Wildlife-Friendly Backyards

Having found ourselves indoors for the past year as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, it comes as no surprise that so many people found solace in birdwatching from the safety of their own homes. No matter where you live, local wildlife can almost always be spotted in your yard or outside your window if you look closely enough. Such easy access to nature at a time when many of us are unable to enjoy it as before is a source of great comfort. Creating wildlife-friendly spaces in your local area is therefore a great way to not only bring nature directly to you, but to create connectivity for animals whose own natural habitats are threatened by fragmentation and human activity. The addition of bird feeders, baths, or houses, native plants, trees, and wildflowers, or naturally sheltered areas to your backyard can make a massive difference to migratory and local birds, who seek out such places to recuperate and feed, and to local amphibian, insect, and small mammal populations, for whom such habitats are ideal.

When deciding which plants to incorporate into your wildlife-friendly backyard, it’s important to take into consideration which species are found naturally in your region, because these are the plants that will provide the most services to your local ecosystem. Planting native plants is preferred over planting non-native species, as they will not only be easier to grow but also more attractive to caterpillars and moths, an especially important food source for local birds and their young in the summer. It’s also a good idea when possible to include a mixture of wildflowers, shrubbery, trees, and grasses to cater to a wide variety of habitat preferences.

The National Audubon Society’s native plant tracker is an excellent resource for determining which native plants are most commonly found in your area, which animals they attract, and how to best care for them. It can be accessed here:
Native Plants

Douglas Tallamy is a well-known entomologist and ecologist working to restore 20 million acres to native ecosystems in a grassroots movement called Homegrown National Park. Its primary goal is to encourage “small efforts by many people,” ultimately creating connectivity for local wildlife and promoting ecosystem services. You can explore Homegrown National Park’s website here to learn more about Douglas Tallamy and find resources about how to take part in the movement:
Homegrown National Park

For a guide on which plants native to North America support key pollinators, you can check out Tallamy’s guide here: 
Doug Tallamy’s Top 10 Natives for Butterflies and Moths

For those in the Mid-Atlantic region looking to include native plants in their gardens but unsure where to start, Choose Natives offers numerous resources and articles on creating a wildlife-and environmentally-friendly habitat in your backyard. Their website can be found here: 
Choose Natives

The Audubon Society also provides tips for using those native plants and your existing natural surroundings to effectively “landscape” and care for a backyard ecosystem:
How to Make Your Yard Bird-Friendly

More fun environmentally- and cost-friendly projects to create a natural refuge for both you and your local wildlife can be found here:
17 Tips for Making Your Backyard Wildlife Friendly on a Budget

Spotted Lanternfly Alert

On the Tuesday, September 15th LSNY walk, a Spotted Lanternfly was seen at the Evodia Field, in Central Park.

Spotted Lanternfly pose a significant threat to New York’s agricultural and forest health. Adults and nymphs use their sucking mouthparts to feed on the sap of more than 70 plant species. This feeding by sometimes thousands of Spotted Lanternfly stresses plants, making them vulnerable to disease and attacks from other insects. Spotted Lanternfly also excrete large amounts of sticky “honeydew,” which attracts sooty molds that interfere with plant photosynthesis, negatively affecting the growth and fruit yield of plants. New York’s annual yield of apples and grapes, with a combined value of $358.4 million, could be impacted if Spotted Lanternfly enters New York.

For more information on the Spotted Lanternfly, see the NYS DEC Website.

To learn how to identify them, watch this short video,

If you believe you’ve found spotted lanternfly in New York:

• Take pictures of the insect, egg masses and/or infestation signs as described above (include something for scale such as a coin or ruler) and email to spottedlanternfly@agriculture.ny.gov OR fill out the Department of Agriculture and Markets’ reporting form.
• Note the location (address, intersecting roads, landmarks or GPS coordinates).

Storm Water Alternatives

Attend and/or comment at the public meetings on storm water alternatives 3/12/2019 to 4/17/2019

The United States Army Corps of Engineers (USAC) is providing the opportunity for public comments on their “The New York and New Jersey Harbor and Tributaries Focus Area Feasibility Study (NYNJHATS)”.

The New York New Jersey Harbor and Tributaries focus area feasibility study, which will include a tiered Environmental Impact Statement, is evaluating five initial alternatives, which currently are comprised of measures that address severe coastal storm risks for specific geographic regions within the study area, in addition to the no action alternative.  These five alternatives encompass a variety of water- and land-based measures identified throughout the estuary at areas of high projected coastal storm risk and include combinations of shoreline structures, such as beach nourishment, levees, floodwalls and seawalls, and storm-surge barriers.  This initial range of alternatives was developed in part from the analysis provided in the North Atlantic Coast Comprehensive Study, as well as coordination with the States of New York and New Jersey and the City of New York.  The alternatives are taking into account other ongoing and planned actions being taken within the study area by the Corps, other federal agencies, both states and New York City, and other municipalities. 

The feasibility study will develop information to distinguish between alternatives so that ultimately a recommended plan can be identified.  Based upon available information and analyses, a draft report describing the alternatives, their benefits, costs and environmental and social impacts is scheduled to be available for agency and public review in the late fall 2018.  The Corps will then review the comments received as part of the agency and public review to determine what, if any, additional analyses, may be warranted to refine the alternatives and possibly add further measures that may be justified on a building-to-building basis (e.g., non-structural measures) or that may address areas that suffer from more frequent (and typically less severe) coastal storm risks (e.g., natural and nature-based features).  Additional analyses may result the preparation of a subsequent draft prior to the completion of the final report and the selection of a recommended plan.  As project details are developed during Preconstruction Engineering and Design, consideration of environmental and social impacts will continue to be evaluated. 

The study non-federal sponsors are the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection.  The City of New York is involved in this study through a partnership with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.

The NYNJHAT Study Team released an Interim Report on February 19, 2019, which is available at: www.nan.usace.army.mil/NYNJHATS

February 2019 Update: The public is invited to submit comments at the meetings and/or by mail to:

NYNJHAT Study Team, Planning Division
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
26 Federal Plaza Room 2145
New York, NY 10279-0090
or by e-mail to: NYNJHarbor.TribStudy@usace.army.mil

Please include the project title “The New York and New Jersey Harbor and Tributaries Focus Area Feasibility Study“ and the commenter’s contact information with submitted comments. Please provide comments within two weeks of the last public meeting to ensure maximum utility. Comments received after this time will still be welcome.

USACE, the States of New York and New Jersey, and the City of New York welcome your attendance at public meetings. Prior to these public meetings, a webinar summarizing the report will be available here. 

Meeting dates, times and locations are as follows:

Eight meetings are scheduled throughout the study area to provide an overview of the NYNJHAT Study Interim Report, answer questions, and receive input from the public. Webinars will also be held that can be accessed remotely for interested stakeholders unable to attend one of the below in-person meetings. The webinars will have the same presentation as the in-person meetings, as well as an opportunity to ask questions and submit written comments. Dates/times of the webinars will be announced shortly. Additional details on the meetings are also provided on the project website. 

1. Tuesday, March 12th, 2019, 5-7pm at Westchester County Center, 198 Central Avenue, White Plains, NY 10606, in the Little Theater.
2. Wednesday, March 13th, 2018, 5:30-7:30pm at South Shore Educational Complex, 6565 Flatlands Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11236, in the Auditorium.
3. Tuesday, March 19th, 2019, 5-7pm. Location: Snug Harbor Cultural Center, 1000 Richmond Terrace, Staten Island, NY 10301. The session is in the Historic Music Hall.
4. Wednesday, March 27th, 5-7pm at Middletown Arts Center, 36 Church St., Middletown, NJ 07748, in the Auditorium.
5. Wednesday, April 3rd, 5-7pm. Location: Hudson Valley Community Center, 110 Grand Avenue, Poughkeepsie, NY 12603, in the Auditorium.
6. Tuesday, April 9th, 5-7pm at Alexander Hamilton U.S. Custom House, 1 Bowling Green, New York, NY 10004. Session is in the Auditorium on the lower level.
7. Thursday, April 11th, 5-7pm at Meadowlands Environment Center, 2 DeKorte Park Plaza, Lyndhurst, NJ 07071, in the Auditorium.
8. Wednesday, April 17th, 5-7pm at Hostos Community College, D Building/Savoy Manor Building, 120 East 149th St, 2nd Floor, Bronx, NY 10451, in the Savoy Multi-Purpose Room

The public is invited to submit comments at the above meetings and/or via e-mail to NYNJHarbor.TribStudy@usace.army.mil or NYNJHarbor.TribStudy@usace.army.mil, or by mail to the NYNJHAT Study Team, Planning Division, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New York District, 26 Federal Plaza, New York, Room 2145, NY 10279-0090. The project title and the commenter’s contact information should be included with submitted comments. Please provide comments within two weeks of the last public meeting to ensure maximum utility. Comments received after this time will still be welcome. You may find additional information about this study at the project website: www.nan.usace.army.mil/NYNJHATS
CLASSIFICATION: UNCLASSIFIED