New Trailhead and Pollinator Garden Opens at Island Preserve
Genesee Valley Conservancy celebrated the opening of a new public trailhead and native pollinator garden at Island Preserve on Monday, June 22, with a ribbon cutting ceremony attended by community members, conservation volunteers, local students, and college faculty.
The new trailhead, located at 82 Steeplechase Drive in Geneseo, provides direct neighborhood access to Island Preserve and features a quarter-acre native pollinator garden planted by volunteers on land donated to the Conservancy in 2024. The project was made possible in part through grant funding from the Office of the New York State Attorney General and The New York Community Trust through the New York Pollinator Conservation Fund.
Mallory Bailey, a third-grade teacher at Geneseo Central School District, attended with her class. Bailey's students built pollinator boxes, designed for use by bees and birds, that were handed out to attendees along with native plants at the event.
Dr. Jennifer Apple, Associate Professor at SUNY Geneseo, spoke to attendees about native pollinator habitat and why protecting it matters for local ecosystems and agriculture, sharing findings from her own research conducted at the preserve.
Benjamin Gajewski, Executive Director of Genesee Valley Conservancy, reflected on the preserve's history and what the new trailhead means for the community. "For 26 years, Island Preserve has offered the Geneseo community trails to enjoy nature," Gajewski said. "Today we are thrilled to open a new access point, connecting this preserve to Steeplechase Drive residents."
Gajewski noted that the pollinator garden marks a first for the organization. "This new trailhead is an exciting project because it is the first time we have incorporated a pollinator garden filled with native plants that will support insects, as part of a nature preserve. We are grateful to the many volunteers, especially Mallory Bailey and her students at Geneseo Central School for assisting with this project."
Attendees received free native plants, bird boxes, and bee boxes to take home and support pollinators in their own yards.
Island Preserve has been part of Genesee Valley Conservancy's network of protected lands for 26 years, offering trails and natural areas for public enjoyment in the Geneseo community.
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Genesee Valley Conservancy is a nationally accredited non-profit conservation organization working to protect the habitat, open space and farmland in the Genesee River watershed. Over 41,502 acres of natural habitat and productive farm and forest land have been conserved by Genesee Valley Conservancy in partnership with private landowners. The organization also owns nature preserves open to the public for recreation and education. For more information visit www.geneseevalleyconservancy.org