On February 11th, Great Neck and Syosset Branch went to Bethpage State Park with members of the New York State Parks, Recreation & Historic Preservation to eliminate invasive species and preserve the garden.
Victor established a garden with native plants and other diverse plants years ago. The focus was to maintain the garden so the native plants can thrive. The invasive species we eliminated today were asiatic bitter sweet, honey suckle, rosa multiflora, and wild cherries. Eliminating wild cherries was one of the most challenging tasks. We needed to differentiate them by smell and color and use heavy tools to cut around the base of the tree stump. We learned from the Environmental Stewardship Assistant, George, that even though wild cherries are native valuable trees, we need to eliminate them in this garden because they were immoderate.
The members felt a sense of gratification after piling out the vines. Despite the thorns we encountered in the garden, the members were able to get through the grueling 3 hours to protect the environment and allow the plants to thrive. It was our pleasure to work for this exquisite garden.
Members Participated (3h): I-Han Liao, Fanxi Xia, Zoe Xia, Lucas Liao, Stephanie Tsai