Dover Beach Park is a picturesque retreat with stunning views of the marshes along the Quinnipiac River. With its inviting benches, ample shade, scenic vistas, playground, and splash pad, the park has become a beloved gathering spot for the community—a perfect escape into nature, especially on hot summer days. This summer, longtime dedicated volunteers Christel and Joyce made remarkable progress in stewarding the urban oasis near the bridge and the Children's Butterfly Garden by the playgrounds. They tirelessly removed countless invasive species that had crept in, transforming the newly cleared spaces with vibrant, colorful perennials, and carefully mulching these natural spots to enhance their beauty and vitality. Their hard work has ensured that Dover Beach Park remains a welcoming and lively greenspace for all to enjoy.
After the thunderstorms and rain from last night, the weather was much cooler, and the soil looked happy and ready for some plants! This week, Christel, Joyce, and I started to weed, mulch, and plant in our butterfly garden. While weeding and edging the garden, Christel shared her journey to becoming a professor and comforted me, saying, "It's okay to explore and not know exactly what you're going to be up to!" After weeding and cutting back the shrubs, we planted our perennials: a coneflower, a black-eyed Susan, and a butterfly weed. A new volunteer, Jose, joined us and helped shovel mulch into the garden too. We invited him to join us next week, and you should too! Join us next Thursday at 9 am to finish stewarding our butterfly garden!
07/11/2024
It was a very hot and humid morning, but the excitement was palpable as everyone eagerly anticipated planting the beautiful perennials I brought. Today, we were thrilled to welcome five wonderful workers from Common Grounds: Joshua, Freddie, Terell, Kymani, and Luis. They recognized the area from last week and immediately sprang into action. Christell and Joyce, always dedicated, started picking up trash from the park as usual while we moved the tools inside. Despite the soil being embedded with various rocks and roots, which made things quite challenging, we dug numerous holes with determination. We first planted four vibrant coral bells under the catalpa tree, followed by five stunning agastashes where we had previously pulled mugwort. Despite the heat and humidity creeping onto us, we covered the beds where we planted perennials with mulch shoveled into the urban oasis last week. By the end of the workday, the sanctuary-like space gleamed with joy, thrilled to have new perennials planted to block out future weeds. Join us next Thursday at 9 am to beautify the butterfly garden by the playground!
07/03/2024
Although I was away this week, the volunteers at Dover Beach Park were exceptionally productive! Coordinated by another URI intern, Jasmine, they were joined by the energetic Common Ground student workers and successfully moved a large pile of mulch into the heart of the urban oasis. On top of that, two small but mighty kids joined the team to learn about and help with the work. This was an epic and joyful collaboration, showcasing the incredible spirit of teamwork and community!