About our cover: Oblivious to the seasonal chill, a solitary backyard garden sentinel awaits the Spring thaw and the rebirth of perennial pollinator-friendly plantings.
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NEWS OF THE MONTH FROM THE TARRYTOWN ENVIRONMENTAL ADVISORY COUNCIL
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LOVE YOUR VILLAGE
PARTICIPATING IN TEAC IS EASY!
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The Tarrytown Environmental Advisory Council (TEAC) relies on volunteers to keep things moving. We're a fun and engaging group of like-minded citizens working to make Tarrytown's air, land, and water healthier and cleaner and we need concerned, engaged residents like YOU to join our team. Some areas of involvement - Tarrytown Lakes, Vine Squad, Landscaping Committee, Energy Committee, Community Outreach, Zero Waste and more. Contact Tarrytownenviro@gmail.com to learn more and express interest.
OUR MEETING is TONIGHT, January 13, 7:30pm. Our meetings are usually on the second Monday of the month at 7:30 pm and are open to the public with a Zoom option. Our next meeting will be Monday, February 10th at 7:30pm.
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Don’t wait till Spring: Embrace Winter Seeding!
by Kerstin Erdbrink, TEAC Pollinator Pathway Committee
“Anyone who thinks that gardening begins in the spring and ends in the fall is missing the best part of the whole year. For gardening begins in January with the dream.” (Josephine Nuese)
Do you have a gardening dream too? Enthusiastic native plant gardeners know that native plant seeds need to spend the winter in the ground, where frost and weathering soften their hard seed coats, preparing the seed for germination in the spring.
To help support Mother Nature and improve germination results, I have come to really appreciate winter seeding in plastic containers. It’s a fun way to grow your own native plants while recycling various plastic clam-shell containers or milk jugs. This method gives you a head start in producing seedlings for spring, as they will be acclimated to the weather, eliminating the need to harden them off before planting. Additionally, with numerous winter seeding events currently taking place in Westchester, it's a great opportunity to connect with your community, learn about the importance of native plants for our pollinators, and spend quality time with family and friends while preparing for spring.
So, if you are dreaming of creating your own native plant garden and are eager to start growing your seedlings, now is the perfect time to begin! Below is a step-by-step Winter Seeding Guide to use at home. You can also join us for our upcoming Vine Cutting & Winter Seeding Event in collaboration with Lyndhurst Mansion, scheduled for Sunday, February 9, 2025. Sign-ups will be required, stay tuned for further information.
Your Winter Seeding Guide for Home:
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Collect some plastic containers from your recycling – anything goes as long as you get to approx. 3” depths.
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Clean your containers, cut drainage holes in the bottom and fill them with soil.
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Sprinkle your seeds on top of the soil and lightly cover (as a rule of thumb, seeds should be planted as deep as their size)
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Water the soil lightly
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Close the lid
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Label your container
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Place your containers outside in a spot without direct sunlight (north-side of your house)
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Keep the soil lightly moisturized at all times but without heavy rainfall
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Watch your little seedlings appear in the spring
- Replant into bigger pots or into your garden
Download the Winter Seeding Guide here.
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2025 Adopt-A-Spot Beautification Program
The mission of the Village of Tarrytown’s Adopt-a-Spot program is to promote the involvement of the community in the upkeep and beautification of designated public spaces in the Village including road and parking lot-adjacent green spaces, and sections of parks within the Village. In so doing, the program aims to improve quality of life, build community relationships and enhance local ecological well-being. The program is associated with the Landscape Committee of the Tarrytown Environmental Advisory Council and the Tarrytown Pollinator Pathway which encourages the installation of native flowering plants, shrubs and trees.
The Village is fortunate to have a pre-existing network of volunteers engaged in the beautification of the Village. This program formalizes this work in public spaces, ensures adequate capacity to maintain the proliferation of newly planted areas, seeks to enhance community connections, and recognizes the commitment and work of engaged community members who want to contribute to making Tarrytown an even more wonderful place to live.
Adopters may be individuals, groups, clubs, teams, or businesses interested in beautifying and maintaining specific areas within the Village. Those wishing to participate may adopt an island or section of park for a one-year period starting March 1st and ending on February 28th of the following year. Volunteers are recognized via an Adopt-A-Spot Sign designed and provided by the Village at or near their adopted area and a letter of appreciation from the Board of Trustees. Adoption areas can be renewed annually.
ADOPT A SPOT GUIDANCE DOCUMENT
ADOPT A SPOT APPLICATION
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Keeping the Drafts Out!
By Rachel Tieger, TEAC Co-Chair
If you have an older house or apartment with leaky windows, listen up. I have employed different methods to battle window drafts for years, including weather stripping, shrink wrapping, draft stoppers, and cellular shades. All of these methods helped a lot, but none were perfect, and some were labor-intensive. So I was very interested to encounter my friends' window inserts and hear their glowing reviews. I have since ordered and installed them, and they have made a huge difference so far. Not only do they keep the heat in and eliminate drafts, but they also help soundproof against street noises.
It was an easy process from start to finish. I sent in the measurements of my windows, and within three weeks I received them. They are lightweight, self sealing and simple to pop in. I can’t say enough about them and wish I knew about these years ago!
Check out other home energy saving tips consider getting a free energy assessment funded through NYSERDA. You can find a list of participating Westchester contractors HERE which includes the Sleepy Hollow business, Clover Comfort.
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LATEST NEWS FROM THE TASH
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Our winter market opens Saturday, January 11th INSIDE at the John Paulding School. We’ll be open EVERY Saturday through April. Learn more here.
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Calling local musicians! Apply to perform at the TaSH during our 2025 Summer Season. Applications are now open here.
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Donate to our 10th anniversary CROWDFUNDING campaign!
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We’re thrilled to be partnering with the Union Free School District to provide farm-fresh ingredients to their Horsemen Family Saturday free community meals.
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Thank you for voting us for America’s Favorite Farmers Market! For the second year in a row we earned the No. 2 Best Market in New York State!
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Check out our vendor map to find out who’s joining each week this season.
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Find out what's in season via the local crop calendar.
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DEC Announces Climate Smart Communities Grant Awards
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Interim Commissioner Sean Mahar announced in December more than $16 million in Climate Smart Communities Grant awards to municipalities across the state. These grant awards represent the largest ever awarded since the program was created, thanks to funding from the Clean Water, Clean Air and Green Jobs Environmental Bond Act of 2022 (Environmental Bond Act). The funded projects will help New York advance the emission-reduction targets under the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA) and support local projects to reduce pollution, decrease flood risk, improve infrastructure, and enhance climate resilience in communities.
The 2024 Climate Smart Communities grant awards include the following:
Village of Tarrytown - $663,200
Tarrytown will create a community cooling center at the existing senior center. This project includes replacing the current HVAC system with a split system heat pump and installing energy-saving thermal ceiling tiles, a building management system, and solar panels combined with a back-up battery storage unit for times of power outages.
Tarrytown's Climate Smart Communities and Climate Action Plan Task Force, which includes TEAC Members and Volunteers, is very pleased with this grant! It directly facilitates the follow-through on priorities we established after studying where the Village could best devote its efforts towards meetings the goals of the CLCPA, as well as adapting to Climate Change to better serve our residents during critical times.
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GOT A GREEN THUMB?
COMMUNITY GARDEN 2025 OPEN FOR SIGN-UPS
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Tarrytown's Community Vegetable Garden is between Cobb Lane next to the Paulding School annex. Each fall we solicit applications for gardeners in anticipation of the spring planting season. For more info and to sign up, visit THIS LINK.
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IT'S A VINE IDEA
Save A Tree, Cut A Vine
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Trees are incredibly beneficial assets. They purify the air we breathe, support diverse wildlife, mitigate climate change, and enhance the value of our properties. Unfortunately, the vitality of our trees (and shrubs) is often under siege from invasive vines. These relentless climbers can choke the life out of trees by obstructing their access to water and nutrients, leading to their eventual demise.
TEAC runs a Vine Squad in January, February, and March. Everyone is welcome to join and help remove invasive vines from our parks and green spaces. Remaining dates are:
- January 25
- February 8
- February 22
- March 8
- March 22
- April 5
Sign up HERE, or for more info go to TEAC's website.
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Food Waste is Not Garbage!
If you are throwing food waste into the garbage, read on... Every day, over 1.13 million pounds of food goes to waste Westchester County (55% commercial, 45% residential), and is sent to the “waste-to-energy” incinerator plant in Peekskill NY. This trash could solve many local problems if, instead of incineration, it was composted.
You can purchase a foodscraps kit at the library or Village Hall and bring your foodscraps to the drop-off point on Green Street anytime for free, or Hudson Compost Services (HCS) can pick up your food scraps on a weekly basis for a small fee. Either way, see how easy food scraps recycling can be!
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