The Saw Mill River Coalition

Invasive Vines, January 19, 2006

Storm Drain Marking, April 28, 2006

Saw Mill River Seminars, September 29, 2006

“Free-A-Tree” Project, October 4, 2006

Follow the links below to download the PDF files:

Journal News: Yonkers’ ambitious plan meets skeptics,  August 6, 2006

Rivertowns Enterprise: Vine-choked trees need helping hands, October 27, 2006

For Immediate Release
January 19, 2006
Contact: Ann Novak
914-375-2151

Saw Mill River Coalition and the New York State Department of Transportation Continue their Battle with Invasive Vines

The Saw Mill River Coalition and the New York State Department of Transportation, working in conjunction with the Westchester County Department of Parks, Recreation and Conservation, have created a pilot program to remove the invasive vines that are strangling trees and shrubbery along the perimeters of the Saw Mill River Parkway. The Free-A-Tree project, which got off to a successful start in November, will continue throughout the winter. The winter months are prime vine cutting time! Dozens of volunteers are needed to attack the problem!

The ultimate goal of the “Free-A-Tree” project is to inspire local organizations, municipalities and businesses to adopt and maintain their own segments along the Saw Mill River Parkway. On February 11 from 9 am – 12 pm volunteers will assemble at the Farragut Avenue parking lot. On March 11, from 9 am – 12 pm, the vine removal will occur from Marble Avenue to Bedford Road in Mount Pleasant. Individuals and environmental, civic and municipal organizations are urged to dedicate an hour or two of time to help with this important mission.

A ubiquitous problem throughout the Northeast, fast-growing, tenacious vines are among the worst of the foreign plants that threaten to overwhelm local habitats. Oriental bittersweet and porcelain berry, the two most common invaders to be seen along the area’s local roads, are considered “invasives,” a term used for plants that crowd out native plants and slowly strangle trees in their upward spiral, eventually shrouding tree canopies from the sun and creating a blanket over under-story plants and shrubs. This significantly diminishes the value of wildlife habitat, in terms of food sources and nesting areas, and has a negative impact upon the number of species that use the river corridor, which parallels the parkway corridor for many miles. The Saw Mill River Coalition* and the DOT have instituted this vine removal pilot project to rescue native vegetation, restore the stream buffer, and preserve the area’s biodiversity. The eventual goal: revitalizing the native habitats along the Saw Mill Parkway and River.

To register as a volunteer, send your name and phone number to free-a-tree@hotmail.com or call 914-375-2151. Volunteers must wear sturdy shoes (no sneakers) and leather gloves (if possible). Tool supplies are limited so volunteers are urged to bring their own clippers/loppers. Student volunteers must be at least 16 years of age and have a parental permission note.

The Saw Mill River Coalition, a program of Groundwork Yonkers, is an alliance of municipalities, nonprofit organizations, government agencies, and others dedicated to revitalizing and protecting the Saw Mill River. For information, call 914-375-2151 or email annmarie@groundworkyonkers.org.

For Immediate Release
April 28, 2006
Contact:
Ann-Marie Mitroff, Coordinator
Saw Mill River Coalition
(914) 375-2151 or
Cell (914) 815-5872

Storm Drain Marking a Youthful Effort in Saw Mill River Watershed

During the first week in May, youth from six different Saw Mill River watershed communities will join with an AmeriCorps team (NCCC—National Civil Community Corps) in marking over 800 storm drains—working to educate the public in how to prevent stormwater pollution.

One of the requirements for all the municipalities is to provide education and outreach on storm water pollution to their residents. Storm drain marking is often a preferred method, but it is difficult to organize and find appropriate supervision and labor to complete projects. “We were in luck,” stated Ann-Marie Mitroff, Coordinator of the Saw Mill River Coalition, “we have a 10-member AmeriCorps (NCCC) team to help us with volunteer groups for the month of May. What a natural—to put young adults together with the youth of our municipalities in the watershed and have them help prevent pollution in the Saw Mill River!” With free markers from The Hudson River Estuary Program, markers will placed in Pleasantville, Elmsford, Ardsley, Hastings-on-Hudson, Dobbs Ferry, and Yonkers. As part of the project, a sticker with action steps will be given to residents.

In Pleasantville Middle School, Elise Ruffino, 7th grade teacher, covers the Saw Mill River as a topic and will involve her 136 students in the project. AmeriCorps (NCCC) will be involved in classroom sessions and also marking storm drains with 6 different classes. In Hastings-on-Hudson, John Neering’s Environmental Club already works with the Coalition on vine cutting around Farragut Avenue. They will now work on storm drain marking and canvassing neighborhoods. In Dobbs Ferry, students at St. Christopher’s Clark Academy will accompany AmeriCorps (NCCC). Ardsley will involve Cub Scouts, Scouts, and Brownies. The Hamilton High School Rotary Interact Club will mark drains and canvass neighborhoods in Elmsford. Finally, in Yonkers, Beczak will be working along with the AmeriCorps (NCCC) with Emerson Middle School Environmental Club students.

AmeriCorps (NCCC) media representative of the team, Kellyn Moore, put it this way, “We’re really excited about working with the students. It’ll show them that we care about their community. We hope in turn, that they become stewards of wherever they live—and help others to do so as well.”

Storm drains—or at least what collects in them and is carried by the street to them—are a major source of pollution, not just to the Saw Mill River, but to rivers, streams and coastal waters nationally. The Saw Mill River Coalition, a program of Groundwork Yonkers (a non-profit urban environmental organization), is coordinating a watershed-wide municipal storm drain marking effort—to bring information to residents about what they can do to help stop storm water pollution.

Contacts for each program: All programs week of May 2-5
AmeriCorps (NCCC), Kellyn Moore (775) 750-1978 (cell)
Ardsley, Village Hall, Friday, 3:15 – 5:15PM, Karen Hobbs, (914) 693-2727, hoblets@optonline.net, Cub Scouts, Scouts, and Brownies
Dobbs Ferry, St. Christopher’s Clark Academy, Tuesday, 6-8 PM, Cristian Correa, (914) 693-3030 x 2277, ccorrea@sc1881.org.
Elmsford, Hamilton High School Rotary Interact Club, Village Hall, Friday, 3:00-5:00 PM, Susan Muir, (914) 715-3487 (cell)
Hastings-on-Hudson, Hastings High School Environmental Club, John Neering, NeeringJ@hastings.k12.ny.us, Tuesday and Wednesday 3 – 6 PM
Pleasantville Middle School, 40 Romer Ave., Wednesday & Friday 8:30-2:30, Elise Ruffino, (914) 741-1451, elcid1126@aol.com (Please note, Pleasantville Middle School students may NOT be photographed for media without prior written permission.)
Yonkers, Emerson Middle School, with Beczak’s Jenn Mokos, 914-377-1900
jmokos@beczak.org, Thursday 2:30-4:30 PM

For more information on Stormwater: Google: After the Storm: A Citizen’s Guide to Understanding Stormwater EPA publication

For Immediate Release
September 29, 2006
Contact:
Ann-Marie Mitroff
Coordinator
(914) 375-2151 or
Cell (914) 815-5872

River Environment Focus of Saw Mill River Seminars

The Saw Mill River Coalition is sponsoring free training seminars to educate people about invasive vines that are harming the river environment, to teach people about the native plants that should be encouraged to grow in that very environment, and to know what it takes to restore a river. Once trained, the Coalition is hoping that many of the trained group will join their River RATz (Restoration Action Team) to remove vines, plant natives and otherwise assist in restoring sections of the Saw Mill River.

The following seminars are offered at Lenoir Preserve, Dudley St. in Yonkers this 2006-2007:

Invasive Plants: Search and Destroy Saturday, Oct. 7, 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
Jeff Main, Senior Curator of the Bronx River Reservation will teach how to identify the most common invasive plants in the Saw Mill River watershed. A session to identify the plants in the field will be held immediately after the class at Lenoir. People are requested to bring work gloves and loppers or pruners, if they have them. There will be some available.

Native Plants of the Riparian Environment, Saturday, Oct. 14, 9:30 a.m. to 12 noon
Carol Gracie, NY Botanical Gardens, a naturalist, adventurer and botanical photographer (with five species of wildflowers named after her), author of Wildflowers in the Field and Forest, A Field Guide to the Northeastern United States, will discuss plants commonly found along the riparian/wetland corridor. The classroom session will be held at Lenoir Preserve, field session at Woodlands Lake immediately following presentation.

Vine Cutting Kick-Off—Make A Difference Day, October 28, 8:30-12:30AM
The trained River RATz will be joined by volunteer groups from throughout the watershed, including Free-A-Tree vine cutters, on the first vine cutting of the season at the Farragut Ave site, located at Exit 13 of the Saw Mill River Parkway where the South County Trail parking lot is located.

River Restoration Projects, To Be Arranged, probably early 2007
Sven Hoeger, Creative Habitat Corp, will describe the elements of stream bank restoration projects, including the critical need for riparian buffers and how they function for the health of wildlife and stream life. A field site will be chosen.

The seminars are funded by the Westchester Community Foundation. The Saw Mill River Coalition, in cooperation with the Westchester County Parks Department, has formed a partnership with NYS’s Adopt-A-Highway program. Vine cutting, clean up, and restoration efforts are being conducted in two sections of the river (and parkway) on the first Saturday of each month beginning in December: Pleasantville and Farragut Avenue.

For Information and Seminar Registration: Send or email name, telephone, email, and dates of attendance to: Ann-Marie Mitroff, Coordinator, Saw Mill River Coalition, Office address: 6 Wells Avenue, Yonkers, NY 10701; Email: annmarie@groundworkyonkers.org; Office number: (914) 375-2151, Cell: (914) 815-5872.

Directions: Lenoir Preserve: Saw Mill River Parkway. Exit at Executive Blvd. Proceed to the end of Executive Blvd. and make a right turn onto North Broadway. Make a left onto Dudley Street; entrance is on the left. Woodlands Lake: Saw Mill River Parkway NORTH is ONLY way to access site. Approx. ½ mile after Ardsley Exit, exit on right directly to lake (Old Cantina Restaurant site). Sign (if there)–Great Hunger Park at VE Macy Park.