By: Abby Bezrutczyk
Restoring an ecosystem for native plants, insects, frogs, and birds is not an easy task–but Joyann Cirigliano of the Four Harbors Audubon Society and director of the Audubon Council of New York State, with the staff and volunteers at the Theodore Roosevelt Sanctuary and Audubon Center, have readily taken on the challenge. At the 14-acre Theodore Roosevelt Sanctuary and Audubon Center the Native plant Teaching Garden has 3.5 acres dedicated to native habitat, open to the public as an educational tool and display garden. Before it became the haven that it is today, many hurdles–from invasive plants to jumping worms–had to be reckoned with.
Four years ago, the native habitat project began with a design concept and contractors removing buildings, and prepping the site with heavy equipment. Volunteers worked to remove nearby invasive species such as invasive ivy (Hedera helix), periwinkle (Vinca minor), garlic mustard (Alliaria petiolata), and angelica-tree (Aralia spinosa), opening up the area for restoration.
The Sanctuary has been committed to using manual, mechanical, or biological control rather than chemical control methods. Goats were called upon to control invasive groundcover, readily consuming most vegetation in their path. In turn, volunteers including Master Gardeners and students have played a big role in the Sanctuary’s success– locating invasive species new to the site, such as knotweed (Reynoutria spp.), stiltgrass (Microstegium vimenium), and mile-a-minute (Persicaria perfoliata)–and removing them before they can spread.
Planted within the display garden were species native to the local area. But the design and installation also showcases native species that hail from climates slightly further south, such as coneflower (Echinacea purpurea), and beautyberry, (Callicarpa americana) which will be adaptable to climate range shifts that we are expecting to see in the near future.
As with any restoration project, there are some hurdles to clear. Challenges with the site’s hydrology, insect, bacterial, and fungal pests created issues to slow the establishment of the plantings. Other creatures, like jumping worms (Amynthas spp.), voles, and deer, also worked against the restoration efforts.
But the staff and Joy were ready to find solutions. A perimeter deer fence protects native plantings from predation. Owl boxes make an inviting home for screech owls, on the lookout for tasty voles. And teams of volunteers, in addition to keeping beds neat, have competed to collect jumping worms, with the ultimate winner taking home a much-coveted pizza.
All of this work creates a habitat which hosts a myriad of pollinators, like bees, to service the native plants, other beneficial insects and arthropods like spiders and dragonflies, plus frogs and other amphibians, box turtles, mammals like chipmunk and rabbit, and, of course, numerous species of birds. It’s the sort of project where the work is never finished, but with dedicated environmentalists and other individuals like the TR staff, Joy, and other volunteers, the project is worth its weight in ecological gold.
View the full recording of Joyann Cirigliano’s Partner Spotlight from our March 2023 Partners Meeting here: https://youtu.be/N6S8QmKFTPk?t=1729
