ReWild Your Life

Have you fantasized about a beautiful, low-maintenance garden that would be natural and attract butterflies, bees and birds to your yard?

Well, you are not alone. Beautiful and healthy green spaces bring out the best in us. These green spaces -- backyards, side- and front-lawns, tree-lined streets, parks, golf-courses, and fields -- are central to our identity in Port Washington and other towns on Long Island. However, not all "green spaces" are the same. Much of the “green” that our communities adopt are non-native mono-cultures that require a high level of chemical and labor inputs to maintain, with negative impact on biodiversity, air and water quality and environmental health. Think of the lawn, for instance, that is a mono-culture of a single plant, that consumes so much labor, fertilizer, water and herbicides, while providing very little environmental benefit.

The good news is that there is an emerging "back to native plants" movement that is starting up on Long Island called ReWilding which helps to bring beauty back to your yard without the artificial chemicals.

ReWilding is centered around three tenets for both public and private spaces:

1. Growing native plants rather than exotics helps our environment, because native plants that evolved in our area don't need expensive maintenance.
2. Encouraging genetic diversity in our yard is an easy way of keeping yards and soils healthy.
3. Our yards should be designed to maximize biodiversity, carbon sequestration and reducing water or chemical use.

A rewilded yard can be beautiful, biodiverse and yet require less maintenance than a conventional yard!

ReWilding your yard supports biological diversity to benefit the environment. The habitats we create with locally sourced native plants and food plants serve as part of a network of connections or stepping-stones that link populations of wildlife over the course of their migratory cycles and ranges. By restoring local habitats, promoting best practices including the use of non-toxic materials, and by education and advocacy, we are helping to promote the health of the landscape and a local ecologically-minded culture.

How would you go about ReWilding?

A new organization called ReWild Long Island brings native plants to private yards and community spaces. We have successfully replaced conventional landscaping with wildlife-friendly vibrant natives in many homes and public lawns in Port Washington. In less than a year, we have made some good progress thanks to a lot of public interest and engagement.

You can learn more at www.rewildlongisland.org to learn more about ReWilding and the success we have achieved. You can also read the stories of a number of our neighbors who are working together to change our yards for the better.

If you're interested in ReWilding your yard for this coming Spring, please attend our information sessions:

1. Spring 2020 ReWilding Information Session on Sunday, October 20th from 2 PM to 4 PM at the Hagedorn Room, Port Washington Public Library
2. Spring 2020 ReWilding Kickoff on Saturday, November 2nd from 11 AM to 2 PM at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Shelter Rock

Both sessions are free and open to the public.