I Love My Park Day on May 4th attracted a galaxy of volunteers including Rye Presbyterian Youth Group and university alumni groups from Yale and Stanford. JHC staff and Board members also rolled up their sleeves to beautify our park and gardens at the Jay Estate! Thank you to everyone who came (and all those who helped prep before and after too!) The force was indeed strong with these service-minded individuals who planted trees and removed invasive vines and weeds. Thank you to the Rye Garden Club and Little Garden Club of Rye for donating two new native paw paws along with the able assistance of Kelco Construction. All were rewarded with ice cream from Jimmy’s Soft Serve afterwards.
This annual clean-up event is sponsored by NY State Parks and Parks and Trails New York (PTNY) – it was a special surprise to have Bob Kafin from PTNY and NY State Assemblyman Steve Otis join us for the morning.
But wait there’s more! In the afternoon, volunteers and the public were invited to hear a talk by author and forager Tama Matsuoka Wong. Tama shared insights from her newest book “Into the Weeds” and took participants into the field to identify edible invasive species like Japanese knotweed, mugwort, Japanese honeysuckle and Creeping Charlie.
Photos by Kim Crichlow, Stanford Alumni and JHC
