A Maritime Explorium project funded by the Long Island Sound Future Fund, the Environmental Protection Agency and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.
The Maritime Explorium, in collaboration with Flax Pond Marine Laboratory, Avalon Park and Preserve, Bailey Arboretum, The Long Island Native Plant Initiative, Stony Brook University Department of Technology and Society and NCSCE created a model initiative in which families transformed their own home gardens and yards using sustainable practices that foster improved Long Island Sound ecological health. The initiative forged a network of citizens who, with increased knowledge of the value and impact of native plants and their role in reducing the use of fertilizers and pesticides, created and cared for home landscapes that produce cleaner stormwater run-off, restore the resiliency of the Sound’s waterways, and re-establish wildlife biodiversity.
Citizen engagement occurred and is ongoing through the following project stands:
- Free native plant landscaping workshops were held on Long Island in Suffolk and Nassau Counties, helping families develop and implement plans, and purchase materials to transform a minimum of 100 square feet of their own home yard. As a result of these workshops and free plant giveaways, over 17,000 square feet of ecosystem friendly habitat has been installed within the Long Island Sound watershed.
- Annually, 10,000 visitors to the Maritime Explorium and the Eastern Long Island Mini Maker Faire experience the interactive My Yard, Our Sound Exhibit and learn how and why native plants directly impact the health and living resources of Long Island Sound. Visitors “Take The Pledge” to transform their landscape with natives and seasonally take home native plants or seeds to transform 2 square feet of land.
- An estimated 50,000 visitors to the Maritime Explorium and adjoining Harborfront Park have the opportunity to explore the surrounding park and landscape to learn about the native plants and their impacts on the waterways with information available through a free backpack check out system and signage in the park.
- Click here for resources used during the project including: information on how to create a pollinator friendly garden that also helps the Long Island Sound, a list of demonstration gardens, good sources for locally adapted and sourced native plants specific to Long Island, NY.
If you have questions about this program, please contact Angeline Judex with the Maritime Explorium at ajudex@maritimeexplorium.org or Jacqueline Grennon Brooks in the Department of Technology and Society at Stony Brook University at jacqueline.brooks@stonybrook.edu. For questions about native plants and landscaping, please contact Lauren Hubbard at lhubbard@maritimeexplorium.org.
The following projects represent the types of restorations that were completed by homeowners and volunteer groups:
C3
Girl Scouts transform a lawn into a meadow!
C1
Wildflowers with a whimsical border
N1
Milkweed, blueberries, iris, and mixed natives restore a curbside garden
B1
A patio garden is transformed
G1
A new native garden on Setauket Harbor
N2
Lawn removal creates new habitat and a new look
J1
Natives replace invasives
H2
Native shrubs and forbs grace a sideyard
C2
Milkweed, Liatris, New England Aster and more await butterflies
D1
Tucking Liatris into a perennial border
O1
Natives grace a shade garden
C4
Another curbside garden for wildlife
W1
Butterflies find this transformed hillside habitat
H3
Native shrubs increase biodiversity
H1
A new native border
S1
Natives edge a lawn
A1
Adding Winterberry to a shade garden
