Stony Kill Needs Garden Volunteers

The Stony Kill Foundation is looking for volunteers to help maintain the Verplanck Memorial Perennial Garden at Stony Kill on Route 9D.  The plantings in the Garden were chosen to attract butterflies and birds (it is the main attraction at the annual Butterfly Festival, being held on August 13 this year).  Simple regular maintenance is required.  You can work in the Garden whenever it is convenient for you.  The Garden is open seven days a week from dawn to dusk. 

In 1997, three descendents, Elizabeth, Suzanna and Wilhelmina Andrews, who were sisters, provided funds for the creation of the Garden.  The Andrews sisters spend their childhood years living in the Manor House at Stony Kill in the early 1900's in the care of their Uncle and Aunt, John Bayard Rodgers Verplanck and his wife Susan Van Wyck Andrews Verplanck. 

Help us keep their legacy going!  Call us or email us if you are willing to help, 845-831-1617 or foundation@stonykill.org.

Beacon Planting Day

Sargent – Downing Gardens and Nursery

The City of Beacon Recreation department is proud to present a new recreation program for the community in the newly opened NYS Park formally known as The University Settlement Camp. This program focuses on the areas of Gardening, Horticulture and Civic Pride. Our emphasis will be an education program with historical importance for our children. While serving the community at large, this program will also provide the City of Beacon with trees for its parks and Main Street.

The Hudson Valley has a rich history in the early development of American landscape gardening and design. Both Beacon and Newburgh were the homes of two distinguished horticulturists who paved the way for the art form that helped design some of the most beautiful landscapes in America. Henry Winthrop Sargent and Andrew Jackson Downing were great friends, lived across the Hudson from one another, and designed many landscapes in our community.

The goals of this program are to offer a different type of recreation for the City of Beacon and the surrounding communities. It will help educate children in the areas of horticulture, gardening and sustainability. Volunteers of all ages will be invited to participate in educating and maintaining the grounds which will include seed starting, planting, harvesting food, composting, and propagating amongst other activities. The group will begin using, and will gradually improve upon, the existing garden space at the university settlement camp. The Sargent – Downing Gardens and Nursery project will include the following:

Tree Nursery, Organic perennial and shrub gardens, Vegetable gardens, Herbal Gardens, Seminars on
propagation, and Butterfly gardens.

There will be a meeting on May 11th between 6-7pm at the Garden located at 724 Wolcott ave Beacon, NY. Please attend to discuss our Annual Community Planting Day on May 14th.

Picnic with your Family
Music by Miss Vickie and Chris Rue
Food
The Reading of the Lorax for the Children
Artists – Wood Carving / Painting

In order to make this program successful we will need all volunteers to attend these events. Remember this is for the future of our children, community and sustainable values. If you would like to know more about this program, please contact Beacon Recreation Commissioner Justin Riccobono at 845-765-2991.

Environmental Day Volunteers Needed

2011 Environmental Day: Living Green in Rockland

Sunday, May 15th

11am - 4pm

The Rockland County Solid Waste Management Authority is finalizing plans for
our 2nd Annual Environmental Day, Living Green in Rockland being held on
Sunday, May 15th from 11am to 4 pm at our facilities in Hillburn.

Please join us as we celebrate all things green at our fun-filled
Environmental Day Celebration. This free event to the public drew over 1,000
visitors last year and we hope to make it greener and greater for 2011.

We are looking for volunteers to help with various activities throughout the
day. We are expecting over 30 environmental exhibitors; hosting our first
ever Environmental Film Festival; presenting our Annual Rockland Recycles
Awards; planning lots of fun activities for kids; providing open-house tours
of our Environmental Education and Recycling Center; will have live music,
entertainment, local food vendors and more!

To volunteer, please call Kerri Scales at 753-2200 x22 or email at
kscales@rocklandrecycles.com.

Sargent-Downing Garden Volunteers Needed

The Sargent – Downing Gardens and Nursery!

The City of Beacon Recreation Department is proud to present a new recreation program for the community in the newly opened NYS Park known as The University Settlement Camp. 

You can help educate children about horticulture, gardening and sustainability.  Volunteers of all ages are invited to participate in educating and maintaining the grounds, which include a Tree Nursery, Organic perennial & shrub gardens, Vegetable gardens, and Herbal Gardens. While serving the community at large, this program will also provide the City of Beacon with trees for its parks and Main Street.

Join us for the following volunteer opportunities:

April 30

Continued cleanup of Garden at the Settlement Camp

Table at Beacon Barks on Main Street

May 14

Planting Day Festival – Annual Planting Day at the Garden with food and music

Contact Beacon Recreation Commissioner Justin Riccobono at 845-765-2991or Richie Cabo, 845-476-1660.

About the Sargent Downing Nursery and Garden historical roots:

The Hudson Valley has a rich history in the early development of American landscape gardening and design. Both Beacon and Newburgh were the homes of two distinguished horticulturists, Henry Winthrop Sargent and Andrew Jackson Downing, who paved the way for the art form that helped design some of the most beautiful landscapes in America. 

Volunteer with the Hudson River Estuary Program

Looking for a way to celebrate Arbor Day this year?  Come and join the Hudson River Estuary Program on Friday April 29^th and Saturday April 30^th from 9am-4pm where we will be potting-up thousands of bareroot seedlings for our “Trees for Tribs” initiative.  This event will be located at the NYSDEC Region III office in New Paltz.  There will be free pizza at noon.  If you have any questions or you’d like to R.S.V.P., contact Laura Heil at ljheil@gw.dec.state.ny.us or 845-256-2253.

Hudson River Estuary - Volunteer Opportunities

The Hudson River Estuary Program protects and improves the natural and scenic Hudson River watershed for all its residents. You can help!

Volunteers can get involved in any of the following opportunities:

Amphibian Migrations and Road Crossings Project
North American Amphibian Monitoring Program (NAAMP)
American Eel Research
River Herring Monitoring Program
“Trees for Tribs”

For more information on the Estuary Program, see www.dec.ny.gov/lands/4920.html or call 845-256-3016

Climate Smart Community Pledge

In May 2009, the City of Beacon adopted the Climate Smart Community Pledge. The City of Beacon agreed to the following in order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to a changing climate:

1. Pledge to Combat Climate Change by Becoming a Climate Smart Community
2. Set Goals, Inventory Emissions, Move to Action
3. Decrease Energy Demand for Local Government Operations
4. Encourage Renewable Energy for Local Government Operations
5. Realize Benefits of Recycling and Other Climate Smart Solid Waste Management Practices
6. Promote Climate Protection through Community Land Use Planning
7. Plan for Adaptation to Unavoidable Climate Change
8. Support a Green Innovation Economy
9. Inform and Inspire the Public
10. Commit to an Evolving Process

Contact the office of Mayor Steve Gold for more information.

VOLUNTEER AT LOCUST GROVE

Locust Grove, Samuel Morse Historic Site is looking for volunteers. Work sessions are on 

Tuesdays and/or Thursdays. 


The Spring 2011 Garden Volunteer Schedule is listed below:  

 Tuesday, February 22: Tool cleaning, 9 AM. Need 5 volunteers:  Sign up with Susan and 

Tim 

 Thursday, March 3: Spring Volunteer Kickoff meeting 10 AM, meet at Visitor Center 

 Thursday, March 10: Greenhouse clean-up, 9 AM. Need 5 volunteers: Sign up with Susan 

and Tim 

 Tuesday, March 22:  Outdoor garden work:  9 AM- Weather permitting. (Some greenhouse 

work as well; dress in layers) 

 Thursday, March 31: Vegetable garden cleanup:  9 AM- Weather permitting. Possible 

greenhouse work as well; dress in layers) 

Beginning April 5, both Tuesday and Thursday volunteers will meet weekly and work will be 

both in the greenhouse and outdoors:  dress in layers.  If the weather is bad and you‟re not sure if we have greenhouse work, you can call us; leave a message and we will call you back.  

Contact Susan or Tim at 454-4500 ext 216; leave a message and they will return your call.  

E- mail: horticulture@lgny.org. 

Address: 2683 South Road, Poughkeepsie, New York 12601