I’m restoring my backyard patch by patch. I’m following the Doug Tallamy rule of 70%. He has found that if we can restore our landscapes to 70% native plants, we can pretty much bring back the other native wildlife. I’ve said goodbye to the garlic mustard, am still working on that pesky English Ivy, and am tackling the barberries this spring.  I am replacing them with natives.

by  Kim Simmen, KMS Native Plants

by Linda Lombardo, Wild Heart Nature Connection (both in words and in photos)

by Caran Markson

Why Consider Rewilding  For Life? The biggest benefit, also known as a reward  for including native plants into an established garden, is that you increase biodiversity. Pictured below is the rewilding of Carpenter Farm Park by Go Native Long Island, a huge effort underway to restore its natural state.

by Mindy Block
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Quality Parks Conservation pages list over 200 vetted parks and over 100 vetted park resources, attracting your attention to the multitude of Long Island natural adventures. Explore this video to learn more about how to navigate its  information.

Technically, we're using Airtable to compile our data, and using SOFTR to create the user interface.  Professional members have claimed their listings and support this environmental resource.  We're also working on incorporating more information about who is taking tick bite prevention actions, and also taking climate change actions.

by Mindy Block
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The Suffolk County cyberattack was months ago; their website is essentially still down. Local residents are being referred to Suffolk County Parks Facebook page regarding hunting and safety issues. 

Yet, only local residents with Facebook accounts who also know how to search for posts related to hunting can find this information. ​

​Quality Parks contacted Suffolk County representatives offering our consultation services to create a deer hunting page similar to the one used by NYSDEC. 

by Mindy Block

​Port Jefferson - Sometimes you want to just cry about the injustice adults put upon a twelve year old kid.  I drove over to East Beach where no sign, nor any lifeguard knew of this mid August beach closure.

by Mindy Block

​In 2013, I purchased a butterfly milkweed at Cathy's Flower Stand in Mt. Sinai thinking it was our native butterfly milkweed. I planted it in the backyard, and all was fine until it bloomed yellow. ​

by Mindy Block

​Maine - "Unfortunately, seabirds are currently struggling against marine debris found in the Gulf of Maine. Tiny sea islands can be found not too far from the coast of Maine where they are uninhabited making a great area for colonies of nesting seabirds. However, this wonderful remote nesting area is becoming an endangerment to wild life due to the "pervasive hand of human influence". Lobster traps, buoys, ropes, etc. are found piled into mountains three to four feet high. The island is adapting to this disaster causing rocks and grass to grow around them. The worst part of this is that seabirds are building there nests within these piles. There are authors who have written articles discussing the types of harmful debris, how these debris cause harm to birds, and strategies to reduce the trash." ​ - Jahdai-H; QP volunteer - in reviewing USFWS

Long Island - "While there were already many organizations, agencies and individuals addressing marine debris in Long Island Sound, this plan represents the culmination of numerous discussions among these interested parties to develop a comprehensive framework of strategic actions to mitigate the impacts of marine debris over the next five years (2022-2027). Associated tracking and monitoring will enable all involved to assess collective progress towards achieving the identified goals." -   May 2022 Long Island Sound Marine Debris Action Plan.

by Mindy Block
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One of Quality Parks citizen scientist volunteers reviewed the Browns River Tidal Wetlands Area which is listed as a park in the Town of Islip.  We review the reviews and update our Long Parks knowledge base with their observations. During our review, we realized that this "park," actually borders a more extensive tidal wetland and that there are no interpretive signs to educate the public of its value.