by Mai Mai Margules – Landscape Committee
Have you always wanted a garden but just don’t have the space? Want to escape the computer and get outdoors? Do you have a shady yard but have always wanted to plant sun loving plants or vice versa? Is there an area of the Village that you know could use a little TLC? Want to join with neighbors/ friends to beautify your neighborhood and help nature? How about liberating a tree from strangling vines on one of your favorite Village walking trails? Does your organization need a community service project? How about getting the kids outside?
We have just the program for you!
Tarrytown’s new Adopt-a-Spot program provides the opportunity for all of us to make a positive change where we live, see immediate results and make connections with our community. Rolled out in January, the Program provides an opportunity for residents to make our Village a better place and have fun in the process.
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.
All adopters of spots will be recognized by name with a sign located in or near the space that they are caring for as well as acknowledgement on the Village’s website. Complete program information and a list of suggested spots up for adoption are found on the DPW website. Participants are also free to suggest their own spots The application form for this year must be submitted by March 1, 2025 and is found on the link above.
Why participate? My story is this — a few years ago I started hearing lots of bad news stories about the steep decline of butterflies, bees and birds. But unlike other dire environmental situations that seemed to be beyond an individual’s control, this report offered a simple solution for turning things around — plant native and pollinator friendly plants and trees. I tried it and within a few weeks my heretofore tiny and barren front yard was filled with colorful flowers (rose milkweed, anise hyssop, sunflowers, asters) and visited by bumblebees and butterflies, including migrating monarchs that fall! Needless to say, I soon ran out of real estate and began volunteering in Village public gardens to create spots of beauty and biodiversity around town, learning and connecting with others along the way and having a lot of fun in the process.
There are many reasons for participating in this program, all of them good. We welcome you, your family, your group or organization, and look forward to making our community a better and more beautiful place, one spot at a time in the year ahead!