Happy Birthday Manhattan Healing Forest
Let’s Celebrate our Teeny Forest!
Did you hear about the 1st NYC Miyawaki Method pocket forest? Perhaps you joined planting day on April 6th, 2024. Maybe you helped source plants, brought us shovels, delivered @bigreuse compost or @historicgreenwood wood chips to set the soil foundation for success.
Well now is the time for ALL to JOIN US to celebrate its first year of tremendous growth. One tree is over 16 feet tall!
Nearly 1,500 native trees, shrubs, flowers and ground covers comprising 47 species of native plants make up this mini forest thanks to SUGi’s funding and leadership partners. So many humans came together to make this milestone planting possible. And in just one year we have seen Monarch butterflies, Bumble Bees, American Kestrels and Red-tailed Hawks, Grasshoppers, Crickets, Roly Poly bugs and Lady beetles enjoying the space.
A note from iDig2Learn founder Christina Delfico:
Now seventeen months old, the Manhattan Healing Forest – Tekenink atàm — which means “Let us go to the forest” in the Lenape language — boasts native trees over sixteen feet in height. The pocket forest is growing into a lush habitat for birds such as Warblers, Northern Cardinals, Northern Flickers and the American Kestrel with multiple sightings of the now endangered Monarch butterfly. This 2024 planting was SUGi’s 200th forest and New York City’s first. It is an absolute joy to watch neighbors and visitors come check on their tree or discover the pocket forest for the very first time. It is truly a proud moment for all the humans who had the will and the knowledgeable relationships to come together and lead the way to rebuilding city soils and restoring the land.
WHAT: Manhattan Healing Forest Birthday Event
WHEN: Saturday, September 20th – 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.:
1:00 p.m. – 1:15 p.m. Christina Delfico, founder of iDig2Learn, opens the event with short tales from the forest introducing Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation’s (RIOC) CEO & President BJ Jones for welcoming remarks
1:15 p.m. – 1:45 p.m. Special featured partners include Lenape Center’s Co-Founder and Executive Director, Joe Baker and Co-Founder & Deputy Director, Hadrien Coumans of the Lenape people, whose territory is Lenapehoking, lead a welcome with song and show and tell.
2:00 p.m. and again at 3:00 p.m. Enjoy an iDig2Learn-led forest tour highlighting the plants and people behind this historic Miyawaki Method planting.
2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m Community organizations and partners provide activities that tie into the forest including Compost Giveaway thanks to partners Big Reuse and Earth Matter, Pop-Up Photo Exhibit of 2024 Planting Day, Write a Birthday Wish to the forest, create Leaf Impression Art with local artists and Get Grounded in the Barefoot Area with Improvando and friends, and Submit a photo of you and the forest for a chance to be showcased in the iDig2Learn Main Street windows in 2026
4:00 p.m. – The event concludes.
WHERE: Southpoint Park, Roosevelt Island New York, NY 10044 (on the southern portion of the island, Queens facing park entrance).
We can’t wait to make more forest friends!
Special thanks to @sugiproject for funding the original planting and lead partners @rooseveltislandny#lenapecenter@smunitee, Ethan Bryson, Andy Travis and @grin_10044@4freedomspark@jody_sperling@time_lapse_dance . We could not have achieved this without the hundreds of volunteers and multiple local organizations supporting our joint milestone project. TY @forestforallnyc & @treesny This birthday event is possible by iDig2Learn donors like you and the NYC Green Fund @cpfnyc@partnershipsforparks TRIBA, RIOC Public Purpose Funds administered by #NYCT and @citygardensclubnyc
More info about iDig2Learn available at our website and Instagram page.
