Holly Grove Clean-up
The annual Friends of Greenwich Point Holly Grove Clean-up, held on Saturday, October 3, resulted in a record haul of four dumpsters full of weeds, vine cuttings, tree parts, and debris. The event also registered an unofficial record number of volunteers, at approximately 50. The effort coordinated with the Parks Department was focused on the eastern edge of the Holly Grove, with the goal of clearing out invasive weeds and vines so that the 8 new holly trees we bought can be planted in the near future.
This hardy collection was composed of several groups, including families, a group from Greenwich High School, and a branch of the Boy Scouts. The many seniors in the group were most industrious. The volunteers worked in cooperation with Greenwich Parks Department, who provided the dumpsters and equipment and handled the chain saw work. All volunteers practiced safe Covid-prevention policies, including wearing face masks and keeping responsibly distant.
Fred Camilo, Joe Kelly and Kim Fiorello also made an appearance to show their support for the workers.
As productive as this 3 1/2 hour campaign was, there is still much more clearing work that needs to be done all over the Point. Vines, in particular, can be very damaging to the native trees smothering and killing them, and there are many areas within Greenwich Point that would benefit from more clearing of vines and weeds.
FoGP will be hosting more cleanup events in the near future, and we will be reaching out to recruit more workers to help with those efforts. This will include work in other parts of Greenwich Point away from the Holly Grove. Working with the Greenwich Parks Department, FOGP hopes to fund the acquisition of native trees and shrubs to be planted where the weeds and vines have been cleared out.
To add your name to the list of prospective volunteers, or to donate please contact info@friendsofgreenwichpoint.org