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Brooklyn Students Transform Park with Pollinator Garden
17 Apr
Summary
- Middle school students created Bay Ridge's first pollinator garden.
- The garden aims to attract bees and butterflies with native flowers.
- The project received a city grant and supports NYC's pollinator initiative.
Middle school students in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, recently cultivated the borough's newest pollinator garden at John J. Carty Park. As part of an Earth Month initiative, students from M.S. 407 planted native flowers to attract essential pollinators like bees and butterflies.
This project, which includes a bird bath, aims to support crucial ecosystems and food production, as approximately 75% of fruit plants and vegetables depend on pollinators. The idea was sparked by a city grant awarded to science teacher Cindy Scognamillo, supporting New York City's larger effort to expand pollinator gardens amidst climate change concerns.
School leaders highlighted the students' significant role in researching and designing the garden, transforming a previously bare area into a vibrant habitat. This new garden brings Brooklyn's official pollinator gardens on park property to nine, contributing to the city's goal of increasing these vital green spaces across all five boroughs. Bumblebees were already observed visiting the garden shortly after its completion.
