Washington Grove

Help For A Much-Loved Park Call For Volunteers 

Nestled behind the reservoir atop Cobb’s Hill lies a beautiful grove of giant old oaks, commemorated as Washington Grove after our First President. This is nature’s cathedral and many come here to stroll, exercise, walk their dogs, or watch for migrating birds. As beautiful as it is the forest is showing signs that all is not well. Humans have introduced invasive plants such as the Norway maple that are crowding out native trees. Trails have widened and are eroding with heavy traffic. Some native species of plants and animals are declining or have disappeared in the last twenty years. But help is on the way. 

A dedicated coalition of people and neighborhood groups have joined a project sponsored by the Sierra Club in partnership with the City of Rochester, to restore and protect the Grove. After 10 months of work, they have produced a Master Plan which has been submitted and approved by the City of Rochester.

A variety of actions have been proposed to address the problems faced by the Grove. The Project is looking for volunteers to help with actions such as modifying existing trails to prevent erosion and repair damage. Invasive species will be tagged and eliminated gradually. Native species will be planted to replace those that are aging and dying. Pac Tac teams will be trained and begin walking the Grove to educate others about the Project, encourage cooperation with Project efforts and discourage misuse of the Grove. On June 6, and June 20, a scientific study of the Grove will be done by a graduate student at SUNY Brockport to determine the structure and composition of the forest.

If you are looking for a community project that will enhance our neighborhood and City, and would like to work with other visionary and committed people on a multi-year project that will make a difference, please call Peter Debes, the Project Leader (585) 234-1056 or contact him at phdebes@frontiernet.net  

Contact

Itinerary of the Washington Grove Committee

• Saturday, June 20 – Call for volunteers! Completion of the Scientific Data Collection for the Washington Grove forest at Cobb’s Hill. Meet at 8:00am at the Nunda Entrance to the Park. Join research student Justin Rogers from SUNY Brockport as he completes a study of the forest at the Park. You will be trained to identify a variety of trees and shrubs and help others collect data at random intervals along a line transect. You will find this method of surveying a forest interesting to watch and participate in. Contact Peter Debes, phdebes@frontiernet.net  or 585-820-2018. (Washington Grove Coalition)