Local Land Trust Honors “Open Space Heroes”

Published 7 months ago7m ago • Bookmarks: 598

GILT board member Neil Maher announces last year's grant winners

October 7, 2024

By Barrett Seaman–

On a gorgeous Sunday afternoon, dozens of environmental activists from Irvington and surrounding villages gathered at the O’Hara Nature Center on the edge of the Irvington Woods to acknowledge and applaud their so-called “Open Space Heroes”–winners of grants awarded by the Greater Irvington Land Trust (GILT).

GILT, an 18-year-old non-profit dedicated to preserving and expanding open spaces and protecting the environment, established the grants last January. By the March deadline, more than a dozen groups applied under one of three categories: preserving open space, promoting environmental education and supporting equal access to natural habitats. The initial plan was to select three recipients and distribute $5,000 among them. Ultimately, the judges named four winners of grants totaling some $6,500. At Sunday’s ceremony, GILT board member Neil Maher announced the winners and invited representatives of each group to speak about their project.

Support our Sponsors

Local activists gather at Irvington’s O’Hara Nature Center

The first grant winner was the recently-formed Irvington Green Policy Task Force for work done along the Old Croton Aqueduct removing invasive species and planting indigenous ones to support the so-called pollinator pathway along which birds and insects facilitate healthy and diverse plant growth.

The second went to the Dobbs Ferry Beautification Committee for its work in planting Eastern Redbud trees in vacant tree wells near the village’s waterfront. A third grant went to the Friends of the Dobbs Ferry Waterfront Park for its work in planting native species along the banks of the Hudson.

The fourth and final grant went to a project led by CJ Reilly III, the Director of Education and Head of Grounds for the Village of Irvington (currently on a 10-month leave if absence while working towards a Master’s Degree at Cornell). Reilly led Irvington Scouts on a mission to regenerate the forest that has made the Irvington Woods the largest open space tract in southern Westchester. Under Reilly’s tutelage, the scouts planted two-inch caliber saplings. They also recruited Kindergartners from the Dows Lane School to plant native Oak Trees that they can re-plant in the Irvington Woods after they graduate.

There will be another round of Community Grants in 2025 that Maher said would distribute $10,000 to recipients.

Read or leave a comment on this story...

Support our Sponsors