The recent addition of a small pollinator garden near Onondaga Lake’s southwest shore is part of the much larger, years-long effort to restore the habitat and wetlands of the once heavily polluted area. All native plants have replaced invasive species.
It’s hard not to notice the hum of traffic on I-690 or the chirping birds as you walk along this part of the west shore trail. But you also can’t avoid the thick vegetation that’s filled in the restored wetland.
Jim Molloy is a senior scientist with Parsons, an international infrastructure firm that’s restoring and maintaining the 100 acres of wetlands around the lake.
“This was planted only eight or nine years ago," Molloy said. "And you can see that the trees here are already 30 to 40 feet tall. By creating a diversity of habitat types, planting that with a diversity of native species, we're encouraging the wildlife to come.”
The area was once dominated by invasive species. Now thanks to annual invasive species management he said native plants have largely taken over.
“Invasive species are most likely to invade fragmented disturbed areas," Molloy said. "The system, because it's so robust with native species, is way more resilient to invasion by non natives.”
That’s critical to restoring the insects, birds, and fish that thrive on this habitat. SUNY ESF Pollinator Ecologist Molly Jacobson says enthusiasts tend to have their favorites, but they’re parts of one ecosystem.
“'Oh, I want to support pollinators. Oh, I like birds,' but it is all one thing. It is all connected," Jacobson said. "They're using the same habitat, they are interacting with each other as they have for millions of years. So they are inseparable. You take out one link in the chain, you are breaking the other links. To so that is what we're trying to do is restore the links from the ground up.”
That includes the new pollinator garden.
“Even something this small can produce thousands of caterpillars and that is going to make a difference for the birds that are trying to live here, which makes a larger difference for Onondaga Lake, the watershed, our larger landscape," Jacobson said.
