvantaged and marginalized communities,” David said.
As part of the renaming celebration at Hunters Point, QPL unveiled a new mural by environmental artist and educator Nim Lee in the Children’s Section at the Hunters Point branch. Lee’s “Between Land and Sea: Portraits of the East River” honors the unique biodiversity of the East River and aims to “bring people together.”
“In a time when information has become increasingly virtual, it’s wonderful to see how libraries can still function as community centers, bringing people together to grow, learn, and imagine,” Lee said in a statement.
QPL President Dennis Walcott examines new environmental mural at the Hunters Point branch. Photo: Ramy Mahmoud.
The Hunters Point branch additionally features an interactive digital exhibit, “Hunters Point: An Eco-Story,” featuring StoryMaps developed by the Newtown Creek Alliance that explore the area’s environmental history.
Willis Elkins, Executive Director of the Newtown Creek Alliance, praised QPL for being an “invaluable partner” in the alliance’s efforts to engage local communities in conservation efforts at Newtown Creek.
“We are very excited to expand this partnership through new interactive StoryMaps that detail the history, ecology, and mixed uses along NY Harbor,” Elkins said. “The new tools and programming from the Hunters Point Library and Environmental Education Center will, no doubt, better serve and connect our neighbors to their waterfronts.”
