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2023 Walks in the Woods & Other Cool Things to Do Outside
Our Walks are as popular as always, limited only by parking/access restrictions at the delightful, often off-the-beaten-path locations.  New locations this year include Sound View Dunes Park, Quogue Wildlife Refuge, Laurel Hill Farms and Hofstra University. Some of you may have already experienced our new protocol of delaying registration for each walk until 2 – 3 months prior to, so they don’t all get filled up before our calendar brochures reach members’ mailboxes. 70 attendees enjoyed walks in our first quarter, shown in photos here. Join us for these upcoming Walks in the Woods. Advance registration is required and events are subject to change. To register or for more information, visit our website at www.northshorelandalliance.org/events. Thursday, June 29th, 6:00 pm Youngs Farm, Old Brookville Led by Tim Dooley Tim will lead us on a tour of one of Nassau County’s most treasured family farms. Saturday, July 15th, 10:00 am Quogue Wildlife Refuge, Quogue Led by Matt Kaelin Quogue Wildlife Refuge is home to all three of the types of carnivorous plants found on Long Island. Matt will introduce us to these and other curious species with a presentation on carnivorous plants and their habitats and a tour of the bog at the Refuge. Saturday, August 5th, 10:00 am Hallock State Park, Riverhead Led ByMaryLaura Lamont In partnership with Long Island Botanical Society MaryLaura will introduce us to the 18 species, some now very rare, of native Long Island wildflowers planted in Hallock’s garden. They all attract a huge variety of pollinating bees, butterflies and other insects. We will then stroll to the Sound for a look at the beach and cliff plants. ($8.00 parking fee) Tuesday, August 29th, 7:00 pm (rain date: Wednesday, August 30) Humes Preserve, Mill Neck Led by Peter Martin When the full moon is nigh, Peter will lead an exploration across Humes’s meadow. We may find migrating birds, crepuscular and nocturnal mammals and who knows what else? Saturday, September 23rd, 6:00 pm Wawapek, Cold Spring Harbor Led by Meghan Leverock Meghan, who resides at and manages the property, will tour its habitat restoration and formal garden areas whose dramatic improvements she has overseen, then lead us through the preserve’s woodland. The tour will end at our newly installed Ralf Lange Garden and restored greenhouse. Saturday, October 7th, 9:00 am Laurel Hill Farms, Cove Neck Led by Enrico Nardone, In partnership with Seatuck Environmental Association Join Seatuck’s Enrico (and friends!) for a walk at Laurel Hill Farms. It includes some of the best North Shore deciduous forest in Nassau County. The changing foliage of early autumn and the fall bird migration should provide plenty of interest, and the topography will ensure some exercise! Saturday, November 18th, 11:00 am (rain date Nov. 19) Muttontown Preserve, East Norwich Led by Glen Malings Afraid you’re relying too much on GPS? Want to practice your map reading skills? Orienteering is like a treasure hunt in the woods using a map to find controls (box shaped flags) hanging from trees. We’ll give instructions and then you can go out alone or with friends. The course should take about an hour, if you don’t get lost.
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A Decade of Service by Friends Academy Students
For ten years, the Land Alliance has had the pleasure of hosting Friends Academy seniors who spend the last three weeks of the school year volunteering for independent service projects. This year we benefited from the good works of five students: Aleaxa Moschetto, Livia Prestandra, Ines Roti, Gavin Sanders and Ryan Zouak. All participated in a variety of activities which we hope gave them a better understanding of the ins and outs of a non-profit organization. Gavin and Ryan worked primarily at Wawapek. They helped with weeding in our habitat restoration area, spreading woodchips in our native gardens, removing invasives and keeping our trails cleared. You may have also seen them at the Hole in One at the Golf and Tennis outing! Livia, Alexa and Ines have been working throughout our preserves. They help with invasive species removal, trail maintenance and planting. They have also been working with the Land Alliance’s volunteers to learn more about the work we do all year round in our preserves. We are grateful for and impressed by their good nature and willingness to learn – traits that will serve them well throughout their lives. Thank you Gavin, Ryan, Alexa, Livia and Ines! Congratulations on your graduation and best of luck in your upcoming years.
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Volunteers Improve Habitat Quality at Land Alliance Preserves
This Spring volunteers have been busy at all of our preserves completing meaningful projects that improve habitat quality and visitor experience. For the past two years, the Land Alliance has been fortunate to work with the Planting Fields Foundation’s AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps. This group of nine young adults travels throughout the country while completing hands-on projects for local non-profits. This year’s crew demonstrated excellent teamwork and dedication. It helped to remove invasive shrubs from the woodland at the Hope Goddard Iselin Preserve, move debris out of the John P. Humes Japanese Stroll Garden, prepare the pollinator gardens at the Shore Road Sanctuary and clean up the Ralf Lange Garden at Wawapek. We are so grateful to this hardworking group of stewards that have truly made a difference in our preserves. We wish them luck in their travels! Jericho High School’s Environmental Club Jericho High School’s Environmental Club is a treasured partner of the Land Alliance. It returns year after year to volunteer their time and improve our preserves. This spring, Jericho students visited the Humes Preserve to remove invasive garlic mustard from the meadow and lesser celandine from the woodland garden. Students learned about invasive species issues while engaging hands-on in the management of these pesky weeds. They even had a few wildlife encounters, coming face to face with a vole and a wolf spider during their activities! Thanks so much to this curious and dedicated group of young environmentalists. Bethpage Girl Scout Troop 3535 joined us at the Shore Road Sanctuary Bethpage Girl Scout Troop 3535 joined us at the Shore Road Sanctuary this spring to learn about Cold Spring Harbor’s coastal habitats and wildlife while picking up trash and debris on the beach. This hearty group of 10-year-old girls showed their dedication to serving their environment and community by braving the elements to rid the beach of trash big and small, from used tires to the smallest microplastics. They made sure that no trash remained at the conclusion of their project. Thank you to Troop 3535 for keeping our beaches beautiful! The Grenville Baker Boys & Girls Club returned to the MacDonald Preserve in Matinecock this year to remove invasive vines from trees on the property and clean up litter throughout the preserve. With help from Spadefoot Design & Construction, these middle school students were able to pull loads of vines off trees while learning about the effects of invasive plants on tree health. Thanks to Stephanie Urio and our friends from Grenville Baker for their continued help to keep MacDonald healthy! Grenville Bakers Boys and Girls Club volunteers with the Land Alliance at MacDonald Preserve Care to join us as a volunteer? In the woods, meadows, beaches and gardens of the north shore, our volunteers are working hard to preserve open space and restore native habitats. If you are interested in connecting with like-minded people while learning about nature, please visit us online at www.northshorelandalliance.org or contact Charlotte Brennan at 516-922-1028 or [email protected].
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6th Annual Earth Day at the Roosevelt Community Garden
Nearly 100 volunteers gathered at the Roosevelt Community Garden on Saturday, April 22nd to take part in our 6th Annual Earth Day event. We want to express our sincere thanks to all those who joined us in this year’s celebration. Your involvement had a remarkable effect on our community garden and surroundings, and it helped us prepare for our annual planting day in May. We are grateful for Senator Kevin Thomas’s presence at our garden and his willingness to learn more about us.
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Carter Rogan – 2023 O’Neil Steward
We are delighted to introduce Carter Rogan as a valuable addition to our esteemed O’Neil Stewards program. Carter is currently pursuing a master’s degree at the SUNY College for Environmental Science and Forestry. Carter, a native Long Islander, has an affinity for native plants and animals and is looking forward to applying what he’s learned at school to the stewardship of Land Alliance properties. Carter joins the program with great experience gathered from the Sweetbriar Nature Center, Bayard-Cutting Arboretum and the ecology center at the Sisters of St. Joseph. We extend a warm welcome to Carter Rogan as he joins our O’Neil Stewards program. His passion, expertise and genuine care for our natural heritage make him an invaluable asset to our team. Together, we will continue to make significant strides in the stewardship and conservation of Land Alliance properties. Please join us in welcoming Carter Rogan as a vital member of our dedicated community, as we work tirelessly to protect and nurture the ecological treasures of our beloved Long Island.
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