Springtime Revitalization of the Shea Garden
On April 29, a group of around a dozen biology students on the Long Island Campus gathered with a few professors to work on an ongoing project. Recently, the department set up a greenhouse in the Shea Garden, located behind O’Connor Hall. There are no plants growing there yet; the hour was devoted to preparing the area for planting.
One group of students and staff worked on creating compost out of leaves found around the campus. Another group was focused on pulling weeds from around the garden.
Long Term Effects of Native Plants
The hope is that, on top of beautifying this area of campus, weeding out the garden will give a crop of new plants—first planted during the fall semester—a better opportunity to survive.
Particular emphasis, in both the greenhouse and the surrounding area, will be placed on growing plants that are native to the area. A particular note was made about pollinators, which will also help the birds and insects that live around campus.
Putting aside the aesthetic and environmental values of reintroducing native plants to the Shea Garden, having a garden on campus should be a great utility to students within the biology department.
“There’s a lot going into the greenhouse, and we’re really excited,” said Dr. Igor Ivanovski, Ph.D, an assistant professor of biology. “When it gets going, we want to keep up with the sustainability aspect of it.”
A number of different possible studies on the garden were cited as things for the department to look forward to, from studying microbes in dirt, native pollination or hands-on learning of how beer and wine are produced.
More to Come
“It’s going to be kind of guided by the research we want to do at the time,” Professor Ivanovski continued.
The development of the greenhouse will be an exciting one to continue to watch unfold. There’s real enthusiasm for the opportunities afforded by the project from all corners of the biology department, and a sense that it will make the Long Island Campus a better, more beautiful place for all of the people and animals around it.
