Orange Environment Inc. shares local efforts to protect the environment of the county

Since its inception in 1982, Orange Environment Inc. (OE) has been involved in many local efforts to protect the environment of Orange County’s beautiful surroundings. These past few years one of OE’s goals has been to focus on helping to re-establish native plants in community spaces to give local pollinators the ability to find appropriate nesting and nectar sources, a place to lay their eggs, and places they can seek shelter.

With funding from the Orange and Rockland STEM grant program, OE has worked with schools, village and town agencies and their local parks, and volunteer groups to transform grass lawns, which have very little food value for pollinators, into pollinator havens.

This summer OE collaborated with the Village of Woodbury and the Woodbury Climate Smart Community Task Force to install a pollinator garden in a Passive Recreation Area on Smith Clove Road in Highland Mills. Under the lead of OE’s Science Advisor, Anne Wibiralske, and Lisa Hintze, chairperson of Woodbury’s Climate Smart Task Force, A Celebration at The Garden Pollinator Planting Party was held.

With around 7-10 volunteers dropping in throughout the morning and afternoon, people got down in the dirt and planted over 150 plants. It was a productive day and the pollinators will have a great selection of milkweed, cardinal flowers, asters, red beebalm, woodland sunflowers, and more that will help them survive and provide fall blooming plants for monarch butterflies. A small pocket garden was also installed.

OE has participated in a series of these types of projects over the last three years including in Warwick, Pine Island, and Goshen, and has helped homeowners increase their awareness of the beauty and necessity of increasing plant diversity in our yards for our insect and pollinator friends. Go to www.orangeenvironment.com for more information on these kinds of projects and volunteer opportunities.