Lucy Crespo, Northeast Urban Community Engagement Specialist for the National Wildlife Refuge Association’s Urban Wildlife Refuge Program

An Earth Month celebration was held on April 8, 2023, at Chauncey Park in Dobbs Ferry, NY, in collaboration with the National Wildlife Refuge Association, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Groundwork Hudson Valley, and Moms Organic Market. The event aimed to unite community members to stabilize the riparian habitat along the Sawmill River. Groundwork Hudson Valley led the planting of 68 potted dogwoods, elderberry, and birch trees along the banks of Sawmill River Island.

The participants used skills they developed at Cherry Valley National Wildlife Refuge the week before, where they planted 300 chestnut and Atlantic white cedars to celebrate Earth Day. Groundwork Hudson Valley is a valued urban partner with the Lenape National Wildlife Refuge Complex, leading conservation projects in Yonkers, NY. Lily Bartlett, Groundwork Hudson Valley's Youth Program Manager, stated that the partnership with the refuge complex "creates exposure to potential career pathways, provides training opportunities for the youth in Yonkers to learn about conservation."

The National Wildlife Refuge Association is proud to partner with the Lenape National Wildlife Refuge Complex and Groundwork Hudson Valley in our efforts to increase access to open spaces and create community connections to nature in the New York metropolitan area.