Native Grass, Pollinators and Green Meadows Here on Long Island, a Sustainable Focus by the Sisters of St Joseph, Brentwood, NY

Nelson Pope Voorhis (NPV) has assisted the Sisters of St. Joseph (CSJ) located in Brentwood, NY with many interesting and sustainable projects. The CSJ is the largest order of Catholic women religious on Long Island with more than 500 members and a 160-year tradition of ministering.

They have recently begun to make their Brentwood grounds more sustainable. Two years ago, NPV alongside of CSJ began planning, design, transforming and restoration of two native Long Island meadows, similar to what would have existed within the Hempstead Plains during historic times. The first meadow area was 3 acres in size and was planted in 2018, with the second 4-acre meadow planted in Spring 2020. The restoration involved conversion of prior lawn area to meadow in order to provide habitat for grassland songbirds, pollinators and to reduce the amount of lawn maintenance across the Brentwood campus. The project is a successful example of native meadow restoration for sustainable land practice.