Starting in Spring 2023, the project Restoring Coastal Grassland at the William Cullen Bryant Preserve involved removing non-native invasive plants and fall seeding of 10 acres of native grassland meadow with warm-season native grasses and forbs to improve the environment of the Hempstead Harbor watershed and to reclaim wildlife habitat.
The William Cullen Bryant Preserve is a quarter of a mile from Hempstead Harbor, which flows into Long Island Sound. This restoration of green space has many benefits. It will filter stormwater pollution from the surrounding hardened landscape of streets and sidewalks, which flows downhill from the preserve and the community into the Harbor and Sound. The plantings will also filter pollution percolating into and increase “recharge” of our shared underground aquifer, a source of drinking water.
The long roots from the tall grasses will absorb carbon, a source of air pollution. The native grasses and forbs improve soil health. The plantings will provide shelter for small wild animals and birds and attract pollinators like bees and butterflies.
Native grasses and forbs seeds – different types of flowering plants commonly found in the grasslands of Long Island – were selected as the hardiest plants offering the best fit to the regional environment. The meadow will take two years to be fully established to reduce pollution and benefit wildlife.
Although modest in size, this project aims to educate visitors about our fragile local ecosystem, including its lands and waters, and how people can take action at home and in their communities to restore it.
Funding provided by the Long Island Sound Study in partnership with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Additional funding is from the Garden Club of America and the North Country Garden Club.
Online Resources for information on Native Plant Gardens
Audubon New York
New York Botanical Garden
The Nature Conservancy