 As the oldest cultural organization on Staten Island, the museum has been instrumental in the founding of many other cultural organizations in the area.These include the New York Botanical Garden (the institute's co-founder Nathaniel Lord Britton became its first director), the Staten Island Zoo (originally the Staten Island Zoological Society, a Section of the Museum in 1933), the Staten Island Historical Society (running Historic Richmond Town), and the Staten Island Children's Museum.The museum also greatly impacted Staten Island's environment, contributing to the preservation of the Greenbelt and the establishment of other environmental organizations.