Environment

Garden Rewards Program still open to North Fork residents

Some North Fork residents still have the opportunity to be reimbursed for rain barrels, rain gardens, and native plants through the Long Island Regional Planning Council’s Garden Rewards Program. Those north of the program’s Long Island Sound coastal boundary, which roughly slices the North Fork in half, can still receive up to $500 through the program. Other parts of the island were closed to the program starting in mid-July.

“The program’s become really popular, and in a very short period of time, we actually exhausted all the (other) funding because we had so many people interested,” said LIRPC deputy director Elizabeth Cole. “But we have some funding leftover for people living in the Long Island Sound Study area.”

According to the New England Interstate Water Pollution Control Commission, one of LIRPC’s funding partners, nitrogen is the leading cause of water quality deterioration on Long Island. Excess nitrogen can cause toxic algal blooms that lead to low oxygen conditions, fish kills and degraded wetlands and marine habitats. Nitrogen also contaminates the groundwater, the sole source of Long Island’s drinking water.

Capturing rainwater with rain barrels and rain gardens or slowing water runoff with native plant gardens reduces the amount of water flowing into storm drains, which in turn reduces the amount of nitrogen pollution entering local waterways and helps conserve water.

Homeowners who make eligible changes to their landscaping can apply to be reimbursed for up to $500. Visit lirpc.org to see if your home is in the funding zone and to learn what projects are covered.

LIRPC executive director Richard Guardino hopes homeowners get in touch earlier next year when there is more funding available. “It’s unfortunate when people find out about it kind of late, and then there’s only a little money left. But we’re hoping to get some additional funding and have a really aggressive program for next year.”

Locals interested in native plants can attend the North Fork Audubon Society’s 2024 Fall Native Plant Sale, scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 14 and 15, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Roy Latham Nature Center at Inlet Pond County Park, 65275 Route 48, in Greenport. More than 60 species — many of which are drought tolerant and deer resistant — native to the northeastern United States and grown by Glover Perennials in Cutchogue will be showcased.