www.thecorico.com/oldmillecoisland

Community

In phase 1- goals were to the restore the center of the island to a native habitat and healthy ecosystem (remove all invasives, replace with appropriate straight species natives, increase biodiversity); create new habitat and living spaces with sustainable practices and design for home and garden; use projects and successes to educate, inspire and involve my community; and create a native seed bank from the island which provides residents of my town with free native seeds and gardening advice in exchange for a promise to not broad spray chemicals and to remove invasives where possible to them). Phase 1 has largely been accomplished. Phase 2 will be similar goals but for the acreage outside of the island- this will commence next year.

Advocacy, Community Building, Communications/Marketing, Education, Financing, Investment, Operations, Research

Phase 1 has been complete as of this year. The island is now free of invasives and I've replanted areas with a large variety of appropriate native perennials, ground covers and shrubs. We now house about 150 native flora species and increased our insect population greatly. Educational programming and partnerships with local colleges, scientists and schools have occurred and hosted successful tours and programs. The gardens produced enough extra seed last year that the Bloomfield Native Seed and Plant Bank was able to be established and in its first year provided seeds and guidance to 20 families wanting to begin native gardens. Some watershed specific projects remain like finding funding and support for securing the historical stone abutments under the bridges and dam which has been damaged over the years as storms have gotten worse. Erosion issues remain an issue I am actively solving for and seeking funds for.

Acres protected

We have secured our 4.82 acres here including the brook system. Biodiversity has increased (counting both flora and fauna) about 18 fold since I began the project 4 years ago. It continues to grow as species are added to the new garden spaces. I have a meeting to partner with our town library to see if the town seed bank I established can physically live in the actual library where folks can get their seeds from there rather than having to make appointments with me in order to serve a larger population. In its second year, the gardens now through the seed bank have provided plants and seeds to 50 individuals and counting as we head into the fall season.

Sustainable home remodels began in 2021 and are nearly complete. Island habitat restoration began in earnest in 2022 with phase 1 completing this year (nearly- see bridge project mentioned above).

The biggest challenge is always funding and finding affordable ways to DIY and manually complete huge projects that usually require large equipment that we just can't get onto the island. I've mostly taken on debt when needed to complete projects and built a hospitality component that I am hoping will support both myself and the land financially.

Myself, my partner and my father. I've strategically partnered with local conservation groups and schools for educational programming and access for research and involved my community to provide education and native seeds to them.

Debt. Building a hospitality branch of business to host events on the island to support the costs of restoration projects. Selling plants.

Social Media and offering tours to town commissions and local universities.

Individual reflection, Scientific assessment, Statistical analysis and review

Communicated your project results through a blog or other media, Presented your project results at a conference or meeting, Added new team members with different expertise, Applied for funding, Applied for awards, Celebrated

That even when time and money is short- passion, creativity, and drive goes a long, long way. Nature should never suffer so I'll do whatever it takes to support her because I do believe a better world is possible if folks could shift their way of living and therefore put pressure on systems to shift.

Stay curious. Do your research before acting and be creative and really think through all ways you might solve a problem before landing on your solution. Sometimes the most environmentally friendly solutions to issues are the most beautiful and cost effective. Think outside the box.

The next phase is to build on the hospitality business hosting events here to be able to complete more of the projects and sustain it. I will also be seeking more funding from non profits for help with the bridges and waterway. Next year I will add plants to the final garden beds installed with the landscaping of the upper yard but otherwise the joy of entering the maintenance and management phase begins. Next year will require another monthly sweep of areas where invasives were cleared to clear any re-appearing and to support the growth of the new natives that were planted. I hope to build a group of volunteers who are interested in helping with this part and I can train them on identifying and removing invasives.