I Love My Parks Day 2022: A Little Rain Makes Easy Weed Picking

May 18, 2022 | LWalter

On a drizzly Spring morning in Yonkers, a hardy bunch of Wicker Street volunteers finished work by 12:30. These people got right down to picking up garbage and pulling invasives. Maybe they knew that weeds are easy to pull after it rains? The state parks’ crew joined us and pitched in, which is always inspiring for residents to see!

Our Morsemere Place crew slashed ivy and took out a huge multiflora rose “garden”, while the Philipse Place crew found garbage from Glenwood down to LaMartine Avenues. The third group hand-pulled cow parsley/wild Chervil (looks like Queen Anne’s Lace). Dobbs Ferry/Hastings people held down base camp. We did a lot!

For the first time we tried out a mechanical machine called a Puller Bear – and it worked like magic on multiflora rose! Puller Bears do not, sadly, work on bamboo but this gadget pulls out small trees with no fuss.

A Puller Bear In Action, Cesar from Groundwork Hudson Valley Green Team

Thank you all who signed up, regardless if you came out this time, because your heart’s in the right place! Keep the topic of trail upkeep in mind! Your support for Yonkers and the aqueduct trail is priceless.

THEN A WEEK LATER, more Yonkers volunteers appeared on the raindate! The Hudson River Community Association of Northwest Yonkers, plus Lucy Casanova-Moreno’s group, and Groundwork Hudson Valley Green Team picked up garbage and got to know their neighbors. What a wonderful reprise. Go Yonkers!

Preservation

The Friends of the Old Croton Aqueduct are committed to preserving the historic structures atop and underneath the trail. The Friends took part in the reopening of the High Bridge and undertook the complete renovation and reopening of the Keeper’s House in Dobbs Ferry.

Advocacy

The Friends of the Old Croton Aqueduct advocate for the Old Croton Aqueduct and Tunnel, fighting to preserve the integrity of the park and to protect it from encroachments by private landowners. Please find below examples of our work.

Stewardship

The Friends of the Old Croton Aqueduct work to maintain the beauty of the undeveloped trail and the integrity of the entire length of the tunnel from Croton into New York City. We are always looking for volunteers interested in getting involved with adopting a part of the trail for invasive management and native plant restoration. We also have an annual cleanup of the trail in Yonkers.TENDING THE TRAIL: INVASIVE PLANT MANAGEMENT & RESTORING WITH NATIVE PLANTS HISTORIC WALL RESTORATION

Education

The Friends of the Old Croton Aqueduct educate the public about the history or the tunnel and trail. SCHOOL TOURS LECTURES, WALKS AND TOURS NEWSLETTERS Please find below some of our educational content.