Marian S. Heiskell Native Plant Nursery
The Jamaica Bay-Rockaway Parks Conservancy created a beach grass nursery at Floyd Bennett Field with its partners at the National Park Service, the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation and the Natural Areas Conservancy. The nursery honors Marian S. Heiskell, a lifelong conservationist and a citizen founder of Gateway National Recreation Area and the National Parks of New York Harbor Conservancy, the catalyst for the revitalization of Jamaica Bay.
A volunteer helps plant grasses along the dunes at Rockaway Beach, Far Rockaway (2021).
Beach grass grown at this 3.25-acre nursery has been planted, frequently by volunteers, to stabilize dunes that buffer the Rockaway coastline from storms and sea level rise. Beach grass is a native species that can withstand tough conditions, including wind, drought and salt spray, while spreading its roots across dunes, holding them in place. Specially adapted for its harsh environment, this grass has the ability to shift with ever-changing dunes. Even as beach grass gets buried by blown sand, it migrates upward and continues to grow.
Since 2017, grasses grown at the nursery were used for projects along the shoreline in Brooklyn and Queens.
Volunteer Sebastien Nordenson planting beach grass on the dunes at Rockaway Beach. Photo by Danae Alessi.
Parks gardener prepares grasses to be planted in Far Rockaway (2020).
This nursery is made possible by generous support from Bloomberg Philanthropies. Many thanks to NYC Parks Natural Resource Group and Greenbelt Native Plant Center for managing the nursery.