What was once a litter-strewn stretch along Newbridge Road has been transformed into a thriving pollinator garden at the North Bellmore Public Library, now serving as both an environmental showcase and hands-on learning space for local students.
The garden expansion is the result of a collaboration between Nassau County Girl Scout Troop 909, the Merrick Garden Club and library staff, who joined together last month to plant pollinator-friendly flowers including milkweed, coneflowers and black-eyed Susans.
The plants were donated by the Merrick Garden Club and installed by Girl Scouts and volunteers during a community planting effort designed to support bees, butterflies and other pollinators while promoting environmental education.
Joann Tonon, treasurer of the Merrick Garden Club, said the project reflects the organization’s broader mission of community service and environmental stewardship. The club also provides scholarships for students studying environmental sciences and maintains gardens and green spaces throughout the area, including pollinator plantings at nearby parks and libraries.
“It’s about the education… for the future of the planet for me,” Tonon said. She added that teaching children about pollinators and native plants is especially important as populations of species such as monarch butterflies continue to decline.
The Girl Scouts involved, fourth-graders ages 9 and 10, also helped create educational materials explaining pollinators and their role in the ecosystem. Tonon said a parent developed a pamphlet that was distributed to participants as part of the hands-on learning experience.
Library facilities manager Eric Gaertner said the garden space has undergone a dramatic transformation since he began working at the library five years ago. He recalled that the area along Newbridge Road frequently collected roadside trash before improvements were made to the property.
“Every morning when I get to work, I would have to walk the building to check for trash, and that area would just take all of Newbridge Road’s trash, and it would just accumulate overnight every night,” Gaertner said.
After a fence was installed, Gaertner said the library began developing the space into a pollinator garden, adding plantings over several years before partnering with the Girl Scouts and garden club to expand the project.
The collaboration also introduced a decorative “garden snake” made of painted rocks created by the scouts, which Gaertner said will remain a permanent and expandable feature.
“They can come back every year and add to it and make the snake longer,” he said.
Gaertner also refurbished a wishing well from discarded materials to further enhance the garden’s sustainability theme. He said the library maintains a natural landscaping approach, avoiding pesticides and chemical fertilizers.
“Everybody is so quick to throw down pesticides and fertilizers, and we do it natural here,” he said.
The project is part of the library’s broader commitment to sustainability. North Bellmore Public Library is recognized as Nassau County’s first Certified Sustainable Library and continues to expand environmentally focused programming.
Tonon said the group hopes to build on the project with future educational programming at the library focused on pollinators and environmental awareness for children.
Visitors can view the garden through the glass windows near the library’s study area, where a once-overlooked space now serves as a living classroom for environmental learning and community collaboration.
