Dedicated to the conservation of

Caumsett State Historic Park Preserve

Caumsett State Historic Park Preserve

Native Grasslands Restoration Project

Grasslands are the most threatened and most rapidly disappearing habitat on Long Island, in the United States and around the world. The animal species that are dependent on them are rapidly declining as well.

New York State Parks and the Caumsett Foundation are working together to restore a native grassland habitat to the area. When this was a private estate, the restoration site was used as a pasture. In recent years, the site has become overgrown by many invasive plants.

The restoration will involve several steps:

*Mow – bring all the vegetation to a workable level

*Hedgerow removal – comprised of 95% invasive plants. If possible a native hickory will remain.

*Till – uproot and kill the invasive plants and prepare soil for planting

*Plant a cover crop of rye - prevent erosion and invasive re-establishment

1. *Remove rye – assess site for invasive plant re-establishment
   

2. *Disk - selected areas will be disked during the 2012 growing season to continually remove invasive plants.
   

*Plant  - establish a variety of native grassland species, including wildflowers

Habitat restoration is not an exact science. The timing of the different steps will depend on several factors, most importantly the weather and the response of the invasive plants.

Your understanding and interest regarding the project is appreciated. If you would like further information, please contact the

Regional Environmental office: 631.581.1072

This project is sponsored by grants from :