ReWild / Cow Neck 2025
Summer Program to Fight Hunger & Climate Change

We have selected 50 volunteers and interns who will be working with our youth mentors and adult volunteers in various spaces over this summer.

Composting & recycling
Identifying native & invasive plants
Advocacy and outreach

Gardening for pollinators with native plants

Organic farming to benefit food-insecure community members
Oyster & bioswale pojects to benefit our waters

Applications for new youth volunteers are now closed. Join us next year when applications open on April 1st!

Are you an adult volunteer looking to mentor and work alongside youth?

The Cow Neck Summer Program is now accepting Adult Volunteers who would like to foster biodiversity, climate resilience and food security.

Adult Volunteer Signup

We are always looking for adults who like to learn, mentor and set a great example for our youth!

2025 Summer Program Locations

Please ensure that you can get to the following work locations where activities will be conducted. Refer to the map for details.

Adult Activities Center - Plant a Row (PAR) Garden, Port Washington: · The PAR Garden is located right behind the Adult Activities Center building. Learn to plant, grow and harvest food on the 18 raised beds that are regularly maintained by Plant A Row For the Hungry, Port Washington. All produce we grow will be donated to a food pantry.
CSHH Oyster Gardening at TONH Beach Park, Port Washington: The Coalition to Save Hempstead Harbor is restoring local shellfish populations through their harbor-wide oyster gardening program. Help raise baby oysters that will be released in Hempstead Harbor to support marine life and aid in cleaning our waterways by filtering bacteria and nutrients. An adult oyster can filter up to 50 gallons of water per day. Garden oysters with us to benefit water quality on Long Island and protect our local environment.
Greentree Foundation, Manhasset: This preserve consists of 200 acres of wild forest and 70 acres of wildlife fields in the heart of Manhasset. In 2025, volunteers will participate in a scientific study of Monarch Butterfly aimed at establishing the phenology and egg-laying milkweed species preference. Other studies will also focus on the resident population. Internships at this location for 2025 are by invitation only.
Helen Keller National Center - Plant A Row (PAR) Garden, Port Washington: · The PAR Garden is located on the grounds of the Helen Keller Center, down the drive as indicated on the map. Learn to plant, grow and harvest food. All produce we grow will be donated to a food pantry.
Monarchs Matter RTR Program: Raise, Tag, and Release (RTR) Program. This is a one-of-a-kind, hands-on experience raising, tagging, and releasing monarch butterflies to contribute to monarch community science projects and to learn about biodiversity conservation. You must attend all 4 weeks of the group you sign up for. Only sign up for this if you are available for all four weeks of a group. All sessions are at the ReWild Garden @ Dodge. No absences are allowed over the 4 weeks. This activity was created and is led by student activists for their peers.
PWEA – Richards Rd. Traffic Islands, Port Washington: The Port Washington Estate Association is rewilding their Traffic Islands! This experimental program aims to put native plantings right in the public eye, in areas that are traditionally tough to water, weed and maintain. Summer Students will be working with adult supervision to plant natives and water/weed them through the season.
ReWild Garden @ Dodge, Port Washington: Learn to plant, grow and harvest food, compost yard, and kitchen waste, as well as rewilding and sustainable landscaping at this location. This is the homebase of ReWild and accepts adults and youth volunteers each Saturday between 9 and 11 AM.
Roots & Reflection @ Dodge, Port Washington: Located at the Thomas Dodge Homestead, this project combines art, nature, and reflection. Help decorate the garden with painted tree stumps, stones, and benches, create a mural on the oil fence, and walk the grounds reading or writing poetry. This space is meant to inspire creativity and connection with the land. This activity was created and is led by student activists for their peers.
Sands Point Preserve - Vegetable Garden & Preserve, Port Washington: The fruit and vegetable gardens at the Sands Point Preserve are located behind the Hempstead House as indicated on the map. Learn to plant, grow and harvest food. All produce we produce will be donated to a food pantry. In addition, the groups will be performing woodland and beach maintenance on this beautiful preserve by the Long Island Sound.
Sands-Willets House, Port Washington: The Sands Willets House is a farmhouse from the 18th Century that the Cow Neck Peninsula Historical Society runs. Learn rewilding, composting, and sustainable landscaping at this historic location.
Science Museum of Long Island (SMLI) Pollinator Gardens and Preserve, Plandome: There are two activities housed at this location located next to the Leeds Pond Preserve.
- SMLI Pollinator Garden Maintenance: The SMLI maintains six pollinator-friendly native plant gardens, of which 2 are rain gardens. · Work will involve removing non-native plant species in the six pollinator-friendly native plant gardens, including rain gardens at the Science Museum of Long Island. We may plant some native perennials as well, and birdwatching is an option at the end of the session and observe the importance of native plants for wildlife on Long Island.
- SMLI Preserve Maintenance & Compost: A second activity at this location is maintaining woodland areas that have been restored. We will work on maintaining three replanted woodland areas, next to the parking lot shown on the map and learn to identify native and non-native invasive plants, and observe the importance of native plants for wildlife on Long Island. Working at the compost site is also involved.Interns will rotate into 1/2 hour sessions at the Community Compost where they'll learn all about composting their kitchen food scraps at home/backyard or as a community. They will maintain the compost piles and learn the amazing benefits - just by changing a household routine - this simple activity has on the planet's ecosystem.
Seraphim Farm home of ReWilding of America, East Norwich:
Get hands-on experience with regenerative farming practices at Seraphim Farm. Help with planting, weeding, mulching, watering, and caring for a variety of crops while learning how sustainable agriculture supports biodiversity and soil health.
Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Shelter Rock (UUCSR) Preserve, Manhasset: The 100 acre grounds of the UUCSR include several ReWild native flower gardens and a 75 acre Oak-Tulip Tree forest. Join us in woodland trail maintenance and removal of introduced species, as well as maintenance of the flower beds; we'll also enjoy a field trip to the vernal pool to experience the herps that live in our woods.
Water Testing Project by TTPW: Transition Town Port Washington’s Citizen Scientist Water Quality Testing Program will take place at 3 locations on the Port Washington Peninsula. These locations are Baxters Pond, Mill Pond and Leeds Pond.
Please see the map above for pickup and drop off points for various locations.

SUMMER PROGRAM SCHEDULE

We are still working on the summer program schedule. There will be 3 different schedules corresponding to different phases of the program

Training Week : The training week will go from June 28 to July 4. During this period you are expected to attend ALL activities. This is an easy way to earn hours towards completion. These sessions will introduce you to various locations and give you a sense of whether you will enjoy those activities, or perhaps you should do more of something else.

All students are expected to attend all training sessions. These will count towards your total hours
All students are expected to attend the **Saturday Zoom sessions.**

**Summer Session:** The summer session will go from July 5 through Sep 1. During this time activities will be scheduled during the day on weekdays and weekends. You should have a wide selection of activities during this period.

**Fall Session:** This is the month of September and activities will be scheduled after school hours and during weekends.

The Organizing Team

The Summer Program is organized by a committee of adult and youth volunteers, who have worked hard to make the program possible. The organizing team consists of

Youth Organizers : Each year, we recruit highly motivated students from the previous year’s summer program to help organize the current program. These youth organizers are trained in leadership skills. They work from January through June creating the schedule, preparing publicity, interviewing incoming students and taking responsibility for mentoring at various locations.
Rewild Long Island Summer Program Committee Members: Adult organizers help to motivate and guide our youth organizers, while working side by side to make each year’s program successful.

Click on the students’ photos to get to know more about them!