From Saw Mill River Audubon:

“Saw Mill River Audubon Plans “Trees for Tribs” Planting
To Improve Watershed at Brinton Brook Sanctuary
Sunday, May 31, 9:00 a.m.
Volunteers Invited to Help Plant Native Trees and Shrubs
The last Sunday of May is planting day at Brinton Brook Sanctuary in Croton on Hudson. Everyone is invited to bring a spade, dig a hole, and “go native,” joining Saw Mill River Audubon (SMRA) and the New York State Department of Conservation (DEC) in planting native trees and shrubs to improve streamside habitats in the sanctuary. The restoration is part of the DEC’s “Trees for Tribs” program along tributaries to the Hudson River.
Brinton Brook, a 156-acre sanctuary, offers three miles of hiking trails through a wide variety of habitats, including red maple swamp, a large pond, vernal pools, upland deciduous forest, and open meadow. For the planting, SMRA board members Donna Lassiter, Valerie Lyle, and Michael Madias selected a location with severe water runoff and serious stream bank erosion. The spot is at a stone footbridge on a heavily used trail. The new buffer planting will add 100 native shrubs and trees to create a denser native understory, supporting greater diversity of wildlife and mitigating erosion. The DEC is providing 100 native plants carefully chosen for this site. The 40 trees and 60 shrubs represent 13 species, including witchhazel, American cranberrybush viburnum, red maple, and sassafras.
Advance preparation by SMRA included scouting the location with the DEC, removing invasive plants from the area, planning the location for each new plant, and preparing labels with plant names. On planting day, a DEC riparian (streamside) buffer coordinator will deliver the plants, instruct on planting methods, and provide tree tubes and other protection for the new plants.
SMRA will monitor and maintain the new plantings, watering them during droughts in the first season, and removing tree tubes and bird nets as needed.

About New York State’s “Trees for Tribs” program
The purpose of the New York State DEC’s “Trees for Tribs” program is to replant the streams of the Hudson Valley. Riparian buffers of trees, shrubs, and grasses reduce pollution entering waterways by slowing down and filtering runoff, thus extending water retention time. They are a major factor in maintaining healthy streams and water. Buffers also help to reduce flooding and erosion by stabilizing shorelines and absorbing high velocity flows. In addition, they serve as a shoreline transition zone and travel corridor for wildlife, increasing overall biodiversity and improving the health of the stream ecosystem.
The program includes streams within the Hudson River Estuary. For more information, visit www.dec.ny.gov/lands/43668.htm .

About Saw Mill River Audubon
Brinton Brook Sanctuary is one of eight owned and managed by Saw Mill River Audubon, a local not-for-profit Audubon chapter with more than 1,000 members from twenty communities in northern Westchester County, New York. A local voice for the environment since 1953, Saw Mill River Audubon protects natural ecosystems through education, advocacy, and conservation. To learn more or to become a member, visit www.sawmillriveraudubon.org .

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   275 Millwood Road   Chappaqua, NY 10514  914.666.6503  www.sawmillriveraudubon.org
   Fax: 914.666.7430  Email: office@sawmillriveraudubon.org
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   Ellen Heidelberger
   Saw Mill River Audubon
   914-666-6503
   office@sawmillriveraudubon.org
   www.sawmillriveraudubon.org