News & Information - Town of Greenburgh

SAMANTHA SIMPSON, COMMUNITY HERO --WOODLANDS HS STUDENT OFFERS TO CONTINUE TO HELP BEAUTIFY TOWN! LOOKING FOR SUPPLIES
E HARTSDALE AVE REPAIRS RESULTED IN SCAFFOLDING BEING PLACED OVER SIDEWALK
STOP THE INVASION OF INVASIVE SPECIES
In response to some inquiries about the reasons why scaffolding was placed over the sidewalk on E Hartsdale Ave- I spoke with the Deputy Building Inspector yesterday. Was informed that work will soon commence to repair bricks on the buildings that are in danger of falling.

Samantha Simpson, a student at Woodlands High School was honored last week by the Greenburgh Town Board
for her efforts to beautify the school grounds. Samantha is the leader of the Gardening Club at the High School. Samantha wants to continue to help our town look nicer and is seeking donations and partnerships with local nurseries or garden stores. Over the summer she will be maintaining what we have already planted and hopefully reaping our harvest of tomatoes, peppers, mint and thyme. However, in the Fall she will be getting ready for planting our spring bulbs and will be in need of gardening supplies such as pitch forks, hose and sprinkler. While she is hopefully optimistic that supplies such as soil and flowers will also be donated, she would be perfectly happy with a nursery or store offering us a deep discount that would allow us to purchase flowers for fall and spring.

She believes it would be a win/win for both our partner and the Gardening Club. Our partner would get some exposure, some new loyal customers and, of course, it would allow our club to continue to beautify the grounds of Woodlands High School and expand beyond. My contact information is
samantha.r.simpson@hotmail.com . If anyone would like to coordinate directly through my school, the advisors are Maria Biddle (mbiddle@greenburghcsd.org), Nicole Masi (nmasi@greenburghcsd.org) and Maralyn Brois (mbrois@greenburghcsd.org).

GREAT NEWS--HER HIGH SCHOOL CLUB IS available to help beautify islands (small parklets) in the town.

WATCH SAMANTHA SIMPSON's PRESENTATION AT LAST WEEKS TOWN BOARD MEETING ON THIS YOU TUBE LINK

>> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZ6LDaXdmsY

STOP THE INVASION!
Invasive species are destroying our local habitat.  Strange plants are taking over our flower beds. Climbing vines are strangling the trees along our parkways.

NYS has passed a law to try to control the onslaught http://www.dec.ny.gov/regulations/93848.html . The Town's Conservation Advisory Council has adopted a resolution not to recommend planting schedules proposing to plan invasive vegetation.

Beware:   under a grace period, merchants in New York State may still be offering some invasive species for sale and you may unknowing buy an invasive species.   Some examples of invasive species that are often included in landscaping in our town are Japanese Barberry and Crimson King Norway Maples.

You can help in this fight.

What makes a species invasive and why should you care?

An invasive species can be any kind of living organism that is not native to an ecosystem and causes harm to the environment, the economy or human health.

Direct threats:
§     Preying on native species
§     Out-competing for food and resources
§     Causing or carrying disease
§     Preventing native species from reproducing
Indirect threats:
§     Changing the food chain in an ecosystem
§     Decreasing biodiversity: aggressive plant species can quickly replace a diverse ecosystem with a monoculture.
§     Altering ecosystems conditions: some invasive species are capable of changing soil chemistry.

What you can do to curb the spread of invasive species:

§     Learn to identify invasive plants like Japanese Barberry here:http://www.dec.ny.gov/docs/lands_forests_pdf/isprohibitedplants2.pdf
§     Plant native plants in your garden
§     Remove invasives from your garden.
§     Regularly clean your boots, gear, boat, tires and other equipment you use outdoors to remove insects and plant parts that may spread invasive species
§     Don't transport firewood from your camping site back home.

Get Involved!

Invasives Strike Force surveyors- New York-New Jersey Trail Conference. Learn how to identify 14 common invasive plants and how to survey linear areas such as hiking trails, roadsides and parking lot perimeters. Volunteers attend a free 1-day training class and then are
assigned a survey responsibility within their preferred area. For more information go to http://www.nynjtc.org/invasives

The Invasives Project-Pound Ridge Trail Patrol. Every Wednesday (May - October) 10:30 - 12:30. Meet at Town Park, 199 Westchester Ave, Pound Ridge. For more information email invasivesPR@bedfordaudubon.org or see the Facebook page: The Invasives Project- Pound Ridge. Bring pruners. Walk town preserves and provide light management of invasive plants.

The Native Plant Protector Program at Pound Ridge Land Conservancy
Invasive plant species are well established on most of our preserves and are a threat to local biodiversity. To supplement the ongoing effort by PRLC staff and board members, we look to our dedicated Native Plant Protectors to clear their assigned area(s) of invasive plants. By working within a flexible schedule, our Native Plant Protectors spend a good deal of time in the field making a real ecological difference. See more volunteer opportunities at PRLC at http://prlc.net/volunteer/

Invasive Species Removals with Scenic Hudson. Every other Saturday. At Scenic Hudson preserves in Esopus and Beacon. Learn to identify various invasive plants and help your local preserve. See upcoming events on our calendar. For more information go tohttp://www.scenichudson.org