Residents rally to restore Pattersquash Creek

Phase one of the Pattersquash Creek restoration in Mastic Beach was completed on Saturday, April 15, as roughly 20 volunteers worked to plant native plants where invasive plants once existed on behalf of the Pattersquash Creek Civic Association.

Walter Meshenberg, Mastic Beach Creek Defender with Save The Great South Bay, said the organization received a permit from the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), permission from landowners, as well as a donation of approximately $3,000 from the Nature Conservancy Group.

“With the help of the Pattersquash Creek Association, the Mastic Beach Conservancy Group and the [Nature Conservancy] organization, we were able today to plant approximately 33 plants that are native to Long Island to help with clean water,” said Meshenberg. He explained that the goal is to continue phasing out invasive species and replacing them with native plants across the entirety of Pattersquash Creek, and he hopes to garner even more support and awareness throughout this process.