Written by Christina Mink
On November 23, 2024, AYLUS Oyster Bay participated in the Saturday Stewardship program organized by New York State Parks. The day began with tour guides introducing us to the park and explaining the vital relationship between native plants and the ecosystem. We learned that most biodiversity thrives at the margins of habitats, where different ecosystems meet.
The guides also discussed the use of prescribed burns to maintain meadows in an early succession stage, which supports diverse plant and animal life. These controlled burns require careful planning, including notifying police, fire departments, hospitals, nursing homes, and veterans’ homes. Conditions must also align—winds must blow in the right direction, and humidity must be ideal, neither too high nor too low.
We also explored how impermeable surfaces in urban areas contribute to water runoff issues. To address this, a native plant area was built to absorb rainwater and filter car gas runoff, protecting the surrounding environment.
AYLUS members cleared invasive and thorny plants such as Catbriar, English ivy and Japanese Honeysuckle to make way for an incoming garden to be filled with native plants.
Christina Mink 3 hrs, Wanyin Yu 2.5 hrs, Jiaman Wang 2.5 hrs, Shirley Yu 2.5 hrs, David Wang 2.5 hrs, Lu Hua 2.5hrs