Even the rain could not stop volunteers from planting 300 trees and shrubs on Saturday in Gardiner along the Wallkill River. This was part of the “Trees for Tribs” Spring 2021 Planting event.

Before and after planting the trees and shrubs, volunteers embarked on a 15-minute walk from the parking lot at the transfer station at 131 Steves Lane to the planting site. They trudged through the mud and battled the rain en route to planting 300 trees and shrubs.

In total, 51 volunteers and three New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) employees worked together to complete the task. Overall, 170 trees and 130 shrubs were planted.

Climate Smart Gardiner, the state DEC as well as the Town of Gardiner Parks and Recreation Department collaborated to make the day a success. The event was made possible by the state DEC’s Hudson Estuary Trees for Tribs Program. The program offers free native trees and shrubs for qualifying planting projects in the Hudson River estuary watershed. The watershed includes parts of Westchester, Dutchess, Orange, Ulster, Sullivan, Columbia, Greene, Albany, Rensselaer and Schenectady counties as well as all of Putnam and Rockland counties.

Program staff can also assist with plant selection, designing a planting plan and other technical assistance to help a project succeed. Anyone who owns or manages property near a stream in the Hudson estuary watershed can apply for the program. Project Leader Tara Hoey confirmed that the grant value of the trees, shrubs, tree tubes, weed mats and planting supplies used for Saturday’s event was approximately $2,840.

“Planting a tree is one of the best things that you can do to mitigate the impacts of climate change,” said Anna Palmer, a stream buffer educator for the state DEC who helped plant trees and shrubs on Saturday.

The NYSDEC confirms that healthy streamside buffers composed of native trees, shrubs and grasses help to: reduce water pollution, reduce erosion and flooding damage and provide habitats for fish and other wildlife.

Those who participated in Saturday’s event were pleased with the end result.

“It was so well organized and the turnout was great,” said Holly Shader, a Gardiner resident who volunteered for Saturday’s event. “Many hands made light work!”