Photo Credit: Visit Westchester County NY
Edith G. Read Wildlife Sanctuary, the site of a restoration project where invasive plants were removed and replaced by native ones
From eutrophication to invasive species, environmental degradation has become an issue of the utmost importance in Westchester County in recent decades. If left unchecked, this threat can cause significant damage to the people and wildlife of the county and result in the loss of natural green space as recreational areas and habitats for native species.
As a result, it is increasingly important that the county government takes restoration projects, in which problems that cause environmental damage are addressed, seriously. Fortunately, the Westchester County government is very environmentally conscious and they have undergone many such projects in recent years. This article will detail a few important examples to explain why they were successful and how similar success can be achieved in the future.
Edith G. Read Wildlife Sanctuary
Situated next to Playland in Rye, Edith G. Read Wildlife Sanctuary is a popular spot for all local wildlife enthusiasts, from birders to dendrologists. This park is able to remain an important natural asset through the proactive restoration projects done there under county government supervision. One important restoration done there targeted a meadow that had become overgrown with invasive porcelain berry vines. To address this, the restoration workers cut the vines and sprayed them with herbicide as they began to sprout again. They then repopulated the meadow with native plants which is beneficial for native animal populations that rely on these plants. As a result, the meadow is now a stable ecosystem populated by many important local species.
Echo Bay Salt Marsh
Another site overrun by invasive species was Echo Bay Salt Marsh. The marsh had been taken over by common reeds, originally native to Europe. Water pollution in the form of sewage and oil was also a major issue. Improvements in drainage infrastructure along with the replacement of the common reeds with native smooth cordgrass helped this restoration project along its way. As a result, this area has seen improvements in water quality and the marsh now makes a good habitat for native aquatic wildlife.
Photo Credit: Camp Echo Bay
Echo Bay
Bronx River Projects
Restoration was done on the Bronx River at two sites in 2011 and 2012. The first was on Popham Road in Scarsdale, where the east bank of the river collapsed following heavy flooding during a storm in 2007. Using natural rocks in combination with local shrubs and trees, the river bank was successfully reconstructed by the fall of 2011. The other restoration project took place from 2011 to 2012 near the parking lot of the Westchester County Center in White Plains. In order to combat flooding and poor water quality in this area of the river, the same technique of using both natural rocks and local vegetation was used to stabilize the river banks.
Photo Credit: Scarsdale Historical Society
The Bronx River in Scarsdale
Dickerman’s Pond
Dickerman’s Pond lies on Sheldrake River in New Rochelle, and throughout the early 2000s it experienced a large buildup of vegetation and sediment deposited by the river that eventually filled the pond nearly entirely. Invasive Japanese knotweed and common reeds also dominated the pond’s ecosystem, meaning that it was a site in desperate need of restoration. To do so, all invasive species were removed from the pond and deposits of sediment were moved to the pond’s banks. Lastly, the woods that surround the pond were improved through the planting of native species.
Photo Credit: Richard McLoughlin/Google Maps
Sheldrake Lake, which is adjacent to Dickerman’s Pond
Croton Point Park
One of the most ambitious restoration projects in Westchester County history took place on Croton Point in the northwestern corner of the county. For much of the 20th century, the peninsula served as Westchester County’s largest garbage dump and was covered in 280 million cubic feet of trash—however, in the 1990s, it was transformed into a thriving park and wildlife sanctuary.
To learn more about Croton Point’s restoration, go to these articles: https://www.cleanwestchester.org/articles/crotonpointrestoration https://www.cleanwestchester.org/articles/crotonpointaerialphotos
Sources:
https://www.scarsdalehistoricalsociety.org/bronx-river https://www.visitwestchesterny.com/listing/edith-g-read-wildlife-sanctuary/139/ https://campechobay.org/contact.html https://planning.westchestergov.com/25-dickermans-pond https://planning.westchestergov.com/32-bronx-river https://planning.westchestergov.com/35-popham-road https://planning.westchestergov.com/2-echo-bay-salt-marsh https://planning.westchestergov.com/15-upland-meadow https://planning.westchestergov.com/aquaticrestoration https://planning.westchestergov.com/what-is-restoration