Members of the Syosset Branch, along with members of the Oyster Bay, Roslyn, and Dix Hills branch, worked together with the National Audubon Society and partook in a variety of activities in honor of Earth Day. Many members went on the bird walk, where they were able to go birding. The chirps of the Red Bellied Woodpecker and Tufted Titmouse were able to be heard throughout the walk, and a few members were even lucky enough to spot the birds through binoculars. Members were able to learn a lot about birds on this walk, such as the survival tactics of some of these forest birds. For example, some birds use the broken-wing tactic to lure predators away from their nest.To help build shelter for these forest birds, some members also helped out with making bird house roofs with wood and nails, and was able to successfully make over 50 roofs for the birds.
Additionally, members worked together to clear an area of invasive species using tools such as shovels and rakes, or even just their bare hands. These invasive species ranged from Lesser Celandine to weeds with onion-like bulbs in the roots. They grew very rapidly and overtook a large amount of land. All the invasive species were uprooted and disposed of. After the area was cleared, it was covered with wood chips and mulch that served three purposes: to disintegrate the remaining stubborn roots, to prevent them from growing back rapidly in the future, and to ensure that people wouldn’t be stepping in dirt and mud when they visited in the upcoming summer. All the members worked together to quickly finish these tasks by dividing the tasks amongst themselves. Some members focused on uprooting the weeds, some focused on transporting the wood chips with the use of a wheelbarrow, and other members also participated in moving rock slates around to surround the ponds and fill any holes where the previous slates had slipped into the ponds.
Members participated include:
Sophia Liu (5.5 h), Jessica Albrecht (5 h), Tommy (Haotian) Tang (3 h), Alyssa Huang (3 h), Rachel Zhang (3 h), Nicole Huang (2 h), Sonia Huang (2 h)
