QPL’s Hunters Point Library Renamed Hunters Point Library and Environmental Education Center
New Moniker Underscores Queens Public Library’s Commitment to Climate Literacy and Sustainability
August 9, 2025—Queens Public Library President and CEO Dennis M. Walcott today welcomed state and city officials and community members to celebrate the renaming of Hunters Point Library to the Hunters Point Library and Environmental Education Center (HPLEEC), reinforcing QPL’s commitment to sustainability and environmental stewardship.
The HPLEEC, located at 47-40 Center Boulevard, offers innovative programming and resources that explore the connections between people, urban landscapes, and the natural world. Through hands-on activities, workshops, and exhibits, visitors of all ages can explore the local environment, including Long Island City’s unique watershed and East River habitats.
The center was 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), administered by the City Parks Foundation.
The NCEBF was 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.
Queens Public Library originally received a DEC grant in 2019, enabling the branch to provide environmental programming for children focused on plant and marine life, pollution, composting, recycling, and more.
Since then, QPL has continued to expand 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. Additionally, with support from partners like Con Edison, QPL has developed a series of environmental education workshops at other branches throughout the borough.
“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,” said Queens Public Library President and CEO Dennis M. Walcott. “The Hunters Point Library and Environmental Education Center will serve as a vital hub for climate literacy, sustainability and public engagement, helping our communities better understand and protect their local ecosystems. We are grateful to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation for providing the funding to make this possible and to the City Parks Foundation for their support in administering the funds. We also want to thank Con Edison for supporting our efforts to raise public awareness about the causes and results of shifting weather patterns.”
“Having access to an environmental education center within the community is vital to promoting environmental literacy and giving future generations the tools to understand the dynamics of our shared environment,” New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Regional Director Antonia Pereira said. “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.”
“Educating and engaging children and library users of all ages in sustainability and environmental stewardship is critical to protecting our natural resources and building stronger, more resilient communities in the face of a changing climate,” said Heather Lubov, Executive Director of City Parks Foundation. “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. We were so happy to play a small role in the Center’s development with funding through the Newtown Creek Environmental Benefit Fund.”
“Con Edison is proud to support Queens Public Library’s Climate Ready workshops, which help Queens residents understand how climate change is impacting their communities, how they can prepare for continuing change, and how to build resiliency for the future,” said Richard David, Con Edison’s Director of Queens Regional & Community Affairs. “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.”
As part of the celebration, the library unveiled Between Land and Sea: Portraits of the East River, a new mural (pictured below) by the environmental artist and educator Nim Lee, located in the Children’s Section. The artwork honors the unique biodiversity of the East River and surrounding habitats.
“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,” said muralist Nim Lee. “I hope my paintings can contribute to that cause.”
The library also introduced an interactive digital exhibit, Hunters Point: An Eco-Story, featuring StoryMaps developed by the Newtown Creek Alliance that explore the area's environmental history.
“The Queens Public Library has been an invaluable partner in our work to educated and engage local communities with Newtown Creek and the ongoing challenges and opportunities that face our waterways," said Willis Elkins, Executive Director of the Newtown Creek Alliance. "We are very excited to expand this partnership through new interactive StoryMaps that detail the history, ecology, and mixed uses along NY Harbor. 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.”
About Queens Public Library
Queens Public Library is one of the largest and busiest public library systems in the United States, dedicated to serving the most ethnically and culturally diverse area in the country. An independent, non-profit organization founded in 1896, Queens Public Library offers free access to a collection of more than 5 million books and other materials in 50 languages, technology, and digital resources. Each year, the Library hosts tens of thousands of online and in-person educational, cultural, and civic programs and welcomes millions of visitors through its doors. With a presence in nearly every neighborhood across the borough of Queens, the Library consists of 66 locations, including branch libraries, a Central Library, seven adult learning centers, a technology lab at the Queensbridge public housing complex, a community learning center at the Ravenswood public housing complex, and five teen centers. It also has four bookmobiles and two book bicycles.
Media Contact: Ewa Kern-Jedrychowska, ekern@queenslibrary.org
Additional visuals available here.
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