INWOOD – Two local organizations need your help to plant trees in Inwood Hill Park this weekend for Earth Day — as part of a two-day festival of nature walks and recycling events.
The Friends of Inwood Hill Park and Recycleday Morning, two local organizations working to green up the streets of Northern Manhattan, are teaming up for the “Inwood Hill Thaw” weekend, starting Friday, April 22 on Earth Day.
The organizations received 400 trees and 1,000 smaller native plants to plant along the edges of Inwood Hill Park starting at Payson Avenue and Beak St. They currently only have 30 volunteers registered, he said, but are hoping to have more sign-ups by the end of the week.
“We’ll need all the help we can get with that [planting project],” said Chris Whitney, co-founder of the Friends of Inwood Hill Park.
The weekend's events will launch with a 90-minute walk on Friday at 8:30 p.m. inside the parks, Whitney said.
“It’s just to enjoy the forest during the time of day when people aren’t normally out there,” Whitney added.
The festivities will continue Saturday at 9 a.m. on Payson Avenue and Beak Street with several green activities, including a family tree planting event, reforestation work and a litter pickup walk along what the organization has dubbed “determined hotspots” for garbage.“
There were several sites we’ve identified inside the park where people don’t help remove litter,” Whitney said about the litter pick-up project.
“We’ve held other regular events in the park, but this is by far the biggest,” he added.
The thawing activities will wrap up on Sunday, April 24 at 11 a.m. with a nature hike inside the park with the New York City Urban Park Rangers. The event will start on Seaman Avenue and Isham St. in Inwood Hill Park.
Although all “Inwood Hill Thaw” events are open to people of all ages, registration is required to participate, organizer said. Volunteers should also be ready to get dirty.
Organizers suggest attendees also pair up their sturdiest boots or shoes with long pants and sleeves.
