Planting Riparian Buffers along Arthur Kill and Raritan Bay Shorelines

NYC H2O is planting native beach grasses and trees along the Staten Island shoreline and in Mt. Loretto State Park in order to protect Arthur Kill and Raritan Bay’s environments and enhance the areas’ biodiversity. Maintaining healthy populations of native plants will prevent coastal erosion, conserving habitat for native wildlife and helping to combat climate migration of local residents to which the communities of Staten Island are particularly vulnerable. Restoring native plant populations in these dunes, wetlands, salt marshes, and upper bank woodlands preserves the original wetland’s function of flood control along the south shore in Staten Island as well as provides a barrier against polluted runoff that could undo cleanup efforts in Raritan Bay. 

June 2022 - December 2022: Planting native beach grasses from local nurseries and trees along the Arthur Kill shoreline and in Mt. Loretto State Park

Planting native beach grasses along the shores of Arthur Kill creates a natural barrier against waves and storms eroding the sand, which have become more intense due to the effects of climate change. Dunes provide protection to the coastal homes of local residents as well as wildlife that live there such as the snowy owl and short-eared owl, gulls, sand snakes, insects, and spiders. Planting trees in Mt. Loretto State Park achieves similar coastal benefits: native tree species will prevent erosion and create a natural filter to prevent urban pollution from seeping into Raritan Bay.