For the past month, Planting Fields Foundation has hosted eight young adults—ages 18 to 26 from across the United States—serving in the National Civilian Community Corps, or AmeriCorps NCCC, a national team-based community service program. The team has been an immense help in supporting our mission at the Foundation and will be serving with us until April 27 assisting us to restore and maintain historic spaces throughout the estate before moving on to other locations during their full-time, 10-month commitment.
The team, named Hackberry 2 after the common hackberry tree (Celtis occidentalis), has already helped us clean out and organize the basement of Coe Hall for future tours of these overlooked spaces that were so crucial to the running of the household one hundred years ago. They helped reorganize our library, boxing books to donate and making space for our archival collections. They have also been providing support in the formal gardens as we prepare for spring, helping with garden clean-up, mulching, and removing invasive species. As we work to prepare Planting Fields for the 200th celebration of the birth of Frederick Law Olmsted on April 26, Hackberry 2 is helping us to restore the Heather Garden and prepare the main entrance for restoration.
Through the service provided by AmeriCorps members, we hope to provide better access to greenspaces and educational opportunities. Our team will be improving trails, removing non-native species from our indigenous woodland areas, and taking out invasive vines from our collection beds.
As one of the first AmeriCorps NCCC teams to come to Long Island, we are excited to share our unique history and landscape with this remarkable group of young people and share the importance of historic spaces like Planting Fields with them. We are pleased to recognize the amazing work that these eight Corps members have already accomplished and will continue to accomplish for our community!
