Eco Club Meeting

A few Garden Committee parents met with the Eco Club to try and find ways that the two groups could help each other achieve our related goals. The meeting started off well with 16 students attending and Italian pastries served. Karen, our blog administrator, also handed out several copies of "Backyard Conservation" magazine to help generate some ideas.

Then the fun started. First the fire drill bell rang just as we got the laptop and LCD to work. Sacrificing a demo of the Garden Committe website and blog due to a very tight schedule, a quick impromptu decision was made to continue in the yard after the drill.

Fortunately the fire drill didn't take too long and soon everyone was back on their way to the yard down through the back stairs and past the cafeteria. But then all of a sudden we found that the gate was locked!

After some quick hustling some Eco Club members convinced a custodian to unlock the gate for us. Whew! More minutes lost but we still had just enough time to get what we needed done.

After a quick introduction of what the Garden Committee was up to, the group started to do some brainstorming on how the Eco Club's goals may be relevant. Initial ideas that came out of it were:

• Plant native trees that indigenous to New York State
  
• Tie the garden into the work that the Biology department is doing
• Develop an ecosystem for the study of birds, butterflies and even fish!
• Reach out to the Art program to see how we can integrate art work or even a mural
• Tap into the Science teacher as a zen master resource!

Now wouldn't it be cool if the yard started to look like this !!!

After the brainstorming, Rebecca our parent architect, talked the students through the tree layout design and explained how the irrigation system would work. We had a good discussion. The Eco Club raised the concern that we should try to put as many trees as possible on the old playground side of the yard to minimize any losses if and when the school building is expanded. Point well taken!

By that time we just about had hit 3:20 pm and some students had to start leaving for their next meeting. A few stayed behind and worked with Rebecca to begin "spotting out" the layout with masking tape. This really helped give the group a better feel for exactly where each tree would be located and how much space they would take up.

Next steps from the meeting were:

• Think about raising some money by soliciting donations for the right to name a tree and have a nameplate attached (ex. "Class of ... " ). The tallest tree is reserved though - the club decided to name it after our school principal!
• Spot the remaining tree locations and design where the benches should be located
• Help move the existing potted plants over to the shade garden (adjacent to the building) to make room for the tree planting
• Begin preparing for Spring by planting Fall bulbs!

MillionTreesNYC is coming to BHSEC on 10/28 to review the final layouts with the principal and Susan, our parent horticulturalist. Then the trees start to get planted the week of November 2nd. The Yard will be transformed! Now isn't that exciting?

Tree Layout and Irrigation System Design

The Garden Committee met last Tuesday to review the updated designs. Here's what the group decided on:

Layout for 30 trees


Irrigation System Layout


Above Ground Sprinkler System


With the key decisions finally made, Helen was able to submit the grant application to Lowe's for the new irrigation system. And MillionTreesNYC should have everything they need to start work on getting the trees planted.

Hopefully we'll get the grant in a few months and then install a new irrigation system. Until then we will just have to keep watering manually. Susan says that the new trees will need consistent and thorough watering, at least once and maybe twice a week if it doesn't rain. We will have to keep doing that through the fall so they are hydrated when the ground freezes in the Winter. Adding mulch will help too.

Garden Plans Moving Forward Fast

I arrived at the garden on Friday at about 2:15pm and found the soil around most of the plants to be pretty darn moist. The curly willow tree that had seemed to be dead or dying on my last visit had about 10 new green leaves on every branch (crisis averted!). Since I was there I watered anyway--but because the plants didn't need as much water as usual I was finished in the record time of 1 and 1/2 hours. It normally takes 3 hours to water the plants.


I was happy to notice that the playground on the west side of the yard had been completely removed. There was a yellow caution ribbon stretched across that side of the yard and two men were filling up the holes in the pavement where the swing sets and jungle gyms had been anchored. I wanted to say, "hey wait, we want to get rid of the asphalt and put in plants", but I guess with holes all over the place the "slip and fall" lawyers might end up having a field day.

Another development is that committee member, and professional landscaper, Susan Welti drew up some gorgeous plans for the New York Restoration Project to follow when they plant the 33 trees which should be happening in the next two months. At last Wednesday's meeting, when the plans were presented, members also discussed drip irrigation systems, the care that the new trees will need (a lot of water for one thing), and the information that Helen will need for the Lowe's grant application she's writing--for an irrigation system.

In addition Rebecca met with the architect in charge of the Bard building expansion to make sure the garden plans did not conflict, and Tim contacted Liz Poreba, the advisor of the BHSEC ECO Club. We now have two student liaisons to help us plan future garden activities and care.

All in all an amazing amount of forward movement has occurred since last spring. The garden was beautiful this summer, and it will go on. I can't wait to see what it looks like next year.

I'll end this post with pictures of the squirrels eating lunch in the yard, the place where the playground used to be, and some early autumn beauty from our asphalt jungle.