The Village of Patchogue and Citizens Campaign for the Environment (CCE) hosted Pollinator Garden Planting Days on Friday, May 29 and Saturday, May 30.
The project was intended to transform the lakeside area with native plantings designed to support bees, butterflies, and other pollinators essential to a healthy environment.
The initiative is funded by theNYS Attorney General’s office through a settlement with Monsanto, which directed resources to environmental organizations to establish pollinator habitats across the state.
Through that program, CCE is working with three municipalities, including Patchogue, to implement local projects that combine habitat restoration with community engagement.
Joshua Maines, a sixth-grade English Language Arts (ELA) and Science Technology Engineering Mathematics (STEM) teacher at Oregon Middle School, attended the final planting session on Saturday with students throughout the Patchogue-Medford District, including River Elementary, Eagle Elementary, and two of the three middle schools.
Maines has been focused on bringing climate education to Patchogue-Medford since 2023. This year, the district began a two-year pilot program with conservation organization Seatuck as a result of those efforts. As volunteer member of the Village of Patchogue’s Climate Smart Task Force, Maines continues his work to develop a pathway for students interested in taking a more active role in climate solutions to volunteer in environmental restoration and stewardship initiatives within the local community.
Ranging from second to eighth grade, some students came with their families. Most of the middle school students were current or former students of Maines who were active in the school’s Climate Action Club or the Environmental Club (advised by teachers Rose Bastian and Kristin Kirk Murphy).
“Several students were so motivated to lend a hand that they showed up on both days of the pollinator planting event,” said Maines.
Asked about how to help parents engage their children with environmental initiatives, Maines said, “Perhaps my biggest takeaway from these past few years of working with students on climate-related matters is that hands-on experience is by far and away so much more impactful than any other form of learning. Students need to get outside and get their hands dirty. They need to put their devices down and experience nature. They crave it, actually. (And if we as parents and educators are being honest with ourselves, the same could be said for us as well.)”
“Someone at a climate conference once used the quote, ‘People won’t fight for what they don’t love. And people won’t love what they don’t know.’ I’m not doing the quote justice, and I don’t recall where it comes from, but in my core as an educator I know it to be true. The first thing we need to do is get outside and get involved. There are so many wonderful environmental groups and organizations working on Long Island, so many purposeful initiatives happening that are real tangible solutions to the climate crisis. What better way than connecting with the world around us and with each other as friends and family, what better way of solidifying bonds with our community, than taking part in initiatives like this pollinator gardening event in Patchogue?”
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