Wave Hill Weekly Events (Oct 2 – Oct 9) | Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month & City of Forest Day at Wave Hill!

 

Under the canopy of trees and stretches of hidden paths, our forests have been living sanctuaries for our communities, the fauna, and flora across the city. Wander a new path at Wave Hill during this City of Forest Day and explore the woodlands and all they have to offer. Later, enjoy music and dancing all day long on the great lawn in a Fiesta on the Hudson for Hispanic Heritage Month!  

 

City of Forest Day 

Sat, Oct 4 | All Day 

Explore the urban forests at Wave Hill this City of Forest Day, presented by Forest for All NYC. Check out our local woodlands, volunteer at our Community Woodland Volunteer Day, experience a session of forest bathing or touring our current exhibition Trees, we breathe. Participants can enjoy free admission to Wave Hill grounds by mentioning they are attending a City of Forest Day event.   

 

Fiesta on The Hudson 

Sun, Oct 5, 2:00PM  –  5:00PM 

Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month at Wave Hill! Dance instructor, Talia Castro-Pozo, takes you through the steps of traditional dances like salsa and samba, and enjoy live music by Santiago y La Orquesta.  

 

Nature & Wellness 

 

Trees and the Designed Landscape Walk 

Fri, Oct 3, 1:00PM – 2:00PM   

Registration encouraged. 

This Archtober, tour the garden with former Director of Public Programs, Laurel Rimmer, to observe how trees, garden structures, paths, plant combinations and other design elements define Wave Hill’s sense of place.  

 

Woodland Community Volunteer Workday 

Sat, Oct 4, 11:00AM – 12:30PM   

Registration required. 

Join Wave Hill staff in the Herbert and Hyonja Abrons Woodlands! Gain first-hand knowledge of ecological practices as a volunteer and get your hands dirty while applying them alongside our staff experts. Please dress appropriately, as tasks may include pulling invasive plants or clearing pathways. 

 

Forest Bathing 

Sat, Oct 4, 12:00PM – 2:00PM   

Registration required. 

Enjoy the healing benefits of the garden on a meditative stroll with certified nature therapy guide, Cindy Olsen. Create a deeper connection with nature as you engage your senses to build cardiovascular strength, reduce stress, boost your immune system, and conclude with a ceremonial tea.  

 

Yoga in the Garden 

Sun, Oct 5, 10:15AM – 11:15AM   

Registration encouraged. 

Root your feet in the grass and look out upon the vistas as you enjoy a gentle yoga class. All levels welcome. 

 

Garden Highlights Walk 

Sun, Oct 5, 1:00PM – 1:30PM 

Free with admission to the grounds   

Registration not required.   

Take a leisurely guided walk with a Wave Hill Garden Guide to observe seasonal garden highlights! Each walk varies by the guide leading it.  

 

Art 

 

Public Gallery Tour  

Thu, Oct 2, 2:00PM – 3:00PM 

Sat, Oct 4, 2:00PM – 3:00PM 

Free with admission to the grounds  

Registration not required. 

Visitors can expect an in-depth look at artworks on view in Glyndor Gallery and in the Sunroom Project Space, showcasing the work of both emerging and established artists in the unique context of a public garden between nature, culture and site. Each tour lasts approximately 45 minutes.  

 

Family 

 

Family Art Project: Papery Partners 

Sat, Oct 4, 10:00AM – 1:00PM 

Sun, Oct 5, 10:00AM – 1:00PM   

Free with admission to the grounds  

Registration not required. 

Have you ever heard the saying "scratch my back and I'll scratch yours"? That’s symbiosis! Layer paper shapes to create colorful scenes showing your favorite plant or animal symbiotic relationships.  

 

Special Events 

 

City of Forest Day 

Sat, Oct 4 | All Day 

Registration not required. 

Connect with urban forests this City of Forest Day, presented by Forest for All NYC, in partnership with other organizations. Enjoy free admission at Wave Hill by mentioning the event and taking part in exploring the local woodlands, volunteering at our Community Woodland Volunteer Day, experiencing a session of forest bathing or touring our current exhibition Trees, we breathe. 

 

Fiesta on The Hudson 

Sun, Oct 5, 2:00PM  –  5:00PM 

Free with admission to the grounds   

Registration not required 

Dance the day away on the great lawn in celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month! Feel the beat of the music, as dance instructor, Talia Castro-Pozo, takes you through the steps of traditional dances like salsa and samba, and enjoy live music by Santiago y La Orquesta. 

HOURS STARTING MARCH 15: 10AM–5:30PM, Tuesday–Sunday  

Shuttle Service Free from Subway and Metro-North, Saturday–Sunday 

Information at 718.549.3200. On the web at wavehill.org.   

Member of Vast International Alien Smuggling Organization Extradited from Mexico

 

A Mexican man made his initial appearance in court in Del Rio after being extradited to Texas from Mexico to face charges relating to his role in an international alien smuggling organization.

In September 2023, a federal grand jury in the Western District of Texas returned an indictment against Efrain Zuniga-Garcia, 37, of Mexico, for conspiring to smuggle aliens from multiple countries into the United States for financial gain.

Beginning in November 2020 and continuing through September 2023, the defendant and others were part of a vast international alien smuggling organization (ASO) that illegally brought thousands of aliens from Afghanistan, Yemen, Egypt, India, Pakistan, Columbia, Guatemala, Honduras, and Ecuador into the United States across the border with Mexico. The ASO operated stash houses in Monterrey, Mexico, and Piedras Negras, Mexico. A Pakistani smuggler based in Brazil originally contracted with aliens to enter the smuggling venture. In turn, this Brazilian-based smuggler worked with a San Antonio, Texas-based smuggler and Honduran national Enil Edil Mejia-Zuniga to facilitate travel of the aliens from South America to the United States. Mejia-Zuniga directed operations, as well as paid armed “coyotes,” load drivers, and stash house operators. According to court documents, Mejia-Zuniga admitted that the ASO smuggled between 2,500 to 3,000 aliens into the United States in just two years. Mejia-Zuniga stated the organization charged between $6,500 to $12,000 per alien, totaling approximately $16 to $30 million in financial gain.

Efrain Zuniga-Garcia operated the stash house in Monterrey and coordinated with other members of the ASO to transport aliens to the stash house and then into the U.S. illegally. The defendant worked with others to house aliens for a period, after which the aliens would meet foot guides, ‘coyotes’, who led them across the U.S.-Mexico border by crossing the Rio Grande River.

Zuniga-Garcia was arrested in Mexico in October 2024 at the request of the U.S. government. Zuniga-Garcia’s extradition was the result of extensive coordination and cooperation between U.S. and Mexican law enforcement authorities.

Zuniga-Garcia is charged with one count of conspiracy to bring illegal aliens to the United States and three counts of bringing in illegal aliens for profit. If convicted, he faces a mandatory minimum penalty of five years in prison. Zuniga-Garcia’s co-defendant, Monica Hernadez-Palma was extradited to the United States from Mexico in January 2025. She pleaded guilty to smuggling offenses in April 2025 and is scheduled to be sentenced in November 2025. Defendant Mejia-Zuniga was sentenced in July 2025 to the statutory maximum of 120 months in prison.

Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and Acting Special Agent in Charge Mark Lippa of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) San Antonio Field Office made the announcement.

HSI Del Rio led U.S. investigative efforts, working in concert with the HSI Human Smuggling Unit in Washington, D.C., U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s National Targeting Center International Interdiction Task Force, and U.S. Border Patrol. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs worked with law enforcement partners in Mexico to secure the arrest and extradition of Zuniga-Garcia.

Trial Attorneys Jenna Reed and Bethany Allen of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section (HRSP) are prosecuting the case.

The indictment and extradition are the result of the coordinated efforts of Joint Task Force Alpha (JTFA) and the Extraterritorial Criminal Travel Strike Force (ECT) Program. JTFA, a partnership with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), has been elevated and expanded with a mandate to target cartels and transnational criminal organizations to eliminate human smuggling and trafficking operating in Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Panama, Colombia, Canada, and the Caribbean. JTFA currently comprises detailees from U.S. Attorneys’ Offices along the southwest border, the Northern District of New York, the District of Vermont, and the Southern District of Florida. Dedicated support is provided by numerous components of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, led by HRSP and supported by the Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section, Office of Enforcement Operations, and the Office of International Affairs, among others. JTFA also relies on substantial law enforcement investment from DHS, FBI, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, and other partners. To date, JTFA’s work has resulted in more than 415 domestic and international arrests of leaders, organizers, and significant facilitators of alien smuggling; more than 355 U.S. convictions; more than 305 significant jail sentences imposed; and forfeitures of substantial assets.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN).

An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

DEC Announces Bowhunting Seasons for Deer and Bear

 

Youth Big Game Hunt Slated for October 11-13

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Amanda Lefton announced that bowhunting seasons for deer in the Northern Zone begin on Sept. 27. In the Southern Zone, bowhunting seasons for deer and bear begin on Oct. 1. The bowhunting season for bear in the Northern Zone began Sept. 13.

"Bowhunters enjoy tremendous opportunities here in New York, and those opportunities are even better now that crossbows can be used during the entire bow season and in bowhunting-only areas,” Commissioner Lefton said. “Late summer weather, fall foliage, and plentiful big game populations combine to create outstanding conditions. It’s an exciting time of year.”

New for fall 2025, hunters in New York State may use a crossbow in the same seasons, places, and manner as a vertical bow for hunting deer and bear. Crossbows have been used throughout most of New York, in both rural and developed areas, for more than a decade, but until now New York State law limited the locations, times, and types of crossbows that could be used.

Changes to the hunting rules signed into law by Governor Kathy Hochul this year remove most of those barriers and will make hunting with a crossbow more accessible and a more effective tool for deer management. Expanding use of crossbows in the urban and suburban areas previously restricted to vertical bows will create more opportunities for hunters of diverse backgrounds to hunt near where they live. Additionally, removing the minimum width and maximum draw weight requirements for crossbows will allow New York hunters to now legally access the majority of crossbows on the market. To hunt deer and bear with a crossbow during the bowhunting seasons, a hunter must have a hunting license and bowhunting privilege. Read more about Crossbow Hunting on DEC’s website.

Deer Management Permit (DMP) Deadline

Hunters are reminded that the application deadline for Deer Management Permits (DMPs) is Oct. 1.

Prior to applying for a DMP, hunters should be prepared with the Wildlife Management Unit (WMU) they intend to hunt. The DMP Availability and Probability of Selection webpage has more information regarding DMP availability and chances of being selected in each WMU.

Youth Big Game Hunt

New York's annual Youth Big Game Hunt occurs Oct. 11-13 for junior hunters (hunters aged 12-15) accompanied by an experienced, licensed adult hunter. Only the junior hunter may carry a firearm during the youth hunt.

The Youth Big Game Hunt takes place throughout the State, except in Suffolk and Westchester counties and bowhunting-only areas. Licensed 12- to 13-year-old hunters may only take deer with a firearm in counties that participate in the youth pilot program. Though junior hunters may have multiple deer tags, they may only take one deer with a firearm during the Youth Big Game Hunt. Antlerless deer taken with a firearm may be tagged with a regular season tag, DMP, or a Deer Management Assistance Program tag, while antlered deer may only be tagged with the regular season tag.

Additional rules that apply to junior hunters and their adult mentors can be found on pages 44 and 45 of the Hunting and Trapping Guide or on DEC’s Youth Firearms Hunting webpage.

Help Needed with Chronic Wasting Disease Sampling

In fall 2024, DEC and the Department of Agriculture and Markets (AGM) confirmed Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) in a captive deer facility in the town of Columbia in southern Herkimer County. CWD is always fatal in deer, moose, and elk. AGM took immediate action to depopulate and test the infected captive herd and investigate risks associated with other captive deer facilities. Simultaneously, DEC responded aggressively to test for CWD presence among wild deer in the area.

DEC has not found CWD in wild deer in the area. More testing is needed, and DEC is requesting that hunters in the towns of Columbia, German Flatts, Litchfield, Warren, or Winfield in Herkimer County, and the town of Richfield in Otsego County submit the head of all deer they harvest. See CWD Sampling for drop box locations in each town.

Venison Donation Program

Big game hunters are reminded that they can help feed the hungry donating all or part of their harvested deer through cooperating processors or by making a monetary contribution to the Venison Donation Program at any license-issuing outlet.

To reduce the potential for lead fragments in venison, hunters are encouraged to follow “best practices” when processing their deer. To eliminate the risk, donate deer taken with bow or crossbow or use lead-free ammunition. For more information on best practices for venison processing or lead-free ammunition, visit DEC’s website.

For more information about DEC's big game hunting seasons, recent rule changes, and hunter safety information including new requirements to wear hunter orange or pink, go to DEC's website.