Planting Power Newburgh is a hands-on learning and action collaboration to improve the local environment with shade trees, pollinator gardens, stream side plantings, and even a food forest.

Newburgh will grow a little greener thanks to a partnership between The Greater Newburgh Parks Conservancy, Sustainable Hudson Valley and the Rhinebeck Rotary. PPN has received $100,000 in funding from the Rotary Foundation and Hudson Valley Rotary District 7210. These funds will be passed on to the local partners. The grant will support outreach by the Conservancy, organizing volunteer planting and maintenance of greenscape in the city, purchase of plants, soil, mulch and tools, education and training, and a small utility vehicle to water existing and newly planted trees, pollinator gardens and other plantings.

The project has set specific goals for planting in the initial year, with projects distributed to benefit all four wards.  The results will include:

• Pollinator Plots (at least 3,000 plants)

• Rain Gardens (at least 300 shrubs & bushes)

• Urban Forest Care & Expansion (at least 50 new trees)

• Shoreline Protection (at least 200 shrubs & trees).

Watering and maintenance of the plantings will be the ongoing responsibility of the Parks Conservancy with the help of its Environmental Justice Fellows program and volunteer network.

This fall, and again in the spring, residents will be invited to training sessions on environmental restoration, blending information with hands-on learning that will help participants to maintain their own gardens as well. In between the training sessions, there will be work parties in which Newburgh residents and Rotarians from the region will dig, plant, learn and laugh together.

Sustainable Hudson Valley will design the training content in collaboration with local instructors. According to Executive Director Melissa Everett, “The ability to garden, raise food, and take care of our environment is a true confidence-builder. It is also a gateway to job skills in the nursery and landscape industry, farming, biology, urban planning and more.”

Rotary Clubs have a long history of service and hands-on community projects. Recently, Rotary International added Environment as a central priority for funding. According to Joe Phelan, President of the Rhinebeck Rotary, “We have taken high school students to Central America for service projects, but here is a chance to learn and serve close to home. We are eager to pull in a lot of Rotary sweat equity to make this project successful.”