Planting Event for Hyde Park

We are hosting a planting at Hyde Park in Niagara Falls on Oct. 7 from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Volunteers are sought for this event, and those interested can click the button below to learn more and register for the event.

The plan is to install “rock-socks” along the waterway. These items contain plants that help us in our living shoreline restoration work and will keep Hyde Park Lake healthy and stable. The rocks-socks are pictured below.

Rock-socks are a novel wetland planting technique developed during the Buffalo River restoration. It involves filling biodegradable burlap bags with a special planting substrate and planting them with wetland plugs in a nursery setting. These plants are left to grow in the nursery for several weeks, developing dense root systems, before they are installed in shallow water areas at restoration sites.

Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper has worked with the Friends of Silo City to grow these rock-socks and we are ready to install them in the landscape. During the event, we will separate into groups of (3) Wheelbarrow Loaders, (3) Wheelbarrow Runners, (3) Rock Sock Handoff Folks, and (3) In-water Installers. Rock-socks can simply be placed in shallow water areas, so the only tools/gear needed to complete these plantings include wheelbarrows for transporting the plants and waders for installing them in shallow water areas.

These supplies will be provided by BN Waterkeeper, but if you have your own pair of waders, feel free to bring them.

Volunteers should be able to bend and walk on uneven surfaces and should be prepared to get a little wet during the day’s activities. The Rock Socks weigh between 35 and 50lbs, and we are anticipating each volunteer will be able to move between 15 and 20 rock socks during this volunteer event.

The Hyde Park Restoration project is located in Niagara Falls, New York near the Rose Garden. Please consider arriving 15 minutes early in order to find parking and locate our group! Volunteers can park at  3200 Pine Ave. Niagara Falls NY, 14301.

If you have any difficulties with the registration, please reach out to Brittni Anderson (banderson@bnwaterkeeper.org).