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09/13/2022 02:30 PMInnovation is nothing new at North Madison’s Rockland Preserve. The 649-acre site is home to miles of hiking trails, a newly installed pump track for mountain bikers, and a playscape/tree house for kids of all ages. It will soon also be home to a pollinator garden at the edge of Coan Pond.
The garden’s installation is taking preservation efforts one step further and the Rockland Preserve Committee is seeking volunteers to help bring the garden to life.
Cecily Baran, chair of the Rockland Preserve Native Pollinator Habitat Project, a sub-committee of the Rockland Preserve Committee, said the new project is exciting and quickly coming to fruition.
“We believe that the installation of a native pollinator habitat is integral to the enrichment and preservation of the Rockland Preserve. We also believe that this project is integral to supporting the Rockland Preserve ecosystem and beyond,” Baran said. “This is an incredible opportunity to create a pollinator habitat because it is unique in that it is very sunny and not forested like much of the rest of the preserve. It is really critical to the whole pollinator pathways movement. It also presents excellent education opportunities as well.”
Pollinating gardens and pathways have become much publicized because they are a direct way for residents to provide a hands-on positive impact to their communities, according to Baran.
As native species continue to decline, efforts to halt or reverse this trend are difficult to implement. However, by planting native pollinating species of plants, residents can counter that negative impact of habitat loss and pesticide pollution by simply creating small oases of pollinator plants, according to Baran.
Baran noted that the pollinator garden at the Coan Pond will be a larger scale effort, and once completed, it will be a critical area of habitat that will benefit dozens of bird and insect species.
According to Baran, Coan Pond is the centerpiece of Rockland. Part pond and part fen, the area is a mixture of bog with black, damp soil, and rare flowers hosting a diverse array of frogs, turtles, heron, ducks, geese, and other wildlife. The shores of the pond are largely forested like the rest of Rockland Preserve, however a quarter-acre section on the north side of the pond is open and prime for this project, Baran said.
Baran explained the site had development activity in the 1960s and again in 1998 that was subsequently abandoned. Then invasive plants took over. The Rockland Preserve Committee has been working over the past several years to clear them and create new habitat.
According to Baran, the Rockland Native Pollinator Habitat Project proposes to reclaim and transform this newly cleared pond-adjacent area by re-establishing a thriving native habitat that will sustain for decades to come. The site’s sunny and open character is unique in the otherwise thickly-forested Rockland Preserve, which makes it a prime location for creating a naturalized garden to encourage and support beneficial pollinators and other wildlife while providing enrichment to the lives of the people of Madison and beyond.
The project is looking for volunteers to help put in the ground, more than 500 plants that will create new and critical habitat. There will two separate planting days in October, and Baran encouraged residents to come out and help preserve the preserve.
“We see this as a big community effort. So, we are inviting everybody to come out and join this effort,” Baran said. “We need to get 500 plants planted. We are inviting all area residents to come out on our planting days in October to help us plant. We really have a lot to do there, so every hand helps. This is perfect opportunity for individuals and for groups. It's perfect for the whole family, even young kids, there will be a role for everyone.”
First Selectwoman Peggy Lyons said the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) measures are a critical resource to assisting in funding projects like the Preserve garden. Lyons praised both the ARPA Committee and the Rockland Preserve Committee’s hard work in developing and implementing the plan.
“It is great to see the ARPA Committee supporting unique projects in town that will enhance the beauty of our incredible outdoor recreation facilities and revitalize local ecosystems that support our native wildlife,” Lyons said.