We can, and must, restore nature on LI

Long Island is losing badly a war most Long Islanders don't even know they are fighting — the war to save Long Island's ecosystem.

English ivy, Japanese barberry, burning bush, and many other invasive plants are destroying our native ecosystems, and the death of native plants is causing a precipitous decline in the local wildlife and fisheries that rely on them for food, shelter and protection. And invasive plants do not hold nitrogen like native plants do, leading to beach closures and thick blankets of algae on lakes, streams and bays that suffocate our fish.

Zoom out on Google maps and you’ll see the problematic “patchwork” of Long Island. Throughout much of the Island, there are small pockets of forest which abut neighborhoods of chemically enhanced lawns with a token Japanese maple. These "green areas" are choked by invasive species. Once you see it, you won’t "unsee" it.

We suffer from “plant blindness.” We don’t know what we are looking at, what we are buying, or the impact of our choices. Life is hectic, and when we want to add plants to our homes we run to “big box home improvement stores” that rarely have native options. And when they do, we don’t know the difference. This disconnect is erasing the health of our Island.

Winning this war and restoring Long Island’s ecosystem is generational work. We can turn the tide ourselves, but we cannot wait for lobbyists in Washington or Albany to save us.

We must unite community by community, in every park and in every yard. It will take all Long Islanders — the nurseries, the landscapers, local businesses, developers, and most importantly, homeowners. It doesn’t have to be an all-or-nothing proposition. A small native garden in your yard makes a huge difference, especially if your neighbors do likewise. We can change the “patchwork” to something that approaches a restored ecosystem. Fall is a great time to start.

The single most important step you can take in your yard is to remove invasive plants — addition by subtraction. For example, burning bush looks pretty for a week or so in the fall, but this otherwise nondescript shrub is decimating the understory of local forests, spread far and wide by birds eating the berries from your yard and pooping in nearby preserves. Rip it out! Supporting nature requires a bit of elbow grease and caring stewardship in the form of invasive plant removal.

In addition to removing invasives, we can plant native communities. Go beyond decorating with natives and find out about the type of backyard you have: wet, dry, shady, sunny. If you use that information to choose your native plant community, you’re ensuring they will reestablish ecological health. Almost instantaneously, you will notice an increase of native animal species letting you know you’re doing the right thing — bird songs, beautiful pollinators, monarch butterflies, abundant fireflies, etc.

Once your native plant communities are thriving, you can kick back. Natives require less watering, no expensive and harmful fertilizer, and they like leaves. A “neat” garden is usually a lifeless one. Leave the leaves and don’t “deadhead” your native flowers; the birds will eat the seeds and plant more natives for you.

Long Island is a natural miracle, placed here by retreating glaciers thousands of years ago. We have been inadvertently destroying it, particularly in the last hundred years. If you can help the Island return to its native roots, you’ll be rewarded; even better, we’ll all be rewarded for generations to come. 

This guest essay reflects the views of Marshall Brown and Frank Piccininni, co-founders of the Long Island Conservancy.