A long-running community habitat restoration effort continued on Saturday, May 9, as volunteers gathered at the Hutchinson River Parkway Adopt-a-Highway Exit 4B corridor at Boston Post Road and Split Rock Road in Pelham Manor to plant more than 400 native shrub seedlings through the Environmental Coalition of the Pelhams’ (EcoPel) Plant Pelham Native initiative.

The seedlings, grown by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation’s Saratoga Tree Nursery, included Virginia rose, black chokeberry, chokecherry, winged sumac, bayberry and sand cherry. Volunteers planted the shrubs in connected drifts designed to support the gradual transition of the existing meadow into a native shrubland edge habitat more reflective of the historical coastal ecology of the Long Island Sound watershed.

The project builds on several years of restoration work along the Hutchinson River Parkway corridor, where volunteers, NYSDOT, municipalities and community partners have worked together to convert roadside turf and degraded landscapes into functioning habitat and green infrastructure.

Saturday’s planting also marked a milestone for EcoPel volunteers: more than 2,000 native shrubs have now been planted through community-led restoration projects across the Pelhams.

The efforts traces back to a simple question asked in 2021 by the late Benny Bulfamante of Mario Bulfamante & Sons: “What happened to the hummingbirds?” Conversations about the disappearance of pollinators and everyday wildlife from neighborhood landscapes helped inspire the ongoing partnership among EcoPel, local municipalities, NYSDOT, community volunteers and Mario Bulfamante & Sons.

Over the past five years, more than 341 volunteers have contributed approximately 569 volunteer hours through native planting projects, invasive plant management and floatable trash cleanups focused on improving habitat and Long Island Sound watershed health.

Organizers say the work reflects a growing recognition that roadsides and public green spaces can serve as “living infrastructure” that supports cleaner water, biodiversity and healthier habitats while bringing neighbors together through hands-on community action.

The Environmental Coalition of the Pelhams (EcoPel) is a volunteer-led 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to environmental stewardship, ecological restoration, education and community action.

Editor’s note: This press release was provided by EcoPel. The Pelham Examiner publishes press releases in the form received as a service to the community.