SOMERS, N.Y. - For those of us curious about the white tubes on the hillside in the Angle Fly Preserve (AFP), Bob MacGregor explained all about the tubes and much more at a recent meeting in the Somers Town Hall. MacGregor is a member-at-large of the Somers Land Trust (SLT), a non-profit organization committed to preserving open space in the town of Somers, NY. The SLT manages the 654 acre AFP located on Primrose St.
In a presentation entitled, Sustainable Landscape Projects, Programs and Initiatives, MacGregor defined landscape sustainability as design, construction, operations, and maintenance practices that meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. He then listed several examples of sustainability practiced by Native Americans, the first land stewards in the area that we now call the Angle Fly Preserve.
As part of the current effort in sustainability, multiple programs in conservation and restoration are underway in the AFP through the Environmental Leaders Learning Alliance (ELLA). As part of ELLA's Tree Management Program, 138 trees and shrubs were planted near the AFP's entrance last May by members of the Watershed Agricultural Council, NY State Department of Environmental Conservation, Teatown Lake Reservation workers and volunteers, and AFP volunteers. All of the new trees and shrubs are native to the region.
Each new tree grows in a tube to protect it from damage from deer and rodents. The tube is actually made from a five foot tall piece of flat plastic that's rolled into shape and secured to a wooden stake. The height of the tube protects the tree from grazing deer in the early years, and also forces the tree to concentrate growth above the top edge, out of reach of deer when the tube is eventually removed in three to five years.
Tubes are also placed around some wild trees, such as the 25 North American Hickory trees discovered growing on the hillside. Despite being about five years old, the hickory trees were only a foot tall because of frequent grazing by deer. So volunteers put the tubes on them. About three or four weeks later, we went back and they'd gained about 12 to 18 inches, MacGregor said.
The new trees and shrubs serve a greater purpose than just producing a pretty landscape. As they grow, their roots will help stabilize the ground, reduce erosion of the hillside and stream-banks, diminish silt build-up in the stream, and lessen pollution runoff from nearby traffic.
Other ELLA programs in the AFP include: Storm Water Rain Garden Mitigation Showcase, Meadow Restoration Program, Bird Habitat Restoration Program, Wildlife Management Program, Invasive Vegetation Management Program, and the Wetland Management Program.
The Angle Fly Preserve is open to the public from dawn to dusk, seven days a week. For more information, visit http://www.somerslandtrust.org
For more photos of the planting activities in the AFP, click here.
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